In a dreamlike finale, JJ Valaya celebrates 33 years of couture with Rasha Thadani and Ibrahim Ali Khan

Time of India

3 days ago

JJ Valaya's 'East' at India Couture Week 2025 marked his 33rd year with a cinematic tribute to Eastern mystique. The 60-look collection featured rich velvets, brocades, and intricate embroidery, set against a majestic backdrop with terracotta elephants. Kathak dancers enhanced the show's poetic feel. Celebrities Rasha Thadani and Ibrahim Ali Khan closed the show, captivating the audience.
There are fashion shows, and then there are moments that stay with you long after the runway empties.
JJ Valaya
's grand finale at India Couture Week 2025 was the latter, a deeply cinematic celebration that felt more like a cultural tapestry unfolding in real time than a traditional runway event.
Held in the capital, the show didn't just mark the end of Couture Week, it marked 33 years of Valaya's journey in Indian fashion. And for a designer who has always celebrated heritage with a regal lens, this was a fitting crescendo.
Titled 'East', the 60-look collection was Valaya's tribute to the way the West once imagined the mystery and magic of the East, spanning the Far East, the Balkans, and India. But this wasn't just about nostalgia or exoticism.
It was a collection rooted in storytelling, craftsmanship, and a designer's ability to transport you somewhere beyond fabric and form.
The set was nothing short of majestic: towering terracotta elephants, moody lighting, and a runway that looked like it had been lifted out of a royal court. The show opened with monks walking solemnly down the ramp - a powerful, almost meditative start. And then came the clothes: rich velvets, shimmering brocades, diaphanous organzas layered with intricate embroidery.
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Every piece felt like a love letter to another time, reimagined for today.
There was an underlying sense of quiet luxury. The kind of opulence that doesn't shout, but lingers in the way a sleeve falls or how a belt cinches the waist just so. Valaya's signature details - regal headpieces, statement belts, those timeless jackets were all there, grounding the collection in his unmistakable aesthetic.
And just when you thought the show couldn't get more poetic, Kathak dancers glided onto the ramp mid-way.
The music softened, and for a few breathtaking minutes, fashion and classical dance merged to create a moment that was both intimate and grand.
Among the celebrity appearances were cricketer Abhishek Sharma and actors Rahul Dev and Mugdha Godse, but it was the closing pair, Rasha Thadani and Ibrahim Ali Khan, who stole the spotlight.
Rasha, in a black lehenga choli with a rich, intricate border, looked like she had stepped out of a modern-day miniature painting.
Her diamond accessories were minimal, letting the craftsmanship of her ensemble shine. Ibrahim brought old-school elegance with a contemporary spin, his black sherwani and Patiala-style salwar exuded a quiet charm that felt both rooted and cool.
But beyond the stars and silhouettes, what stood out most was the feeling Valaya left us with. The kind of show that doesn't rely on spectacle for applause, but instead builds a world you don't want to leave.
It's rare to find a designer who knows how to create both reverence and relevance but that's always been Valaya's gift.
He doesn't just dress bodies. He builds stories.
As the final model walked off and the music faded, there was a pause, almost like the audience didn't want to let go just yet. After 33 years in the business, JJ Valaya isn't just showing us couture. He's showing us what it means to stay true to your voice in a world that changes constantly. And with East, he didn't just end the couture week. He elevated it.