A renowned designer, a celebrated couturier, a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), and the first global brand ambassador of Crystal giant Swarovski, JJ Valaya is also known as the Monarch of Indian Fashion. JJ Valaya was born on 8 October in Jodhpur, India, to an army family and grew up in various cities in India along with his two older brothers.
JJ Valaya graduated from Chandigarh College with a degree in commerce. Following his graduation, Valaya worked as a chartered accountant. Having worked as a CA for 18 months, the designer enrolled in NIFT, Delhi, in 1989 to let his creativity run wild. In the world of fashion, JJ Valaya's exquisite bridal trousseau, splendid hand-made embroideries, meriting craftsmanship, and unique contemporary attires are causing a stir. Known for his exotic styles, vibrant colors, refined silhouettes, and impeccable hand-made embroidery: his pieces evoke a sense of timelessness.
The philosophy of JJ Valaya is to create for today, not for tomorrow. JJ Valaya has been hugely motivated by history and wants to make it relevant today. Customers have access to the finest in the world today. JJ Valaya offers a mix of royalty and elegance. JJ Valaya's pieces showcase appreciation of history and find great magic in exploring the mysteries of various cultures to create something new. JJ Valaya believes Indian fashion houses must take the responsibility to nurture crafts and artisans. The designer is fascinated by beads, metals, buttons, gemstones, and sequins. As per the designer, embroidery is a medium that lends itself to anything that the mind can perceive. The use of metal embroidery is common in the designer's work. The presence of materials like dabka, kora, and mukaish is spotted in his designs in a contemporary way. JJ Valaya believes in experimenting with the medium without compromising on the purity of the technique.
JJ Valaya is well-known for his couture, regal designs, and bridal wear. Over the past three decades, JJ Valaya has been designing clothing for men and women. The designer offers bridal, evening, day, and ready-to-wear collections. He is best known for lavishly using metal embroidery, gemstones, and beads in his creation.JJ Valaya sarees, dresses, skirt sets, lehenga, kurta sets for women, suit sets, and jackets are for the fashionable contemporary woman. He also offers designer menswear fashion with a wide range of sherwanis, embroidered kurtas for men, Nehru jacket sets, britches, bandhgala, jackets, kurtas, and shirts.
JJ Valaya has contributed enormously to the perishing arts and crafts of India. He has a long list of achievements in his journey as an acclaimed fashion designer and beyond. Here are a few of them: In 1990, he won the Prix d'Incitation in Paris, becoming the first Indian student to win an international award in fashion. JJ Valaya won many other awards during his time in NIFT, such as The Thapar-Dupont Medal, The Elyxa award, and the KLM-NIFT Trophy.During his school years, he exhibited the highest level of creative ability as he remained the most outstanding artist and calligraphist in school for five years straight. The creative spark was there from the get-go. In 1992, he launched his brand JJ Valaya alongside his brother TJ Singh. His brand consisted of haute couture pieces that won him high honors from the fashion world. Aside from being a prominent player in the fashion industry, he is also involved with various products such as haute couture, footwear, and tapestry. Along with his brother JJ Valaya launched Valaya Home in 1996 and a prêt label, Studio Valaya, in 1999.JJ Valaya had a passion for fine art photography as well. He published his first book titled, Decoded Paradox in 2011. Interestingly, he debuted at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in the same year.
In 2003, he launched his pret line. The collections are not only showcased pan-India but globally. Celebrities like Joseph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor were spotted wearing his creations. JJ Valaya collaborated with the Oscar-winner Ruth E Carter to create a series of exclusive pieces for the film. With the leading protagonist as a celebrated actor, Eddie Murphy, and renowned costume designer Ruth Carter, JJ Valaya has marked a spot for Indian fashion on the international map.