Moving forward with G&M's Know Your Fashion Designers series, this week I'm spotlighting JJ Valaya, noted Indian fashion designer & couturier from New Delhi.
He founded the House of Valaya, a luxury fashion & lifestyle house in 1992, along with his brother TJ Singh. He is a founding member of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) & the 1st global brand ambassador of Crystal giant Swarovski. He has been designing for men & women & has bridal & evening collections in addition to day-wear & ready-to-wear for over 20 years. As a fine art photographer, he released his 1st book, Decoded Paradox in 2011, in the same year as he also closed the day 1 of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) winter/festive 2011, debuting a fashion collection inspired by photography.
Want to know more?? Read on to learn about the life of JJ Valaya.
8 Facts About JJ Valaya:
1. Born & raised in the historical city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India's premier fashion designer, JJ Valaya, has made a name for himself as one of the most original & inspired designers working today.
2. The revolutionary fusion of traditional crafts & contemporary haute couture generates an alluring, urbane, one-of-a kind handiwork is the signature of the House of Valaya.
3. Valaya has rejuvenated & redefined age-old Indian crafts as a profitable niche within the cosmopolitan market, allowing the valued artistic processes to live on despite the pressures of globalization.
4. In 1994, Valaya became the 1st Indian couture label to have a solo show in India.
5. Met with enthused reactions by fashion critics & buyers, the label opened JJ Valaya Life, India's largest single designer store till date.
6. Since 1997, the House of Valaya has shared the catwalk with many of the world's top designers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, London, Dubai, New York & Paris.
7. As one of the most respected designers in contemporary fashion, JJ Valaya continues to wow fashion's toughest critics with his 2 apparel lines, Couture & Diffusion & his product labels Valaya Home & Studio Valaya.
8. JJ Valaya's innovative & groundbreaking styles assure the majestic era of royal India will continue to reign well into the present.
Outfit Inspired by JJ Valaya:
Summer is just around the corner, bringing with it the perfect weather to whip out your light, breezy & tie front dress!! Since JJ Valaya is all about gold, vintage looks, I chose a gold birkin. Also, in some pictures I found of JJ, he was wearing a beautiful gold bracelet, so I found one of those as well. Finish off the look with heeled pumps & filigree earrings & you've got the true JJV vibe.
Extra for Experts:
Want to learn more about the life of JJ?? Check out these links-
Do you know any other fun facts about JJV?? Do you own a JJV dress?? If not, has this article convinced you to try one on next time you're at the mall? Your thoughts're always welcome!! And as usual, please suggest future KYFD posts!