Designer J J Valaya, known for his royal aesthetics and nuanced craftsmanship, is back with another beautiful collection title, Bursa. Get ready to deep-dive into 14th-17th century Turkey, as the collection highlights the tale of the Ottoman Empire, and pays an apt tribute to Persian heritage.
Talking to ELLE about his collection, he says, “The SS21 collection is an ode to the culturally rich, sophisticated yet elaborate Ottoman Empire. The Bursa transcends through the by-lanes of the ancient city and is an alluring tribute to Persian heritage. Bursa has always been revered and been the subject of much debate and intrigue by a diverse range of historians, travellers and pioneers of art and culture.”
While traditional colours like reds and orange are synonymous with Valaya, this collection plays with lighter silks and organzas to celebrate the summer bride. “We are essentially a couture design house and we focus on wedding clothes and occasion wear so the challenge is how to make your brides, grooms and the guests look spectacular and still make them wear relevant to the season,” he shares.
The collection sees the use of faux leather and velvet patches beautifully applique onto silk, which hits the perfect balance of a traditional silhouette and modern techniques. While we love the embellished hair bands, the highlight of the collection is the Emrooz border; a bejewelled border that is sewn into several pieces of the collection.
Talking about the changes he envisions in bridal wear, post-pandemic, the designer says, “I always been very clear that come hail or storm, the signature of the brand should never change. So, of course, the things will lead us to all kinds of circumstances, life happens…. but the DNA of a brand should persistently continue. So, if you ask me that the pandemic changed the way I think, then no, it didn’t. We continue to create our collections the way we always do.”
“Couture by its very nature has always been sustainable. And the stories I have witnessed, that how brides and grooms of ours from the mid-90s are coming back with their children for their big day. The new generation is coming to us with the wedding clothes of their mother we made nearly 25 years back, and they are getting them altered for their D-day. So, that’s the perfect example of sustainability and how a singular garment has withstood the test of time in terms of styling, quality and it’s still relevant to a completely new generation nearly a quarter of a century later, ” he adds.
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