Couturier JJ Valaya unveiled Siddi, his latest Autumn/Winter 2026 couture collection, at Hyundai India Couture Week 2026. Coinciding with the showcase, the designer also introduced a new high couture bridal space at his Delhi flagship store, The World of Valaya, housed within JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity. This new space and collection mark the beginning of the journey towards celebrating 35 years of his design journey next year.
Siddi draws inspiration from the remarkable journey of the Siddis of India and the confluence of African origins with the many cultural influences absorbed over generations on the Indian subcontinent. It reflects on movement, memory and identity through intricately crafted lehengas, contemporary saris, fluid anarkalis, sherwanis and impeccably tailored bandhgalas. Rendered in a palette of antique gold, ivory, noir, champagne, deep jewel tones, and rich earth hues, the collection comes alive with fabrics and the house’s signature zardozi, aari, dori work, metallic embroidery and crystal embellishment.
There is also a couture interpretation of the iconic Valaya Shifting Leaves Chevron rendered in a restrained palette of black, beige and metallics. Valaya takes us through the collection.
How did you balance the vibrant African textile roots with the cooler, more architectural metallics that define your designs?
For me, it was never about merging two aesthetics. It was about finding the conversation between them. When I began researching the Siddi community, what fascinated me wasn’t simply Africa as a visual reference but the extraordinary journey of a people who carried fragments of one culture into another. That migration itself became the design language. The African influence appears through ear thy palettes, layered textures, hidden motifs and handcrafted surfaces. The Valaya language introduces detail, precision, architectural balance and metallic refinement. One represents instinct, the other, discipline.
The inclusion of the Valaya Shifting Leaves Chevron marks a significant stylistic milestone. How did you adapt this signature motif to complement fluid, historical storytelling of Siddi?
The Valaya Shifting Leaves Chevron has always been a part of the JJ Valaya vocabulary, but in Siddi I wanted it to become quieter. Rather than announcing itself as a graphic, it behaves almost like an archaeological imprint, sometimes woven into textiles, sometimes emerging through embroidery, sometimes only visible through texture.
Given the shifting landscape of fast fashion and automated embroidery, how do you train a younger generation of karigars for true couture?
Technology can replicate stitches, but it cannot replicate judgement. A master karigar doesn’t simply execute embroidery; he understands proportion, balance, rhythm, weight, restraint and finish. These are instincts developed over decades. In our atelier, younger artisans begin by observing experienced craftsmen. They learn why a stitch is placed rather than simply how it is placed. Couture is still one of the few disciplines where time remains an ingredient. That cannot be automated.
How does a traditional couture house like yours adapt its construction techniques to reduce weight without sacrificing the opulent, heavy drape?
That has probably become one of the biggest technical challenges in Indian couture. Today’s bride wants visual grandeur without physical heaviness. Much of the innovation now happens beneath the embroidery through lighter foundations, better engineering, smarter layering and more intelligent placement of embellishment. The objective is to make it feel lighter while preserving its visual authority. That is where craftsmanship becomes engineering.
Do you see this shift away from maximalist colour contrasts as a permanent rewriting of the Indian bridal rules, or is it a passing aesthetic cycle?
Fashion always moves in cycles. Indian weddings, however, move much more slowly than fashion. Today’s brides are divided between the glory of the Indian reds and subtler tonal palettes because luxury globally has become more nuanced. Confidence no longer requires overt loudness. That said, I don’t believe tradition will disappear. India has always celebrated emotion through colour, and weddings remain deeply emotional occasions. What I do see lasting is a greater appreciation for layering, texture and craftsmanship over obvious visual contrast. The future isn’t less opulent. It’s more sophisticated.
Coinciding with your collection launch, you unveiled a dedicated high-couture bridal space. How much of the luxury designer’s role has shifted from simply creating the garment to architecting the physical, private consulting environment where the bride’s identity is explored?
The couture experience begins long before the first sketch. Today’s bride isn’t purchasing a single wedding outfit. She is curating an entire narrative across multiple celebrations, photographs and memories. That requires a different environment that allows conversation rather than transaction. Our high couture bridal space was conceived almost like a private residence rather than a retail store. The objective is to understand the individual before proposing the wardrobe. Increasingly, the designer’s role resembles that of an architect, curator and storyteller combined. The garments are only one part of a much larger emotional experience. Luxury today isn’t defined only by what is created. It is equally defined by how it is experienced.