Over the past five years and more khadi as a fabric has seen great revolution, adaptation, and acceptance in the fashion industry. The Gandhian philosophy behind khadi definitely is the fabric’s strongest USP but under the aegis of khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) khadi has evolved leaps and bounds. Today it is still woven on charkhas but charkhas have evolved. The yarn is treated to make it soft and drape well and textile and fashion designers are constantly innovating to make contemporary garments and accessories out of khadi. We now have khadi-Denim too. The best part is that khadi is protected by international patents.
KVIC recently held a fashion show that was curated by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) where 10 emerging fashion designers showcased capsule collections that reflected the essence of khadi’s simplicity, purity, and sustainability. The top 3 designers from the 10 who showcased were suitably awarded by KVIC. The All-India khadi Designers Competition was organised to introduce new design interventions and add a trendy twist to khadi. The KVIC received 393 nominations from young fashion designers from across the country. A screening committee comprising Fashion Designers, experts from design institutes, and top functionaries of KVIC was constituted to shortlist the 10 best designers. The top 3 designers were selected during the show by the jury.
Swatti Kapoor showed a collection inspired by the 19th Century poetry – “Kubla Khan” and bagged the coveted 1st prize of Rs.10 Lakhs. She used khadi muslin fabric that was textured with tone-on-tone checks, crochet work, and embellished with embroidery and block print. Deft texturing and contemporary silhouettes made the collection a beauty.
Designer Dhruv Singh won the 2nd prize with a cash reward of Rs.5 Lakhs. His collection named Anaarbagh was inspired by a painting of Krishna. Dhruv used khadi cotton and gave his collection a festive look using heavy embroidery and lots have saree. He used craftsmen from Bengal and Gujarat to imbibe the regional flavour of the two states very rich in handcraft.
Kaushal Singh and Gaurav Singh jointly bagged the 3rd prize of Rs 2 Lakhs each. Kaushal used plain weave khadi and Blue khadi Denim. The print artwork was created by fine artists, translated into a screen, and further printed on the fabric. Designer Gaurav also used khadi cotton fabric using zero-waste design technique and contrast stitch line details to beautify the look.
Chairman KVIC, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena said the creations of these contestants will soon be made available at ‘Khadi India’ outlets as designer wear. The idea is to attract younger generations towards khadi with clothing that is comfortable, easy to wear, and trendy. Saxena added, “ khadi has been an instrument of social change in the pre-independence era and has transformed into a tool of resilience, resurgence, and self-reliance in modern times. And from being a humble attire of the great freedom fighters, Khadi has evolved into a symbol of fashion and ultimate luxury. This is for the first time KVIC organized a pan-India designer contest and the overwhelming participation was in itself a manifestation of khadi’s popularity among the youth.”
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: Swatti Kapoor, Dhruv Singh, Kaushal Singh and Gaurav Singh
Find more about khadi and Designers:
https://shopcultmodern.com/collections/dhruv-singh
https://www.prakati.in/kvic-awards-budding-fashion-designers-in-khadi-fashion-show-2021/
