Khadi – natural, organic and handcrafted Khadi is not merely a piece of cloth. It is a philosophy. A way of life. A symbol of empowerment of pride of history of a great man's vision of the relevance of roots. A window to India, carrying the smell of the soil. Blending the wisdom of the old with the needs of the present. Offering way to return to nature. Handspun, Hand woven, Refined, Pure, Elegance nurtured in the lap of the earth. An excellence beyond just mechanical perfection. A gift for today from the treasury of the past. A gift from India. Fab factor Eco-friendly and rural empowerment have become new slogans and people with discerning tastes and social concerns are keen to continue the ideals of the Mahatma. It is but natural that khadi has moved out of the popular genre to a more elite class to a great extent. What really works for khadi is its texture. Designers love the way the fabric soaks up colour: Vegetable dyes and indigo colour get a lot of depth on khadi. Khadi works better generally in tunics and simpler shapes as it does not fall well in bias cut (diagonal cuts). It’s a super fabric for Indian saris with its fall and drape. khadi also has a breathability which works in its favour. Any garment that requires draping looks good in khadi. Also, layered garments in two different colours also work well in khadi. Handspun khadi, unlike mill-produced fabrics, becomes suppler with every wash. Blending khadi silk and khadi cotton with manmade eco-fibres 'tencel' and 'modal' (extracted from tree bark) makes the fabric ideal for contemporary Indian as well as Western cuts. Khadi’s unique thermal effect lends it warmth in winter and makes it a cool summer fabric. For a holiday, people look for clothes which are comfortable, have great texture and are skin-friendly. The only fabrics that fit the bill are silk and khadi. Silk, however, gets spoilt in water but khadi is unaffected. But despite khadi’s makeover, it’s difficult to divorce it from its origins. It’s history and the fact that it’s hand-woven and handspun, gives it a romantic appeal. Another factor that works in khadi’s favour is that it’s ecologically sustainable. The short-stapled (which has short threads) desi variety of khadi, which is suitable for the hand-worked charkha, is ecologically viable as it does not use pesticides. The road ahead Though khadi is in the reckoning as a Wanted fabric for summerwear, designers feel that its full potential is yet to be realised. While there has been a huge revival of khadi, a lot more can be done for it. Khadi’s USP is that it’s hand-crafted from start to finish. It needs to be valued, positioned and marketed as a premium handmade product. Being handspun khadi takes a long time to make, which to many, seems like a disadvantage. It’s a challenge up to us how we turn this around and market khadi’s exclusivity.

1. FROM HUT TO
HIGH STREETS :
KHADI COMES OF
AGE
S. K. SINHA
Director
Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Government of India, Ministry of MSME,
Mumbai , India

2. KHADI
PHILOSOPHY
It is a philosophy, a
way of life and a symbol
of empowerment of pride
of history of a great
man’s vision of the
relevance of roots.

3. KHADI
NATURAL AND ORGANIC
Carrying the smell of the
soil, Refined, Pure, Elegance
nurtured in the lap of the
earth, blending the wisdom of
the old with the needs of the
present and of fering way to
return to nature.

4. KHADI
HANDCRAFTED
Handspun, Hand woven,
and an excellence
beyond just mechanical
perfection.
A gift for today, from the treasury of the past.
A gift from India.

5. KHADI - Chronicles
Spin yarn and dye it with most dazzling dye
Weave the yarn without any knot
and enlighten your descendants
by constantly developing the process
- Rig
Veda – 900 BC
Gandhiji on return from South Africa ,
set up an Ashram in Ahmedabad and
1915
started hand-spinning hand-weaving
activity
All India Charkha Sangh was
1925 established under the Chairmanship of
Gandhiji
On 1st April 1957, Khadi & Village
Industries Commission was established
1957
by an act of Parliament passed in the
year 1956 5

6. KHADI – The Handcrafted Natural Textile
 KHADI is a hand woven cloth using hand spun
yarn containing natural fibres viz. cotton, silk
and wool only, spun and woven in natural
environment.
 Khadi activities are carried out at the dwelling
place of the artisans living in rural areas,
without use of fossil fuel.
 In an era of degenerating environment, ef forts
are on to produce 100% Eco-friendly and
Green textiles where even the cotton is grown
without chemical fer tilizers and dyed with
Natural dyes .

7. KHADI – The Breathing & Fashion Textile
 Soft twist imparted during
hand spinning process gives
maximum comfort.
 Interlacement of yarn during
hand weaving process allows
maximum air permeability and
soothes the body better than
any other fabric does.
 Khadi, totally handcrafted and
containing natural fibres, this
natural flavour of fers ample
scope for fashion statement
for the creative expression of
fashion designers.

8. KHADI – in the Economy
 Khadi creates employment at a very
low per capita investment.
 The Khadi sector not only serves the
basic needs of processed goods of
the vast rural sector of the country
but also provides sustainable
employment to rural artisans.
 Khadi today represents an exquisite,
heritage product, which is ‘ethnic’
as well as ‘ethical’.
 It has a potentially strong clientele
among the middle and upper
echelons of the society.

9. KHADI – Process..
• Picking of the cotton bolls
• Ginning
• Opening and cleaning
• Carding
• Drawing and Combing
• Roving
• Spinning
• Sizing
• Warping
• Drawing and Drafting
• Weaving
• Finishing
9

10. KHADI – Craft Crossbar
 In 1971, introduced a four
spindle wooden charkha based
on ring spinning technology.
 In 1968, in collaboration with
BIS developed standards for
Indian National Flag.
 In 1971, Initiated steps to
revive Dhaka Muslin.
 In 2002, introduced quality
standards.
 In 2007, developed E-charkha.
 In 2009, developed Solar
Charkha

11. KHADI – Fab Factor
 What really works for Khadi is its
texture.
 Khadi works better generally in
tunics and simpler shapes
because of its fall and drape.
 Khadi has breathability which
works in its favour.
 Khadi’s unique thermal ef fect
lends warmth in winter and
makes it a cool summer fabric.
 Khadi is ecologically viable as it
does not use harmful chemicals.

12. KHADI – Genuineness
 Guarantee through the Mark
standards of genuine Khadi -
“Hand spun, Hand Woven and
Natural Fibre .”
 Guarantee, through the Mark, a
fair wage standard for the
artisans involved in producing
Khadi.
 Establish a strong brand identity
for genuine Khadi.
 Improve market linkages for
Khadi weavers and spinners.
12

13. KHADI – Makeover mode
 Increased per inch thread count to
make it soft and fine to look at.
 Smooth and even texture using finer
count yarn even upto 500s metric.
 Multiple look and texture because of
wide range of yarn count.
 Wet processes such as stone and
enzyme washing for varied feel and
appearance .
 Blending with other natural fibres to
extend thermal properties and better
pliability.
 Ancient weaving embracing
contemporary elements to find new
synthesis and relevance. 13

14. KHADI – by David Abraham – London’s
Conran Shop
“Khadi beautifully utilizes certain
skills . There is a huge demand for
handmade Khadi Products.”
14

15. KHADI – by Bess Nielsen – Khadi & Co.
“My ultimate dream is to use lot of
colour and chikan embroidery on Khadi with
modern techniques. The best part of this
fabric is that it ’s a fabric of maturity.”
15

16. KHADI – by Christina Kim
“My aim is not to make just fashion
products. I want my fabric and designs
to express individuality. I want Khadi to
become a way of being and feeling.”
16

17. KHADI – by Ritu Kumar
“Khadi works better generally in tunics and
simpler shapes as it does not fall well in
bias cuts (diagonal cuts). It ’s a super
fabric for saris with its fall and drape.
17

18. KHADI – by Sabyasachi Mukherjee
“It ’s a myth that khadi cannot be
considered a luxe or expensive fabric.
Since the perception about khadi has
been changing over the years, it ’s
being revived and fine-tuned to
become a top-class fabric.”
18

19. KHADI – by Raghavendra Rathore
19

20. “W hen one wears
Khadi,
He wears freedom”
- Mahatma Gandhi
THANK YOU
20