A couple of years ago, at another designer’s couture show, as the lights dimmed and the models sashayed in, JJ Valaya realised he was bored. Bored by the well-dressed rat race that he had become a part of—the knock-off-like trend-based aesthetic that he was seeing show after show, the templated cycle in which couture was stuck, the exasperating pace of fast fashion outside and the visual clutter that occupied hashtag-happy screens. “After 25 years, I was bored of what I was seeing and, quite honestly, of what I was doing as well,” he says. The veteran designer decided to take a well-deserved break—the proverbial gap year or two. “The one thing I’m absolutely clear about is that I don’t want to spend another moment doing something that I don’t enjoy anymore. The present is the most important time of my life and I am thoroughly grateful for all that it brings with it. A quick hiatus, it turns out, is a wonderful companion,” he says with a big smile.
When we meet, Valaya is the picture of a strange breed of excitement-meets-contentment; he’s done the Eat, Pray, Love and come back to the thing he loves doing most—making fashion. “I wanted to restructure and reshape everything—the way I worked, my entire world. I was just dying to make beautiful couture, homes, photography and art again. I can’t let Abu, Sandeep, Tarun, Gudds, Manish and Sabya have all the fun now, can I!” he says, with a laugh and a nod of appreciation to his peers. And just like that, Valaya is a man with a plan.
A NEW ORDER
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.