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It's no mean feet for Valaya

JJ Valaya has clothed some of the most famous bodies in the country. Now he's eyeing something more basic: the feet, reports BHUMIKA K.

Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

FASHION FUNDA JJ Valaya (posing with Deepika Padukone and Upen Patel): `I find anything too perfect disturbing. Imperfection gives someone character'

Enormously inspired by beauty to create beauty. Also inspired by Tintin and his creator Herge. He is right now going to get the rich and happy women in society's stratosphere to hitch up their trousers and skirts to show off his new range of designer embellished footwear. He's also going to be introducing nouveau riche Dilliwallahs to Oriental Lilliums and Vanda Orchids at his boutique. The House of Valaya is definitely spreading its wings.

JJ Valaya's couture trousseau line can cause a bride's jaw to drop. With good reason. The climbers are known to swoop down on his diffusion line. The cognoscenti and the glitterati do up their homes and dens with his exquisite cushions, tapestries and coordinates.

But JJ Valaya never seems to have enough. In Bangalore for a fashion show, he talks to MetroPlus after a quick lunch with his brother and models Deepika Padukone and Upen Patel.

Initial jolt

After you've got over your initial feeling of disorientation on seeing him — the man you've seen with the pagadi and regal robes — has literally let his hair down in the city, opting for a ponytail. You almost don't recognise him without his trademark look. "Oh no! This is not a new look. This is just chilling. I'll be back to the good ol' turban in the evening," he says with a disarming smile. The 38-year-old designer is quite clear about his market priorities and options. And has reasons good enough; we can believe them.

"I am not reaching out for the mass market. It's difficult right now for any designer in India to reach this market. No designer is ready with the capital needed for such volumes. It's a different game in itself." So he is playing the safe game of the couturier.

Encompassing couture wear, bridal trousseaus, lines for men and women, accessories, home furnishings, objets d'art, furniture and now a women's footwear line and a luxury flower boutique, Valaya's brand is catching the wind both in India and markets abroad. "One day the brand's identity has to become a complete luxury lifestyle brand. I'm not into the mass market."

Food is a passion for this generously built NIFTian, and starting a line of boutique luxury hotels is a dream. "India is one of our main markets but not our only one. The Middle East is big and there is a renewed interest in the rest of the world about Indian design. I've done whatever I have, for the love of creating something beautiful. They deserve to be put up on a platform. "

But he objects when I say his clothes are not for everybody. They have a tag of "luxury" and "limited edition" few can reach. "They are two different things. On one end is my Muse collection and at the other, my Studio Valaya line of diffusion wear that starts at Rs. 2,000, which anyone can buy. We are going across the spectrum." But couture is the origin where you're thinking most extravagantly. "But to make it hip, modern and accessible, you have to tweak it down to prêt," is how he pitches it.

His JJ Valaya Muse is the next offering on the luxury platter. "It will be the highest level of luxury you can think of in clothing. They will never be exhibited; they won't figure in fashion shows or be displayed in ads. No one can see them other than by appointment. A piece will be made for you and never again. Even Parisian haute couture never does this," he smiles. It will obviously come with a price tag his uber rich clientele won't mind — a cool Rs. 8 lakhs upward. A small price to pay, the chatterati will murmur, for the ecstasy of owning a one-off creation no one else in the world will have.

In a licensed tie-up with Skin Sin, a new line of footwear will be launched (that will be available in his studio in Bangalore in another three weeks or so). The first collection is on a Peru theme with lots of black and whites, graphic Inca motifs, combined with anti-colours, beadwork and raw detailing in the Studio Valaya range. In the JJ Valaya range, very elaborate, intricately embroidered, Swarovski-studded footwear for women will start at Rs 4,000. As the inspiration, the muse and the clothes change every few weeks, the footwear will too.

There's more. Valaya.FNP Fleur will be the first of its kind luxury flower boutique in India and only the second of its kind in the world, based in Delhi. "Some of the world's rarest and exotic flowers will be here. The idea is to completely change the experience of flowers. Over 80 per cent of the flowers won't be from India. We treat this like an art and so they are called flower installations." These will be delivered to homes in air-conditioned vehicles and arranged by professionals at the venue. So one can take a pick from Protea, Salix Willow, Ginger Lilies, Helcornia, Pink Heligonia, roses, lotuses and unusual greens and foliage. All these are part of the evolution of the brand, he says.

No metrosexual

But the man who dresses up the hip and hyped of the country (nearly 40 per cent of his turnover comes from men) says he's not really much of the metrosexual male. "I'm not into manicures and pedicures. I know of guys who go in for plucking... I find anything too perfect disturbing. Imperfection gives someone character."

According to him, the retrosexual is making a comeback and guys are tuned to what being a man is all about. Bright yellows and oranges are getting toned down and the manly stubble is a-peeping.

Valaya's show in Bangalore featured his Tintin-inspired collection he showed at LIFW. The collection was more inspired by Tintin's creator Herge, and Valaya says he's going where the author went — South America, Turkey, Tibet — in his collection themes.

"In those days, between Tintin and Asterix, life was taken care of," he smiles again endearingly. He has the complete Tintin collection, of course.

A true-blue Punjabi, he believes most Sardarji jokes emanate from Sikhs themselves. "We have the spirit to create jest and absorb it — a big positive. I have no idea why they emanated. It baffles me. Maybe it's the turban... "

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