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Today, almost 100 years later, Khadi continues to be the pride of our country. Ritu Kumar believes that if popularised, the Khadi industry can create more employment opportunities for the poor. He says, “The original NMC is operated by hand. Yash Arya, founder of I Am Khadi says, “Since PM Narendra Modi started promoting Khadi globally, the demand has increased. Although an indigenous industry, Khadi making has undergone a significant amount of changes over the years, as there has been a reduction in the number of people working in the industry. Apart from that, it is eco-friendly, light and airy and ideal for tropical weather. Also, because most of the fabric is handmade, there are inconsistencies in the quality and production speed of the fabric. This gives it an uneven quality. Now it has been innovated on and a motor, which works on solar energy, has been fitted. Hence, the industry was forced to innovate. The silhouettes should not be restricted to kurtas and Nehru jackets, but should be expanded to contemporary wear so that modern men and women can make the garments a part of their everyday wardrobe. Since the fabric is created by yarn spun by hand, it has a rough texture. Ritu Kumar believes that the designing has to be simple when making garments out of Khadi.”

According to Yash, the demand for Khadi globally is around 4-5 billion and the major countries buying the fabric are Japan, Europe, US and UK, where it is used for furnishing as well as garment making.. Foreign goods were boycotted, while the use of homegrown, homespun products was championed. Also, the women who are making this fabric are in the age group of 35-40 years, because the younger generation isn’t joining this industry.” As the fashion industry looks for sustainable options, Khadi is quickly becoming a sought-after favourite.” With the introduction of solar-powered charkhas, the production has gone up from 8 to 16%.” Designer Pallavi Dhyani believes that Khadi needs to be fashioned into garments that suit contemporary sensibilities. It is made in the handloom itself. While some would find this inconvenient, veteran designer Ritu Kumar feels nothing but pride for the fabric. In this, an alternate thread is used, one made by the machine and one woven by hand and the hand to machine ratio is 66:33. Yash believes that this new introduction is making weavers’ lives easier. Khadi became an important part of the freedom struggle after Mahatma Gandhi championed its use during the Swadeshi movement. Khadi does lend itself to draping, so it’s good for sarees, but it could also be fashioned into wonderful gowns, which are very rustic.

“Not only the quality of Khadi, but also the fact that we are the only country that produces this amazingly versatile fabric which is eco-friendly, doesn’t pollute the atmosphere and is made in rural areas without electricity, adds to its appeal,” says the designer. When weaving with a hand NMC, the quantity produced is much less than when weaving with a solar-powered NMC, because there is Jump Rope manufacturers a human factor involved in the former. When it’s woven in a handloom, the fabric gets a non-regimented, rough, rustic texture, which cannot be achieved by any other country or any other place unless they go through the handspun process. Another innovation in the Khadi industry has been the introduction of the New Model Charkha (NMC) with eight to 16 spindles.Known as the fabric of India, this age-old fabric has undergone significant changes to make it a part of the contemporary fashion world. At this that age, their capacity for spinning and weaving is diminished, which in turns affects the thread count of the product. Images for representational purposes only. She says.

“Traditionally, it’s always been designed as an unstitched garment, like a saree, dhoti or pagdi, but the important thing is to keep the garment simple, like a straight kurta, pajamas, dupatta, saris, bandi, or khadi cap. And the benefit of Poly Khadi is that it is more uniform, has better strength, is more sanitized and the quality is also superior. One person cannot work for hours without a break. So now, the production has become a challenge. So it works beautifully,” she adds. “I love Khadi because of multiple reasons; firstly, the process makes it so unique, it’s so intricate that you can actually visualise the entire process of how and where this fabric is coming from.” Pallavi, who will be participating in the Lakme Fashion Week in collaboration with Khadi and Village Industries Commission, is excited to showcase her work. She says, “The yarn itself is spun by hand, mostly by a woman and on a charkha. Our country too can use more Khadi, as it’s the biggest consumer of fabrics in the world,” she concludes. In order to overcome the challenge, a new kind of Khadi has come into the market called ‘Poly Khadi’. The government has to initiate more sources of income because this gives work to the poor in villages. “The thing is that we aren’t producing as much Khadi as we want in the country. She says, “I think we need to work on the kind of silhouettes and garments that are available, because according to me, Khadi can be used in a very modern way