House of Valaya has always been a creative surprise, be it their signature shifting leaves chevron designs, their culturally rich showcases or their collaborations, JJ Valaya always loves a new creative challenge.

On Day 2, Sustainable Fashion Day, JJ Valaya’s bridge to luxury brand JJV Kapurthala has collaborated with R|Elan™ to unveil Char, a collection where luxury intertwines with conscience, promising an unforgettable showcase of style and ethos.

Commenting on the collaboration, Hemant D. Sharma, President – Polyester, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) said, “RIL’s collaboration with JJ Valaya’s JJV. Kapurthala exemplifies our commitment to nurturing the best talent while advancing sustainability and circularity in the textile and fashion industry. By integrating R|Elan™ eco-conscious fabrics and innovative technologies, we are not only fostering a new wave of creativity in the luxury segment but also championing sustainable and circular concepts throughout the value chain.”

In collaboration with R|Elan™, JJV embraces eco-conscious fabrics such as R|Elan™ GreenGold, crafted from recycled PET bottles, and innovative technologies such as R|Elan™ Kooltex, ensuring both style and sustainability.

A potpourri of cultures, celebrating diversity and unity in a symphony of colours and textures remain the hallmarks of JJV Kapurthala season after season. In conversation with News18, JJ Valaya talks about collaborating with R|Elan™ on Sustainable Fashion Day, embracing eco-conscious fabrics made from recycled PET bottles and why the champion of his shows will always be the clothes and not celebrity showstoppers.

Excerpts from the interview:

JJV Kapurthala was launched in 2022 at Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI, how does it feel coming back this season with R|Elan?

JJV debuted in 2022 at Lakme Fashion in partnership with FDCI. This season, we are partnering with R|Elan and putting together a collection which champions sustainability. The whole idea is to keep holding the flag of the House of Valaya high by doing newer things. For us, it is also about exploring creatively and having fun in more and more sorts of zones. With JJV Kapurthala our mission was very clear, we wanted to make a line which was more accessible so that more and more people could wear it. I am so happy that it has been received so well.

How was it working with R|Elan Fabrics 2.0 to create the new collection, Char?

It’s always a pleasure to work with exquisite fabrics whilst putting together a new line and if that fabric happens to be a champion of sustainability, then the journey becomes all the more special! R|Elan™ fabrics have lent themselves beautifully to our prints and cuts and through their versatility and diverse weights, have been highly adaptable to various silhouettes from our stable.

R|Elan™ fabrics were quite a surprise actually. It is very important to feel the fabric, not just see the fabric. So, when I saw them and felt them, I found it very hard to believe that this was made from recycled PET bottles. As a luxury brand, to use a sustainable fabric without compromising on the element of luxury was a welcome sort of thought and that’s what we really enjoyed doing.

You are closing Sustainable Fashion Day on Day 2, how does Char celebrate the narrative of sustainability?

The collection Char celebrates the narrative of sustainability through the fact that it is made out of a fabric which is versatile, luxurious and most importantly created from recycled PET bottles, and that’s phenomenal. Plastic is plastic and to be able to recycle it and make it into a yarn that can be reused in this case, I think it is phenomenal.

What does Char mean to JJV Kapurthala?

JJV Kapurthala’s collections season after season, we number them in Punjabi – Ek, Do, Teen, Char, Paanch, Che…that’s One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and so on and so forth. So what we are showing is the fourth season, Char, and this Autumn/Winter would be Paanch, which will be the fifth season. It is a constant story of a normal nomad, which we are often called, who is travelling all the time and when he travels he absorbs from multi-cultures and then puts it together in a beautiful signature and statement that he can present to the world.

It is loosely based on the travelogues of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. And who I think was also quite a nomad, he travelled across the width and length of the planet at a time when there were no planes. If you visit Kapurthala today, and see the architecture he had done in his time, you will see influences from France, Morocco and all over the world. I think that ethos, we take forward.

And season after season we will simply move into another sought of an influence in some part of the planet and imbibe it into the story we are telling of Kapurthala.

What should we look forward to in this showcase in terms of styling, silhouettes, patterns and colour palette?

Silhouettes, patterns, colours, styling, any fashion house who are of repute and has been around for a while, will have a very distinct palette that they play with and we are no different. We carry forward the spirit of the brand, season after season, through its palette, styling, silhouettes, pattern and through its core DNA. Like when you look at a particular collection, you know it is by a particular designer. There is no change in that. But yes, it evolves constantly, so you have to look closer to find where the changes have happened. Of course, in addition to this season, we will also be showcasing one of our perennials, which everyone is familiar with now, which is our Shifting Leaves Chevron line.

While all your designs are showstoppers on the runway, for this collection, have you chosen your muse for the show?

Personally, I have never been a great believer of showstoppers. This is said with no disrespect because I really appreciate everybody who is accomplished in his/her life. A lot of people are constant muses, but in the mind, and then of course, it is always my pleasure to dress them. But, that’s where my role really comes in, which is dressing them for their big day, big events or dressing them when they are sitting in the front row of our shows. That is great. This season we are not going with any showstopper because I have always believed and will continue to believe that the champion of a show will always be the clothes. It begins there and ends there.