S. K. SINHA Director Khadi and Village Industries Commission Government of India, Ministry of MSME, Mumbai , India FROM HUT TO HIGH STREETS : KHADI COMES OF AGE
From hut to high streets khadi comes of age
Nov 30, 2014
Khadi – natural, organic and handcrafted
Khadi is not merely a piece of cloth. It is a philosophy. A way of life. A symbol of empowerment of pride of history of a great man's vision of the relevance of roots.
A window to India, carrying the smell of the soil. Blending the wisdom of the old with the needs of the present. Offering way to return to nature.
Handspun, Hand woven, Refined, Pure, Elegance nurtured in the lap of the earth. An excellence beyond just mechanical perfection.
A gift for today from the treasury of the past. A gift from India.
Fab factor
Eco-friendly and rural empowerment have become new slogans and people with discerning tastes and social concerns are keen to continue the ideals of the Mahatma. It is but natural that khadi has moved out of the popular genre to a more elite class to a great extent.
What really works for khadi is its texture. Designers love the way the fabric soaks up colour: Vegetable dyes and indigo colour get a lot of depth on khadi.
Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler shapes as it does not fall well in bias cut (diagonal cuts). It’s a super fabric for Indian saris with its fall and drape.
khadi also has a breathability which works in its favour. Any garment that requires draping looks good in khadi. Also, layered garments in two different colours also work well in khadi.
Handspun khadi, unlike mill-produced fabrics, becomes suppler with every wash. Blending khadi silk and khadi cotton with manmade eco-fibres 'tencel' and 'modal' (extracted from tree bark) makes the fabric ideal for contemporary Indian as well as Western cuts. Khadi’s unique thermal effect lends it warmth in winter and makes it a cool summer fabric.
For a holiday, people look for clothes which are comfortable, have great texture and are skin-friendly. The only fabrics that fit the bill are silk and khadi. Silk, however, gets spoilt in water but khadi is unaffected.
But despite khadi’s makeover, it’s difficult to divorce it from its origins. It’s history and the fact that it’s hand-woven and handspun, gives it a romantic appeal.
Another factor that works in khadi’s favour is that it’s ecologically sustainable. The short-stapled (which has short threads) desi variety of khadi, which is suitable for the hand-worked charkha, is ecologically viable as it does not use pesticides.
Khadi’s USP is that it’s hand-crafted from start to finish. It needs to be valued, positioned and marketed as a premium handmade product.
Being handspun khadi takes a long time to make, which to many, seems like a disadvantage. It’s a challenge up to us how we turn this around and market khadi’s exclusivity. Not many countries will have handmade and handspun fabrics around in the coming decades — and that’s when khadi will come up trumps.
The road ahead
Khadi is not merely a piece of cloth. It is a philosophy. A way of life. A symbol of empowerment of pride of history of a great man's vision of the relevance of roots.
A window to India, carrying the smell of the soil. Blending the wisdom of the old with the needs of the present. Offering way to return to nature.
Handspun, Hand woven, Refined, Pure, Elegance nurtured in the lap of the earth. An excellence beyond just mechanical perfection.
A gift for today from the treasury of the past. A gift from India.
Fab factor
Eco-friendly and rural empowerment have become new slogans and people with discerning tastes and social concerns are keen to continue the ideals of the Mahatma. It is but natural that khadi has moved out of the popular genre to a more elite class to a great extent.
What really works for khadi is its texture. Designers love the way the fabric soaks up colour: Vegetable dyes and indigo colour get a lot of depth on khadi.
Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler shapes as it does not fall well in bias cut (diagonal cuts). It’s a super fabric for Indian saris with its fall and drape.
khadi also has a breathability which works in its favour. Any garment that requires draping looks good in khadi. Also, layered garments in two different colours also work well in khadi.
Handspun khadi, unlike mill-produced fabrics, becomes suppler with every wash. Blending khadi silk and khadi cotton with manmade eco-fibres 'tencel' and 'modal' (extracted from tree bark) makes the fabric ideal for contemporary Indian as well as Western cuts. Khadi’s unique thermal effect lends it warmth in winter and makes it a cool summer fabric.
For a holiday, people look for clothes which are comfortable, have great texture and are skin-friendly. The only fabrics that fit the bill are silk and khadi. Silk, however, gets spoilt in water but khadi is unaffected.
But despite khadi’s makeover, it’s difficult to divorce it from its origins. It’s history and the fact that it’s hand-woven and handspun, gives it a romantic appeal.
Another factor that works in khadi’s favour is that it’s ecologically sustainable. The short-stapled (which has short threads) desi variety of khadi, which is suitable for the hand-worked charkha, is ecologically viable as it does not use pesticides.
Khadi’s USP is that it’s hand-crafted from start to finish. It needs to be valued, positioned and marketed as a premium handmade product.
Being handspun khadi takes a long time to make, which to many, seems like a disadvantage. It’s a challenge up to us how we turn this around and market khadi’s exclusivity. Not many countries will have handmade and handspun fabrics around in the coming decades — and that’s when khadi will come up trumps.
The road ahead
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Transcript
S. K. SINHADirectorKhadi and Village Industries CommissionGovernment of India, Ministry of MSME,Mumbai , India
FROM HUT TO HIGH STREETS : KHADI COMES OF AGE
2
KHADI
PHILOSOPHY It is a philosophy, a way of life and a symbol of empowerment of pride of history of a great man’s vision of the relevance of roots.
3
KHADI
NATURAL AND ORGANIC Carrying the smell of
the soil, Refined, Pure, Elegance nurtured in the lap of the earth, blending the wisdom of the old with the needs of the present and offering way to return to nature.
4
KHADI
HANDCRAFTED Handspun, Hand woven, and an excellence beyond just mechanical perfection.
A gift for today, from the treasury of the past. A gift from India.
5
1915
1925All India Charkha Sangh was established under the Chairmanship of Gandhiji
KHADI - Chronicles
Spin yarn and dye it with most dazzling dye Weave the yarn without any knotand enlighten your descendants
by constantly developing the process - Rig
Veda – 900 BC
1957
On 1st April 1957, Khadi & Village Industries Commission was established by an act of Parliament passed in the year 1956
Gandhiji on return from South Africa , set up an Ashram in Ahmedabad and started hand-spinning hand-weaving activity
6
KHADI – The Handcrafted Natural Textile
KHADI is a hand woven cloth using hand spun yarn containing natural fibres viz. cotton, silk and wool only, spun and woven in natural environment.
Khadi activities are carried out at the dwelling place of the artisans living in rural areas, without use of fossil fuel.
In an era of degenerating environment, efforts are on to produce 100% Eco-friendly and Green textiles where even the cotton is grown without chemical fertilizers and dyed with Natural dyes .
7
KHADI – The Breathing & Fashion Textile
Soft twist imparted during hand spinning process gives maximum comfort.
Interlacement of yarn during hand weaving process allows maximum air permeability and soothes the body better than any other fabric does.
Khadi, totally handcrafted and containing natural fibres, this natural flavour offers ample scope for fashion statement for the creative expression of fashion designers.
8
KHADI – in the Economy
Khadi creates employment at a very low per capita investment.
The Khadi sector not only serves the basic needs of processed goods of the vast rural sector of the country but also provides sustainable employment to rural artisans.
Khadi today represents an exquisite, heritage product, which is ‘ethnic’ as well as ‘ethical’.
It has a potentially strong clientele among the middle and upper echelons of the society.
9
• Picking of the cotton bolls• Ginning• Opening and cleaning• Carding• Drawing and Combing• Roving• Spinning• Sizing• Warping• Drawing and Drafting• Weaving• Finishing
KHADI – Process..
10
KHADI – Craft Crossbar
In 1971, introduced a four spindle wooden charkha based on ring spinning technology.
In 1968, in collaboration with BIS developed standards for Indian National Flag.
In 1971, Initiated steps to revive Dhaka Muslin.
In 2002, introduced quality standards.
In 2007, developed E-charkha.
In 2009, developed Solar Charkha
11
KHADI – Fab Factor
What really works for Khadi is its texture.
Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler shapes because of its fall and drape.
Khadi has breathability which works in its favour.
Khadi’s unique thermal effect lends warmth in winter and makes it a cool summer fabric.
Khadi is ecologically viable as it does not use harmful chemicals.
12
KHADI – Genuineness
Guarantee through the Mark standards of genuine Khadi - “Hand spun, Hand Woven and Natural Fibre .”
Guarantee, through the Mark, a fair wage standard for the artisans involved in producing Khadi.
Establish a strong brand identity for genuine Khadi.
Improve market linkages for Khadi weavers and spinners.
13
KHADI – Makeover mode
Increased per inch thread count to make it soft and fine to look at.
Smooth and even texture using finer count yarn even upto 500s metric.
Multiple look and texture because of wide range of yarn count.
Wet processes such as stone and enzyme washing for varied feel and appearance .
Blending with other natural fibres to extend thermal properties and better pliability.
Ancient weaving embracing contemporary elements to find new synthesis and relevance.
14
KHADI – by David Abraham – London’s Conran Shop
“Khadi beautifully utilizes certain skills . There is a huge demand for handmade Khadi Products.”
15
KHADI – by Bess Nielsen – Khadi & Co.
“My ultimate dream is to use lot of colour and chikan embroidery on Khadi with modern techniques. The best part of this fabric is that it’s a fabric of maturity.”
16
KHADI – by Christina Kim
“My aim is not to make just fashion products. I want my fabric and designs to express individuality. I want Khadi to become a way of being and feeling.”
17
KHADI – by Ritu Kumar
“Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler shapes as it does not fall well in bias cuts (diagonal cuts). It’s a super fabric for saris with its fall and drape.
18
KHADI – by Sabyasachi Mukherjee
“It’s a myth that khadi cannot be considered a luxe or expensive fabric. Since the perception about khadi has been changing over the years, it’s being revived and fine-tuned to become a top-class fabric.”
19
KHADI – by Raghavendra Rathore
20
THANK YOU
“When one wears Khadi,
He wears freedom”
- Mahatma Gandhi
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