Did you know Khadi was instrumental in getting our freedom? Known as the Fabric of Freedom, Khadi has played a crucial role in the Swadeshi Movement which started in 1905. Today, as India celebrates its 77th Independence Day, fashion designer Shruti Sancheti, who has been celebrating Khadi in her collections, talks to News18 about the relevance of the fabric in today’s times, khadi myths she would like to bust and why it is a fabric every Indian should proudly flaunt.

Excerpts from the interview:

What makes Khadi today as relevant as it was during the Swadeshi Movement?

The Swadeshi Movement in 1905 was formulated with a twofold socio-economic objective of giving India its freedom and also helping the Indian textile industry which was exploited by the British. They [Britishers] would take the raw materials to Manchester and sell Indians their own raw materials which were processed into man-made fabrics and charge them double. When [Mahatma] Gandhiji started the Swadeshi Movement the objective was to get freedom from the British along with economic freedom.

Similarly, today it holds relevance because khadi is a very important fabric. In India, it is just not a fabric but it has a lot of significance. Today, we are in a very volatile world with economic, social and ecological disturbances and it is time we embrace our own fabric which is khadi. In India, we account for 95% of exports of handlooms to the world but we Indians need to embrace our own fabric which is particular to us and suitable for our climate. Khadi is a sustainable fabric and if we embrace khadi we are providing livelihood to the weavers and also help preserve the environment.

What makes Khadi- fabric of freedom a must-have in everyone’s daily wardrobe?

Khadi as a fabric is versatile and season fluid. It keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer. Being a natural fabric it looks regal, has beautiful properties and can be woven into multiple ways to look fashionable and trendy.

What are the perks of working with Khadi and how have you incorporated it in your designs to match contemporary styling?

I as a designer have worked with khadi ever since I started the label. I have been applauded for my contribution by the PM [Narendra Modi] also. I have always played around and experimented a lot right from my first khadi collection ‘Swadeshi’, where I worked with Madras checks and it was a tribute to the Swadeshi Movement and an amalgamation of the East and the West till today, when I did this collection Khadder at the Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI 2023, which consisted of contemporary occasion wear featuring versatile separates which were styled together. It was enhanced with surface ornamentation and I also included various types of khadi which included matka, cotton khadi, and silk khadi.

In my opinion, khadi is global depending on how one styles it. It should be a universal favourite as it has the potential in every part of the globe and is a season-fluid fabric.

Myths about khadi you would like to bust.

People find khadi very restrictive or stiff but that’s not the case. Today, with designers interpreting khadi and collaborating with the weavers, today is more luxe and fluid with better thread counts. There are more contemporary motifs.

People also feel khadi cannot be worn for occasions. But now, off late there are a lot of designers who are doing occasion wear. I have done a collection using contemporary silhouettes and surface ornamentation which is suitable for festive parties. Khadi can look glamorous, cooler and contemporary if styled and made in a proper manner. Khadi is one fabric which every Indian should proudly flaunt.

On Independence Day, according to you, why is khadi important?

Khadi is one fabric, in India, which is not just a fabric it is a movement. It was instrumental in getting our freedom. On Handloom Day, we had PM Modi addressing us designers who work with handlooms, specifying the merits and benefits of promoting, using and exporting khadi. So, this Independence Day, we should use khadi to liberate our socio-economic setup and use khadi as a tool to liberate our weavers.