JJ Valaya

A celebrated couturier, a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India and the first global brand ambassador of Swarovski, JJ Valaya is popularly referred to as the Monarch of Indian Fashion. Valaya trained under iconic Indian fashion designer Rohit Khosla before launching his eponymous label with his elder brother Tribhavan Jit Singh. 

Today the fashion designer has around several hundred hand embroidery artisans and master craftsmen working for him in his headquarters. He remains one of the biggest names in the bridal trousseau and haute couture segment in India and was one of the first Indian labels to invest in sampling, research and development at House of Valaya in Manesar.

JJ Valaya graduated from Chandigarh College with a degree in commerce. Following his graduation, he worked as a chartered accountant for eighteen months and then enrolled in National institute Of Fashion Technology New Delhi in 1989 to study fashion design. Valaya trained under iconic Indian fashion designer, Rohit Khosla, before launching The House of Valaya in 1992 with his elder brother Tribhavan Jit Singh. Valaya's creativity, talent and vision combined with his brother's organisational skills are the key factors for the success of the luxury fashion brand. 

Few know that JJ Valaya is a part of the pioneering group of Indian fashion designers.. a founding member of the Board of Governors of the Fashion Design Council of India.. and the first brand ambassador for Swarovski. A journey that has earned him the title of the Monarch of Indian Fashion. He is best described in the statement by the Maharani of Kapurthala during a visit to his atelier: "You are truly the future of the past." The designer draws his inspiration from the opulence of royalty which also forms his regular clientele.

Valaya is acclaimed for his efforts to revive ancient Indian textile crafts through his collections. Per Vogue: '“As Indian fashion houses, it is our responsibility to nurture hand crafts and the karigars,” he says, explaining the process of reviving age-old techniques like the craft of mixed metal embroidery. Embedded with sequins, glass beads, gemstones, buttons and more—the form of embroidery has been a highlight of the house since the early 1990s.'

JJ Valaya's intricate use of metal sequins, beads and gemstones is iconic. "Perhaps one of our best known examples of this from our stable is the Emrooz border, which was first developed by us in the early ’90s and still regularly gets featured in our collections." He told Vogue. "The story behind this border—made of combining sequins and beads of various metals with gemstones and glass beads—is fascinating. It was developed as an all-new technique for a bespoke garment for a client in the back then, which then inspired an entire collection around it."

JJ Valaya is a firm believer of sustainability. Per Platform: "We have been practising sustainability since the time we began. We have clients who purchased our garments 25-26 years ago, coming back to us to get those garments altered in their daughters’ sizes. We have young girls now coming back with our garments that their mothers wore. This is the biggest test a brand can be proud of, the test of time and generations."

JJ Valaya diversified into luxury interiors with his own brand- Valaya Home in 1996 using the same approach that he has used to dress generations of women and men. This pioneering project in the luxury home sector saw for the very first time, a fashion house launch a dedicated Home label in India. Per Brides Today: ‘"I have always wanted to take the brand into multiple experimental areas—lifestyle, luxury, interiors, and photography—all of which are my passions. For many decades, I have had a deep interest in interiors, and I finally got the opportunity to indulge in my ultimate passion by curating aesthetic spaces with an apparent, underlying signature Valaya ethos.."’

In 2003- when JJ Valaya launched his luxury ready to wear brand- he was retailing fashion and lifestyle products under three brands: JJ Valaya, Studio Valaya and Valaya Home-Life, in which his first couture label, JJ Valaya, comprising his trousseau line, launched in 1993. Today the luxury fashion brand encompasses couture, ready-to-wear, home and a CSR prerogative, The Free Spirit Foundation. Per Pernia's Pop Up: “Beyond wedding couture JJ Valaya expands his creative expertise in art, home and lifestyle. Establishing his forte in hand crafted tapestries, the designer created luxury spaces specializing in furniture, art and home decor accessories.”

2012 marks twenty years of JJ Valaya's work in the fashion industry. The designer launched a limited edition financial year calendar in New Delhi to commemorate this milestone. Valaya also introduced the 'Diasun', a pattern comprising two inverted 'V' and the sun motif from the JJ Valaya crest, which now comes on every garment produced by the label in some way or the other to curb plagiarism. Today the fashion designer has around several hundred embroidery artisans and craftsmen working for him in his headquarters. He remains one of the biggest names in the bridal trousseau and haute couture segment in India, and was one of the first Indian labels to invest in sampling, research and development at their "House of Valaya" establishment at Manesar.

A renowned designer, a celebrated couturier, a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India, and the first global brand ambassador of Swarovski, JJ Valaya is popularly referred to as the Monarch of Indian Fashion. JJ Valaya brand mission is simple: “Go back to the past and keep it relevant to today." The couturier has- since the launch of his eponymous luxury label- been reinventing cultural and textile heritage with modern, globally relevant designs.

JJ Valaya's vision is to revive India's cultural identity with modern design. Fashion has always been a powerful means of self-expression and by combining traditional textile heritage with contemporary styles and a modern approach to design, JJ Valaya celebrates our heritage while staying relevant. 

He incorporates traditional techniques and craftsmanship into pattern-making, draping and modern technology. In honouring his cultural roots, he uses cross-cultural aesthetics through the motifs and the subsequent designs are a harmonious blend of tradition and contemporary fashion. Through his sustainable and ethical process, Valaya demonstrates the value of preserving cultural heritage in the fashion industry.

Over the past three decades, JJ Valaya has been designing haute couture, bridal wear and luxury pret for men and women. Today the luxury fashion brand encompasses haute couture, bridal couture, ready-to-wear, home line and a CSR prerogative, The Free Spirit Foundation. The fashion designer offers bridal, evening wear and ready-to-wear. He is best known for lavishly using metal hand 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 contemporary woman. He also offers menswear with a wide range of sherwanis, embroidered kurtas, Nehru jacket sets, britches, bandhgala, jackets, kurtas and shirts.