JOIN USKhadi in focus on India Day at London Fashion Week 2023
A series of pure khadi outfits took centre stage for India Day at the ongoing London Fashion Week, with a set of special designs curated to celebrate the message of self-reliance and spirit of swadeshi associated with the fabric.
The collection was spun together by 12 young female designers from India’s International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) together with local artisans and weavers from different parts of the country for a ‘Khadi Utsav Fashion’ event, organised by the Indian High Commission in London on Friday.
In association with the London School of Trends (LST), the show was reflective of their mission to bring Indian handloom, weaves, art and craft on to an international platform for the world to experience the rich textile and handicraft history of the country.
“The show brings together both sustainability and fashion, to showcase how fashion can be sustainable using the traditional craft of khadi-made fabric,” said Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami in his address at the event.
“Khadi is not just the fabric of the story of India’s independence, it’s also the fabric of sustainability. It uses hand-made techniques, organic cotton, organic dyes and is a very special bond between the earth and human beings. It is creative, it is sustainable, it is green, and it is everything that we are looking for in a more sustainable planet,” he added.
'Khadi Utsav Fashion', organised on the opening day of London Fashion Week, showcased how the humble, home-spun fabric resonated with a message of empowerment when Mahatma Gandhi encouraged its use as a symbol of nationalism, equality and self-reliance.
A video relayed how khadi represented both the spirit of Satyagraha and Swadeshi during the Indian freedom struggle, as a means of creating national wealth and capacity.
It also relayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message of “khadi for nation, khadi for fashion and khadi for transformation” and the mission to take the fabric from "local to global".
The first half of the show opened with a presentation of 40 modern garments designed on the basic principles of deconstruction, in a variety of hues and cuts displaying the clever use of embellishments and nuanced detailing.
The second half of the show involved 25 garments made with pure khadi – as a symbol of national pride as well as a global fashion statement.
The show straddled eastern and western philosophies and was attended by a host of diplomats, dignitaries, fashion aficionados and international buyers and delegates.
It was curated around the INIFD and LST ideology to teach student designers about creating a forward-looking fashion footprint on the bedrock of India’s rich cultural heritage.
London Fashion Week 2023 will conclude on Tuesday.