Handwoven and hand-spun fabric was the star of India Day at London Fashion Week 2023, when an array of vibrant and pure khadi outfits took to the catwalk.
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 India for a ‘Khadi Utsav Fashion’ event, organised by the Indian High Commission in London last week. 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 India.
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Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said: “Khadi-made fabric 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.”
Khadi Utsav Fashion showcased how the humble, home-spun khadi 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 the fabric represented both the spirit of Satyagraha – the path of truth – and Swadeshi – self-reliance – during the Indian freedom struggle, as a means of creating national wealth and capacity. It also relayed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s passionate message of “khadi for nation, khadi for fashion and khadi for transformation”.
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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 India Day show involved 25 garments made with pure khadi – as a symbol of national pride as well as a global fashion statement.
The show 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.