Khadi gets a glam makeover in Delhi

To show the transformation of khadi as a fashion fabric and promote it, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) organised a khadi fashion show with ten young designers showcasing their creations. The fashion show, curated by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), also gave a platform to designers who participated in the All-India Khadi Designers Competition.KVIC organised the competition to introduce khadi with new design interventions. Out of over 300 entries from designers across the country, ten were shortlisted for the show. Three of those designers were awarded by the jury. While Swati Kapoor was the winner, Dhruv Singh was the first runner-up. Kaushal Singh and Gaurav Singh were announced as the second runners-up, and Aditya Khandelwal won the special jury award for khadi accessories. Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI, who is also Honorary Consultant/Advisor for khadi promotion, and fashion designer Anju Modi were among the jury members for Khadi Designer Awards.
Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC and Preeta Verma, CEO, KVIC
Sunil Sethi and Anju Modi
Krishna flaunts a Kaushal Singh dress
‘We aim to make khadi global’
KVIC organised a pan-India designer contest for the first time. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC, said that they were overwhelmed by the participation. “This was the first time that we organised this designer contest, and the overwhelming participation shows the popularity of khadi among the youth. The competition was conceptualised in 2019 with the idea of bringing khadi, which has been mostly known as the fabric for politicians, in vogue. We aim to make it global, and for that, we must present it stylishly. It took us two years to host the Khadi Designer Award ceremony, it got delayed due to the pandemic, but we are happy that we did it successfully,” he said.
Rashi Rao in an Aditya Khandelwal design
Swati Kapoor
Promoting Indian weaves
Gurgaon-based designer Swati Kapoor, who was selected as the winner, said, “I work with handloom, and I wanted to present a sustainable collection. The focus was on presenting khadi with a lot of Indian craft and technique.”
A few classical performances were also organised at the event