Khadi in Fashion – Faces behind Revolutionizing Khadi Sarees

Creating highbrow aspiration, turning handspun khadi into affordable luxury for a discerning clientele, fashioning the weave, modernizing the hand woven khadi sari, making design interventions to save the weave from the sea of power-loom fabrics and launching sustainable businesses with weaving clusters, the stalwarts of handloom, both established as well as budding designers are responsible in introducing an urban sensitivity to khadi. Today we bring you a list of renowned designers who by relentlessly working with crafts, creating beautiful embroideries and reinventing traditional embellishment, dyeing and printing techniques on handlooms, khadi in particular have brought in a mind shift in the way khadi is perceived today as a luxury commodity from a Gandhian ideal of a handspun humble fabric.

Madhu Jain, Delhi:

A name that is synonym with Ikat and Kalamkari in Indian fashion, Madhu Jain, a designer from Delhi set the ball rolling for khadi when for the 7th World Bamboo Congress in 2003, she wove bamboo with silk, Khadi and Chanderi in collaboration with model Milind Soman.She is known to have revived a handspun and handwoven Khadi saree woven by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1941 which was worn by Maneka Gandhi for her son Varun’s wedding in 2012.She calls it a ‘piece of history’.

Sabhyasachi Mukherjee, Kolkata:

Known to present handwoven fabrics in a luxe-bohemian way for prêt and bridal wear, Sabhyasachi is known for his extravagant use of cotton, Khadi sarees and Banarasi weaves in his couture and thus instrumental in making khadi look pompous and luxurious.

Rohit Bal, Delhi:

India’s most charismatic and famous couturier, who loves embellishment, embroidery and grandeur in his clothes and silhouettes, has been working with Varanasi looms for years and was one of the first group of designers chosen by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to create affordable, ready-to-wear Khadi garments. His love for, and commitment to, Khadi along with mulmul and Banarasi brocades is steady for years now. It is said that his Banarasi and Khadi saris, stocked at his stores, are never advertised, yet they’re picked up rapidly by a loyal clientele before the word spreads.

Rajesh Pratap Singh, Delhi:

Pratap’s design philosophy is rooted in synchronizing Indian textiles with modern silhouettes. His dedication to textile innovation, R&D approach to fashion, and resistance to bling and embellishment as a short-cut to commercial value put Pratap in a league of his own.We guess his love for handspun and handwoven Khadi along with ikat and wool is justifiable then.

Neeru Kumar, Delhi:

A senior textile conservationist, Neeru created ready-to-wear garments and unstitched drapes in the form of handloom sarees from multi hued, softened and contemporary Khadi.

Paromita Banerjee, Kolkata:

Paromita Banerjee from Kolkata celebrates local textiles like Jamdani, Khadi and linen. Known for her street style clothes inspired by Japanese minimalism, she uses fabric leftovers to develop a range that includes patchwork on kimonos and bags; handmade ‘khaata’ (notebooks), buttons, tassels and appliqué ‘kangri’ borders.

Mia Morikawa and Shani Himanshu, Delhi:

With a vision to build a lifestyle brand with a focus on ‘the Khadi way’, the duo engage with rural artisans in Gujarat (Kutch) and West Bengal (Phulia) to create clothes as essential solutions to modern living using naturally dyed clothes in marble silk, Kala cotton and Khadi denim that are 100% handmade.

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