Fabric of freedom and fashion

  • | Thursday | 15th August, 2019

It has gone from being just a symbol of the freedom struggle to a fashion statement. “Khadi is a sustainable fabric and sustainable clothing is in fashion,” said Uma Prajapati, founder of Upasana. Khadi is going to be more popular as people realise the importance of sustainable fashion. Sanjana Jon, a US-based Indian fashion designer and social activist who was in the city recently for the fashion week and is a strong advocate for sustainable fashion, spoke about the importance of khadi. “They need to understand that when it comes to organic fabric like cotton and khadi, there will be creases, it will get crumpled and they will have a dull finish.

Dia Rekhi By Express News Service CHENNAI: It is that time of the year again where we look back on the struggle our forefathers underwent so that we were born free. It is also a time where one pays more attention to symbols associated with our fight for freedom. Symbols of resistance and pride. Khadi is one of these symbols. The image of Mahatma Gandhi spinning on the charkha is etched in all our minds from our history textbooks. However, khadi has managed to reinvent itself constantly. It has gone from being just a symbol of the freedom struggle to a fashion statement. “Khadi is a sustainable fabric and sustainable clothing is in fashion,” said Uma Prajapati, founder of Upasana. “It is fully handmade, creates millions of jobs and holds the legacy of our nation. Khadi is going to be more popular as people realise the importance of sustainable fashion. At Upasana, we have been using khadi in all our collection with organic cotton, and sustainability has been our way of life.” Even when it comes to other labels, khadi is the fabric of choice as it doesn’t wear out easily and is also the perfect ‘breathable fabric.’ Further, with climate change growing and the buzz around sustainable fashion and lifestyle catching on, khadi has managed to be the top pick of any designer looking to be environmentally conscious. Sanjana Jon, a US-based Indian fashion designer and social activist who was in the city recently for the fashion week and is a strong advocate for sustainable fashion, spoke about the importance of khadi. “It is a part of our rich heritage and one that we must be very proud of,” she said. “It is a sustainable and eco-friendly material that must be promoted and used. People are becoming aware of how important it is for fashion to be sustainable and khadi forms an integral part of making a conscious choice towards that goal.” Millennials are taking to the fabric for its effortlessly ‘cool’ aura and also the fact that it projects an environmentally aware and conscious person. “I took up an environment elective in college that changed my view on things,” said R Madhushree, a second-year student of a popular college in the city. “It pushed me to start reading a lot more about the seemingly small ways in which we are all contributing towards the degradation of the environment. One of the aspects that really got to me was all the reference available about how bad fast fashion is. This was when I came across an article about khadi and felt so dumb because we’ve all read it in our textbooks but never realised just how important and relevant it is to our lives even today.” She said she does not buy only khadi and organic cotton clothing, but she is trying to purchase more of those kinds of clothes whenever given the choice. “Khadi is the in-thing now,” she said with a chuckle. “In college, when people see me wearing it, it creates a statement because it stands out without even trying. And if anyone asks, I tell them about slow fashion and how it is good for the environment and I feel like a rockstar. It immediately brings me up on the cool scale.” However, one of the reasons more people don’t turn to khadi is its fitting, designers said. “A lot of customers prefer synthetic fabric,” said Kirthana Ravikumar, founder of Arodhi. “They need to understand that when it comes to organic fabric like cotton and khadi, there will be creases, it will get crumpled and they will have a dull finish. That is the nature of the fabric. But when it comes to mass-produced clothing, there are serious ethical issues that have been raised with working conditions that they must be aware of.”

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