J.J. Valaya: “Couture is an investment”

Fashion designer JJ Valaya set up JJ Valaya Life in 1996. This year, he showed a collection at the Lakmé Fashion Week after 10 years.

One of the first few students of the first fashion design institute in India, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), JJ Valaya’s personal journey as a designer has been closely linked with the beginning of the fashion movement in our country.

Back in 1996, he set up JJ Valaya Life, with couture, a café, a florist, an art gallery and an interiors line, in a farmhouse. JJ Valaya recently showcased his collection after a decade, at the FDCi X LFW. Excerpts from an interview:

From Jagsharanjit Singh Ahluwalia to JJ Valaya - what has the journey been like?

It's been 30 years but it seems like yesterday, when I was studying to be a CA in Chandigarh, extremely unhappy with what I was doing, until an uncle from Delhi popped in and recommended something that had freshly opened that was NIFT- I'm talking about 1987-88. So I always had a background of creativity and fine art. One trip to Delhi, one look at NIFT and I knew that this is the place where I truly wanted to be. After that, honestly I don't know where and how quickly the years have gone by.

Do you let fashion trends dictate your work?

I think fashion trends are exciting because they keep alive newness in fashion. They revive a sort of temporary energy but couture... is rarely driven by trend; it is actually driven by degree of timelessness, sophistication, luxury and almost an heirloom like quality to it. So whilst I am alive to trends - we always look at what is happening around the world and pick up what we find interesting and merge it into the classic sort of genre that we excel in - I am not a blind follower of trends for the simple reason they are temporary and transient and the fashion I create has a longevity to it. I believe couture is an investment and it must be stunningly beautiful and top quality and should stand the test of time.

You have dressed Joseph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor...

To me, all my customers and clients are celebrities. The fact that we have dressed a fair amount of important people who are well known, who are celebrated, who are cherished, is my good fortune...

Actor Kiara Advani in a JJ Valaya outfit.

The humility of big stars like Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes and how grounded and normal they were and how absolutely delightfully courteous they were, that goes a long way to show the depth of individuals who remain humble and courteous even after gaining the pinnacle of success. That is one of the things I remember of Hollywood stars.

The ‘business’ of fashion is something that every successful designer masters. Do you think you have too? How? Tell us about the process…

The business of fashion is one of the most interesting facets of fashion. So while you start your career with a dream as an artist, at some point of time you become a brand from an individual. For a brand, the business aspect is important. So we have had a fair share of experiences and journey handling different sides of the business. We have had our successes and failures, and they are extremely important to learn from.

Failures and mistakes are among the best teachers. Today we are looking at an interesting trajectory of growth in a controlled, yet, positive way. I took a sabbatical in 2017 and  when we reappeared on the horizon it was personally for me a completely new sort of energy and a focused vision. So we are following our path and are hopeful we reach where we are destined to reach.

Do you feel one needs to sometimes let go of one’s creativity, to make a collection that is more profitable?

A successful fashion brand is always a clever mix of the creativity and commercial aspect of the collection. Any person who is merely working on extremely creative clothes which may or may not sell, is not going to survive too long in this game. Frankly, they should really take the path of being an artist, do limited shows once in a while, come up with a fantastic collection, then that's your journey.

But if you are looking at the brand to outlive an individual, then one has to look at a holistic picture. Fortunately for us, we are modern classists and we are maximalist and we try and cleverly combine the two to create something commercially successful. It's a learning curve, of course, and the learning continues year after year, and we become wiser year after year.

Couture and prêt require different sensibilities, don’t you agree?

Couture and prêt do not essentially require different sensibilities because first of all one has to understand what the meaning of prêt is. Prêt-à-porter means ready-to-wear, and it rarely has anything to with expensive or cheap. But let's just say the understood norm is couture is expensive and prêt is more value for money. I think every successful brand globally dabbles across the board so they will have a couture or luxury line which will be extremely high-end, and then something which is simpler, cleaner takes the same sensibility and makes it more wearable and value for money. It is still a bridge to the luxury line but not a mass-market line, so yes, between that I don't think there is a big shift because it is watering down from core sensibilities that takes place. The major change happens when a big fashion brand decides to get into the mass market or premium mass that can be a big shift and one has to be careful over there. A luxury operator trying to understand the mass market can be tricky and it needs a lot of insights, it definitely needs a different frame of mind too for the two things, and I don’t think there are too many successful examples that have sustained themselves by being at both ends of the spectrum: the luxury end and the mass end.

What do you feel is the need of the hour, when it comes to the Indian fashion industry?

Today, the Indian fashion industry is on a roll. Finally, after years, it's been acknowledged by the corporates and that is the first true sign of an established industry. So between the Aditya Birla Group and Reliance, there have been a lot of acquisitions and investments and that is a wonderful direction forward. It also means the game is going to get bigger, it also means the brands which have been built over decades will now find a way into people's hearts and homes a lot more. It means the corporates see these initiatives as highly profitable, so I think there is no better time for Indian fashion than now, where it has been taken seriously and has been accepted and promoted and backed by some large corporates.

The pandemic affected every single industry - how and how much did it affect your work?

I have always believed that adversity is a great teacher... the pandemic shook up a lot of things. But more than businesses, money and commerce, it kind of realigned people’s direction towards their own lives. So suddenly the value of homes, family has become important, suddenly everybody believes in living in the now. Of course there was a setback in the fashion industry, just like every industry except the healthcare-hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry. But like everything, this too shall pass and it is already passing and things are getting back to normal. People are preparing to live a life in a much more glorious than ever before. The way forward is bright.

Rumeli Festive Collection by JJ Valaya.

You came up with an entire collection of Rumeli for the Lakmé Fashion week earlier this month - how tough and challenging it was considering we still are battling the pandemic.

FDCi X LFW was a lovely experience and I was showcasing my collection after 10 years and I’m grateful. The entire week was a great success and the fact that a lot of physical shows also took place besides the digital ones, is a sign of a comeback after the pandemic. This is what we need to acknowledge and talk about, at this point of time rather than dwelling on something that has done its damage. We should be appreciative that we all are safe and we continue to move forward with great excitement and with joy.

What are the five fashion tips JJ Valaya swears by?

1. More is less and less is more. The art lies in balance; maximalism and minimalism complement each other as does modern and history. The art of fine dressing is all about elegance and creative ways of putting yourself together.

2. The mirror never lies. Trust what you feel and see in the mirror when you try on something. Just because something is trendy does not mean that it necessarily works on you. Similarly, just because it’s a vintage or a classic does not mean that it is irrelevant.

3. Always have black and ivory in your wardrobe. These two neutrals will never let you down and will also allow you room for experimentation in terms of adding accents of colour and texture.

4. Don’t try too hard. It’s a common mistake. Wear only what makes you feel good and looking good is a natural follow.

5. Choose quality over quantity. Quality, whilst costing more, will endure and delight you for years.

You have worked with many Bollywood actors - any actor you aspire to work with even after all these years?

Actors are artists and as a brand, we celebrate artists. They make the world a better place to live in and we enjoy making sure that they look the part. No favorites and yet too many favorites - it’s all about chemistry eventually.

Actor Bhumi Pednekar in a JJ Valaya outfit.

What are you working on now?

Besides our stunning flagship coming up in Delhi, there is much happening... with respect to fine jewellery, fashion jewellery, luxury interiors, a new bridge to luxury labels and of course, my photography.