Khadi is much more than just any other type of fabric in the Indian context. It has been an integral part of the Indian freedom struggle against the Britishers. It was a symbol of freedom from British manufactured goods and a powerful icon during the struggle for independence. Khadi is a handspun and hand-woven material usually made from cotton yarn. Mahatma Gandhi observed that the spinning wheel can be easily learnt and doesn’t require practically any outlay or capital. He also had seen the fabric as an end to dependency on foreign materials. He launched the Khadi movement for economic, cultural and social reasons for helping the rural economy and introducing self-reliance.
Khadi has now regained popularity in the fashion scene and the historic fabric is still spinning the wheel in Indian fashion.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, fashion Designer Rina Dhaka said that Khadi as a fabric has great merits, other than the fact that is it the symbol of our independence. “The women threw away all their riches in favour of the Khadi cloth,” she added.
She said that Khadi is known as a versatile fabric and has an unusual quality of being warm in winter and cool in summer. Talking about the advantages of Khadi, the fashion designer mentioned that the cloth is spun in such a way that it softens and looks better after wash. It can also save people a lot of money. The fabric also has zero wastage and is low on water consumption.
As many sectors are turning to be environmentally friendly, the fashion industry is also appealing to promote the production of Khadi the culture of sustainability.
Ace fashion designer Anju Modi shared that Khadi has become sustainable, and eco-friendly, and at the same time, it has a high fashion quotient. She also credited the recognition of the fabric to the government as well as to the designers, who are “making wonderful designs out of Khadi.” “The best mix with a handloom fabric like khadi is handloom cotton only,” she added.
As the fabric is again gaining momentum among the youth even Bollywood celebrities including Shefali Shah, Vidya Balan, Dia Mirza and Karisma Kapoor have been adopting outfits made from the iconic fabric.
