India's couture king J. J. Valaya has no pretensions — and he does not believe in fashion trends.
"I believe trends exist but I don't think it needs to be followed so religiously. True style is about blending trends and making something solid out if it. Very few Indian women get that — they either blindly follow the trends irrespective of whether it works for them or not or there are these utterly boring women who have not evolved from traditional saris," he says.
Harsh words, but it's understandable when it comes from a designer who pioneered the Indian couture wave in the early '90s.
Video: J. J. Valaya offers his Diwali tips
"To me, a woman who can put together trends and tradition — she is a true style icon."
So what's his Diwali style tip?
"Look in the mirror, it rarely lies. I have seen women with huge arms wearing spaghetti-strap blouses with saris. Don't make that mistake. If you have the body then wear it, but if you don't — just go in for an elegant and sophisticated look."
Valaya's festive forecast includes both bright and muted colours such as reds, turquoise and ivory. The 47-year-old designer, who has dressed several Bollywood beauties, is equally forthright when it comes to speaking about his signature style and his opulent pieces. His well-heeled clients are willing to pay as much as Dh65,000 for a bespoke bridal outfit.
Spirit of royalty
"I am not a common man's designer and I can never be a minimalist. All my clothes, even my prêt-a-porter line, J.J. Valaya, have an underlying spirit of royalty that runs through all of it. I can never shy away from opulence."
He even admits that he finds the idea of making a "reasonably priced" garment tedious.
"I look at my brand as aspiration and as a luxurious one. I don't want it any other way."
Interestingly, fashion was not the first career choice for Valaya, who launched his own fashion house in 1992. Couture designing, he says, was an unheard of concept in India back then.
"I was studying to be a chartered accountant because that was the logical thing to do back then. Before that, I was auditing in banks and I hated it. So then I came across this fashion institute and everybody around me was sceptical," he recalls.
"At the time when I joined the fashion institute, there were no fashion designers or big retailers in India selling bespoke clothes. There was no media coverage whatsoever — remember India was poverty-stricken back then. All people did was go to a tailor and ask for embroidery if they had a wedding."
Calling himself a member of the first rung of designers to have sprung out of India, Valaya says reaching the top wasn't his toughest battle.
"Sustaining your success is more challenging than reaching the top. But what worked for me is that I have stayed true to my indigenous roots without being a hard-core traditionalist."
