A lasting trend called khadi

Manpriya Singh 

The fabric that can be traced to the humble charkha and the noble Gandhi, today is a hashtag boasting of a staggering 213k posts.  Not that numbers define the worth, but they direct us towards the trend; the one that’s been snowballed by ramps, stars and fashion fraternity alike. Just as summer collections remain the mainstay of any label, khadi remains a staple of any prêt- wear collection, invariably finding space and even slots at the prestigious Lakme Fashion Week or the India Fashion Week held in the Capital. 

Fashion able

“Can you believe it at one point of time the entire economy of Indian textiles was thriving on khadi? With industrialisation and synthetic fabrics that changed, and, thankfully, that’s again changed now,” says Ishika Taneja, an influencer and also the brand ambassador for Khadi and Textile Ministry, Government of India.  “The change can be attributed to the realisation that khadi is breathable, fashionable and is good for the artisans, the environment and the nation,” she adds, as she names the designers who have changed the face of khadi, starting with Rina Dhaka and Varun Bahl, both of whom she also travelled with to the rural areas zeroed-in on manufacturing khadi. 

In 2012, Guarang Shah gave the world a peep into the Indian weave with his collection on the khadi showcased at Berlin Fashion Week.  The revivalist designer known for also working on phulkari spoke about the possibilities in khadi that he had been working on along with the artisans. “This is a good opportunity to let them know about the USP of the Indian fabric,” he had said before leaving. 

It’s sustainable

Meanwhile, closer home there have been many initiatives. Starting 2015, with the Fashion Design Council of India’s collaboration with Gujarat State Khadi & Village Industries Board, called Huts to High Street, which put together all the big names in fashion for the initiative. From the likes of Rajesh Pratap Singh, Payal Jain to Rohit Bal sending the likes of Sonam Kapoor and Salman Khan in handspun fabric on to the ramp. “It’s a fabric that works perfectly well without embellishments, stands on its own, and, lately, designers have taken not just because it is a politically correct fabric to endorse, but because it is truly both skin and style friendly,” opines Chanda Rawat, who has showcased at the first edition of Chandigarh Fashion Week.   

Her last collection, Breeze, was exclusively in Muslin, which is khadi above the thread count of 300. 

Designer Purvi  Doshi, yet another proponent of handmade/handwoven,  took to New York Fashion Week 2017 with her collection themed Co-Existence, that had, as she put it, “With sustainability at its root and khadi in its soul, each garment has been made in India.  With khadi I hope to bring a change by making artisans in charge of their own line.” 

Experimental mode

Gen Next designer Ankita Srivastava, from the label Little Things Studio, focuses on the generational leap and also journey the fabric has traversed. “I remember seeing my grandma in those pastel khadi sarees because she loved her skin way too much and that is precisely why khadi has been my favourite ever since.” The comfort factor of the fabric is almost a cliché now. “It becomes luxurious the moment it is handspun and handwoven into a fabric,” adds the designer, who often includes it in her collections. “I am continually trying to explore the drape of khadi.”