Travel + Leisure - India & South Asia
FASHION MEETS WANDERLUST
The ace couturier tells CHIRAG MOHANTY SAMAL how his love for travel distinctly translates into his designs.
IT HAS BEEN A long journey, spanning three decades, for ace couturier JJ Valaya in the fashion industry.
From elaborate surface embroideries to dramatic bridal couture, Valaya’s name has become synonymous with maximalism in Indian couture. But in his 30th year, he decided to take the road less travelled and launched his pivotal brand called JJV, which he reveals was created to cater to his nomadic customers’ sartorial needs. An avid traveller himself, Valaya fused his travel experiences with his design aesthetics to create a line of lightweight occasion wear suitable for travel. Expect to find his signature prints and patterns on clothes made from Tencel™ Luxe filament yarn that seem weightless and can be easily rolled up and packed in your travel bags. In a candid interview, he tells Travel + Leisure
India and South Asia he has travelled to 46 countries and plans to travel to 40 more and how each destination he has experienced finds a way into his creations.
EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW: You completed 30 years in the fashion industry—how has Indian fashion evolved over the years?
The evolution has been nothing sort of phenomenal. We started in an era where no publication wrote about fashion. There was just one fashion institute called
NIFT in Delhi, which churned out only 25 designers in a year.
There were no fashion weeks, FDCI did not exist, there was no internet and mobile phones and no Instagram. Cut to now and you know how the world has evolved and along with that the industry.
How do you think fashion in the travel space has evolved keeping the Indian traveller in mind?
We launched our bridge-toluxury line called JJV. This line is inspired by Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, who was an avid traveller and went around the world bringing back interesting narratives with him.
The brand was born out of the idea that people tend to travel light and often there are occasions one needs to dress up for, like a concert, a fine dining restaurant or a party. But we do not usually carry Indian clothes as we feel they are bulky and take up space. So, I wanted to create a line that serves as occasion wear for travellers. You can wrap up any of the JJV outfits in a bundle and put it in your suitcase. We have used lots of prints, embroidery has been modernised and made lightweight. The clothes are created out of Tencel’s ecofriendly fabrics.
How does travel impact you as a designer?
Just about every collection of mine comes out of my travels. That’s why we carry a special tagline, ‘Royal Nomad’. We are essentially travellers and we have borrowed so much from everything that happens around us. Travel has a major impact on my personal ethos and on what I create.
What kind of traveller are you?
I like to explore but take it easy at the same time. My recent travels have fuelled my love for photography. I have a couple of books which are called The Little Book of Memories—one on Istanbul and another on
Goa. These feature my travel photographs. I like to walk a lot, go to unexplored places, and take in as much as I can of the place.
A collection that was inspired by your journey to a particular place?
All my collections are inspired by travel. Turkey is responsible for three of my collections. When you discover a location, which is so deep in culture and history, it’s unfair to creatively implement it in a single collection. Spain has triggered two, Persia inspired two, Kazakhstan and India have given rise to so many collections.
What are your tips for creating a travel wardrobe that will work in any part of the world?
There are basics that you should always have by your side while travelling. For example, a couple of jeans, comfortable shoes, and an easy but stylish outerwear.
Which is your favourite city for shopping?
It’s not just one city but I have a favourite country—Italy. Whether it’s history, food, or fashion, Italy is perfect in a lot of ways.
You travel all over the world for work. Which are some of your favourite cities?
I have travelled to 46 countries, and I have another 40 on my bucket list. Each place that I have been to is pure joy—be it St. Petersburg, Venice or London. The Far East is fascinating as well, I particularly like Shanghai, the way that city has been put together. Sydney is interesting too. Besides these cities, I love my hometown Chandigarh.
What’s on your travel bucket list?
I want to do a two-monthlong road trip across the length and breadth of Europe with my two daughters.