Mastering the craft of creativity, Valaya is looking at the future, with meta-luxury and an assiduous approach to design, with help from his talented stylist daughter Hoorvi
By Asmita Aggarwal
Cutting down unnecessary costs, making the business leaner and outsourcing production— were part of J J Valayas business restructuring, after he came back from a much-needed hiatus. He felt everyone was running a rat race, he refused to be one, reiterating, he was bored of what he saw. These hard and firm steps paid off, as it prepared him for what was coming ahead. Things did go off the rails, when his store launch got derailed due to Covid, but he decided to get back on the saddle, with a luxury portal.
I dont think websites are just about selling, they are more experiential, welcoming you to a world that has been nurtured over the last 30 years. You let your client take an informed decision on what he wants to buy, says Valaya. A virtual platform was imperative for his clients, who reside all over the world, and a huge chunk of the market, he caters to.
The website offers a 3D approach, you can see before you buy, and frankly, life is now in the palm of your hand. It is the first whiff of what the brand ethos communicates and being a geek Valaya has embraced technology whole-heartedly. He is also going to launch the Ika jacket, the cousin of Alika, a cross between a shirt and a jacket, inspired by a mythical, royal courtesan, hoping to create history like the Tods loafer, with a trademark. It carries his brands DNA, and hopefully soon, on his website you would be able to make your own jacket.
A DIY concept, first in luxury, where you get to pick your aesthetic (raw, matte or sheen), select your fabric (linen or silk), also what prints you like and even minute details like piping. You will then be able to see how it will look, with augmented reality. With technology we head to the future, today the virtual and real world must meet with royalty, being the underlined ideology, he adds.
Often, he describes his philosophy as a royal nomad with panache for Art Deco thus, his themes range from Persia with Tabriz to now the Ottoman Empire, with a line titled Bursa, 13 to 17 C Turkey, a recurring leitmotif in his collections, a bit like Ajrakh, a story he narrated five years back. What makes each of his offerings truly timeless, is his photography, an interest he developed when he began his career and let it blossom. I love mysteries and intrigue, I like rediscovering the past and representing it with a modern penchant, he adds.
Hence, he begins the R & D for his line, almost ten months to a year before the launch, he thinks and expresses visually, which is one of his biggest strengths, in a social media space that is obsessed with the power of a photograph. His burgeoning library with a labyrinth of books, as imposing as the man himself, boasts of a prowess of knowledge and intense interest in craft. When I click an image, I like to get deeper into what existed around it, he explains.
Even as the size of the wedding has decreased, Valaya believes, the dream outfit concept remains constant, even though people will be viewing it through a screen. Indian weddings are fairly recession-proof, luxury has tapered down, but will never disappear. People recover, it is the circle of life, he adds.
Seasons are vanishing, rise of reuse and recycle, as brides come and ask us to re-fashion the outfit, a Valaya their mom wore 25 years ago. The way ahead is capsule collections, which embody a brands essence, are inventive and small is really the new big to make it D-Day special. Everything is transient, the good and the bad, I feel major policy decisions must never be made during an ephemeral stage in life, so I will wait for this impasse to end to make a decision, he adds.
When people are suppressed over a period of time, they come back stronger, and thats what is going to happen to luxury. Either consumers will get wiser or they will learn to finally live simply. Too many choices in life sometimes make it too confusing, thus the shakedown has been a good lesson, people will slow down, choose better quality, and will filter their needs, he concludes.