Local to global: Khadi in focus on India Day at London Fashion Week

A series of 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 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 for the ‘Khadi Utsav Fashion' event.

It was organised by the Indian High Commission in association with the London School of Trends (LST) on the opening day of Fashion Week.

The khadi event showcased how fashion can be sustainable using the traditional craft, said the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami.

“Khadi is not just the fabric of the story of India's independence, it's also the fabric of sustainability,” he added.

A video relayed how khadi represented both the spirit of satyagraha (passive political resistance advocated by Mahatma Gandhi) and swadeshi (self-sufficiency movement) during the Indian freedom struggle, as a means of creating national wealth and capacity.

It also relayed prime minister Narendra Modi's message to promote khadi 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 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 will conclude on Tuesday (21).

(PTI)