1. JJ Valaya

   Fashion designer
2. JJ Valaya is a noted Indian fashion designer and couturier from New Delhi, India. He founded the House of Valaya, a luxury fashion and lifestyle house in 1992, along with his brother TJ Singh.                       Born: October 8, 1967 (age 46), Jodhpur              Education:National Institute of Fashion Technology                     JJ Valaya (Jagsharan Jit Singh Ahluwalia, the name was shortened to J J Valaya to create the Valaya fashion label) was born on October 8, 1967 in the state of Rajasthan in India but spent most of his childhood traveling to different parts of the country due to his father's various postings in the indian Army. He studied commerce at college and planned to be a chartered accountant eventually. But his passion for beautiful things and fixation for the rich Indian art and culture took him to the National Institute ofFashion Technology New Delhi (NIFT) where he graduated in fashion design in 1991

   

   Early life

   1. J J Valaya (Jagsharan Jit Singh Ahluwalia, the name was shortened to J J Valaya to create the Valaya fashion label) was born on October 8, 1967 in the state of Rajasthan in India but spent most of his childhood traveling to different parts of the country due to his father's various postings in the Indian Army. He studied commerce at college and planned to be a chartered accountant eventually. But his passion for beautiful things and fixation for the rich Indian art and culture took him to the National Institute of fashion technology now delhi (NIFT) where he graduated in fashion design in 1991.

   
   

   

   Career

   He trained under a pioneer in Indian fashionRohit Khosal, before starting his own label. With his elder brother TJ (Tribhavan Jit) Singh, JJ Valaya founded The House of  Valaya in 1992 with the launch of its couture label. Valaya’s creative vision together with his brother’s organizational abilities have been the key factors for the success of Valaya as a luxury brand. Around 2003, when he launched his pret line, he was already retailing fashion and lifestyle products under three brands: JJ Valaya, Studio Valaya and Valaya Home-Life, in which his first couture label,JJ Valaya, comprising his trousseau line launched in 1993.The brand today encompasses Couture, Ready-to-wear, Home and a CSR prerogative, The Free Spirit Foundation also known as FSF.

   
   

   

   
   

   In 2010, Valaya's collection of ALIKA showcased at several events in Dubai was highly acclaimed. In this collection, the storyteller in him found expression through which he narrated the story of the female musicians of India’s royal courts and their romantic affairs with the princes of the land, Alika, his fall/winter range consisted of finely worked jalabiyas, kaftans saris and anarkali-churidars. Valaya has used his couture creations to tell stories that intrigue him. That’s perhaps part of the reason for his fascination with India’s royal history. This collection also saw the birth of his signature Alika Jacket.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   

   In 2011, Valaya's Winter/Festive collection at Lakme Fashion Week titled TASVEER received positive reviews. The collection combined Valaya’s twin passions: photography and fashion. The collection was inspired by the evolution of photography from black and white to sepia to hand-stained, natural and digitised images. It was an interesting journey of colours and an amazing story, told through clothes. Valaya, in one of his interviews said “It’s almost like there are two personae in me: the photographer and the fashion designer. I intend to keep both alive,” there was also about 10 menswear outfits that included sherwanis, bandhgalas, breeches and Nehru jackets. 

   

   In 2012, Wills India Fashion Week Valaya's collection AZRAK stayed true to its meaning - rare and common. The collection was inspired by West Asia and the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. His creations had juxtaposed elements of minimalism and grandeur, Western and Indian silhouettes, traditional motifs and modern drapes & feminine form. The range showcased saris, jackets, anarkalis, breeches, blouses and dresses. Showstopper Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was dressed in a pristine white gown teamed with traditional Indian jewellery and a rich brocade Maharaja coat. The surprise elements on the ramp were faces such as Suneet  Verma, Rohit bal, Navtej Johar, Jamie Stewart, Sumant Jayakrishnan and Navin Ansal to name a few, who were among the twelve showstoppers that took to the runway for the designer. 

   

   The year 2012 also marks 20 years of JJ Valaya work in the fashion industry. The designer took a series of initiatives — launched a limited edition financial year calendar in Delhi. Shot by noted fashion photographer Tarun Khiwal, the April 2012 to March 2013 calendar has Valaya’s close friends and “wonderfully inspired individuals”.

   

   
   

   Valaya introduced the ‘Diasun', a pattern comprising two inverted ‘V' and the sun motif from the JJ Valaya crest, which now comes on every garment produced by the label in some way or the other to put a stop to plagiarism and imitations of the market.

   
   

   

   JJ Valaya is a founder member of the Board of Governors of the Fashion Desigh council of India 

   The designer currently has around 250 embroidered workers and craftsmen working exclusively for him out of 40,000 sq ft headquarters in Delhi.

   
   

   His clothes have been worn by various GCC royals and celebrities including Joseph Fiennes ,Cate Blanchett , Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor.

   

   
   He remains one of the biggest names in the bridal trousseau market in India, and was one of the first Indian labels to invest in sampling, research and development at their "House of Valava" establishment at Manesar  on the outskirts of Delhi.
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1. Ritu Kumar

   Fashion designer
2. Ritu Kumar is one of India’s foremost fashion designer, and the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’. 
4. Born: November 11, 1944 (age 69), Amritsar
5. Children: Sshvin Kumar
6. Education: Briarcliff collage , lady lrwin collage
7. Movies: The sun is not still starting 
   

   
8. She is one of India’s foremost fashion designer, and the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’. She has developed a unique style of her own, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. With a background in art history and museology, which has enriched her horizons, Ritu’s understanding of ancient designs and the innovative use of traditional crafts has created a new classicism.

   

   Ritu Kumar as a brand has been admired and worn all over the world. Its patrons include Indian stars such as Vidya Balan, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra Lara Dutta, Dia Zmirza  to name a few and international celebrities such as the Mischa Borton , Anoushka Shankar and Anna Ivanovic Since 1994, Ritu Kumar has also designed the wardrobes for the Femina Miss India contestants for their participation in international beauty pageants such as Miss universe, Miss world and Miss Asia pacific. Ritu Kumar’s outfits have also been patronized by style icons such as Late Princes Diana and jemima khan

   

   Ritu Kumar has been awarded the padma shri Award 2013, the country's fourth highest civilian award for her exceptional and distinguished service in the field of fashion, textile and craftsmanship.

   
9. Ritu Kumar is credited as being one of the first Indian designers who was catalytic in bringing a contemporary idiom to several ancient skills and has been a strong force in marketing them to a dynamic modern India. Over the years, Ritu Kumar’s work as a fashion designer has shown a progression, which has matured beyond textile crafts. She has a unique ability to evolve with each collection into creative styling, translating textures and embellishments into refreshingly new and contemporary silhouettes, making her work particularly relevant from India’s fashion point of worldview.
   
   While Ritu Kumar’s forte lies in traditional Indian clothes that draw heavily on the textile and embroidery heritage of India, she has also evolved another style for the young buyer, a collection that in her words has “redefined traditional handwriting to meet the changing needs of the new generation.” The inspiration of these garments is basic Indian motifs, prints and embroideries but with the usage of a wide range of western silhouettes mingled with Indian styles.