Plagiarism in fashion is rampant: J J Valaya

JJ Valaya says he decided to take a step back to reassess his priorities as he felt there was a lack of originality and a rise in plagiarism in the Indian couture.

The ace fashion designer, who returned to the ramp with his couture collection 'Tabriz' after a break of three years, says the time off helped him analyse the current fashion scene and what he needs to do stand apart as a couturier.

"I was on a break... was busy with other projects and restructuring my brand. Sometimes you just need to take some time off to analyse things and that is exactly what I did.

"There are segments in fashion-- highstreet, premium and luxury-- and couture falls in luxury and obviously it comes with a lot of conditions. One needs to have a sense of originality and presentations have to be special," Valaya told PTI in an interview.

The designer believes while there are lots of people who are doing brilliant work in couture, the larger lot is pretty much is relying on regurgitation.

"Their clothes look similar, there is no originality. Plagiarism in fashion is rampant," he adds.

But the designer says he is not the one to pass judgements on what others are doing.

"My endeavour is only related to myself and me being sure about what I want to offer to the market as a couture luxury brand. All I'm working towards is raising points like quality and exclusivity."
"The home market in India is now huge. So focusing on that and the Middle East is the right approach for people who do clothes inspired by India or are heavy on craft. But then, there is another set of designers who do clothes that are internationally viable."