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Brushing aside rumours of financial crisis, designer J.J. Valaya is streamlining his business, tying up with other brands and getting his online venture ready

- Shweta T Nanda

The Indian fashion industry is abuzz with talk that fashion designer J.J. Valaya is going through a financial crisis, but the couture king says he is strong-footed in an insecure industry where people constantly try to pull you down. “Haven’t you heard the crab joke? You should see the joy on people’s faces when they hear about someone’s problem. With a smile, they lament,” says the 50-year-old designer, who completes 25 years in the industry this year.

One of the reasons why people are talking about Valaya’s finances is that his luxury label ‘JJ Valaya’ has terminated its ready-to-wear line and closed down some of its stores. “We have seen that it is a formula that works [for ready-to-wear], but has to have the backing of high volumes, right amount of sale points and marketing. Otherwise, it is a no-brainer,” says Valaya, who is a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India, the country’s apex fashion body.

The brand is focusing on consolidation, realising that spreading too thin too soon is counterproductive in business. So, instead of nearly a dozen fashion labels, there will be just three— JJ Valaya Diffusion, JJ Valaya Couture and JJ Valaya Muse—in fashion, besides JJ Valaya Home label in the home interior segment.

Diffusion will tread the middle path between casual wear and bridal garments, where quality parameters will be intact but the outfits will not be laden with work. The other two labels will offer occasion wear and bridal couture, respectively. “Our pricing will start from ₹30,000,” he says.