A recent report on khadi in a leading business daily, claims that the figures of sales have grown at a rate of around 30 per cent every year for the past few years. This would place it amongst one of the fastest growing textiles in the sector. This is remarkable. The reasons attributed to this are several, but the main assumption is that the popularity of khadi has grown phenomenally due to aggressive marketing campaigns with political support. While the marketing impetus must continue, the positive growth figures should also encourage design and product development and the move into new markets such as the high value segment. In a production ecosystem that is predominantly industrial and mechanized, the handmade khadi textile should increasingly be positioned as a high value luxury product.

Some discussion is required over what it takes for a handmade textile to qualify for the term ‘khadi’ as there is still some lack of clarity and precision with the usage of the term. In any discussion on the definition of khadi, it is important to note that in the pre-industrial age all textile manufacture was a handmade process, right from the spinning of the yarn to the weaving of the fabric in all the textile producing regions in the world. Therefore, what distinguishes khadi specifically as a handmade fabric is the ideology associated with it in the Indian subcontinent.

Promoted by Mahatma Gandhi, khadi is a handwoven cloth made from handspun yarn associated with the values propounded in the fight for Indian independence. These ideological values shape our understanding of the fabric. We need to examine both the physical characteristics, as well as the ‘idea’ of khadi in order to define the fabric. The perception of khadi is inextricably tied to the ‘concept’ or intangible values associated with the fabric as well as to the parameters of a manufacturing process governed by the human hand.

Once the physical attributes of khadi, its material components and the process of manufacture, are clearly defined, the question that follows is: how was the concept shaped by the ideological tenets of Gandhian philosophy combined with a set of physically determined attributes, restated for this unique product to expand its reach into the luxury market? Misrepresentation over the physical characteristics and qualifying attributes of khadi is in large part due to a lack of clarity in the production process. The use of mechanically spun yarn to produce for khadi is one point of contention. Moving from the original handspun yarn to semi-mechanized spinning, the degree of mechanization in the spinning process needs clarity. In certain types of khadi fabric, a combination of both machine spun and handspun yarns is utilized in its weaving. Another question mark hovers over the use of polyester in the making of khadi.

The Khadi and Village Industries Corporation (KVIC), introduced ‘polyvastra’ about three decades back, which is a polyester blended khadi and was a popular seller. This deviation from the use of natural fibres and the introduction of polyester, however, remains problematic. The use of non-biodegradable material with a negative environmental impact is a cause for concern. In addition, today the term khadi is also being used by several large corporates in the marketing of fabrics that pay lip service to the Gandhian ideal but misrepresent the term by not strictly enforcing the physical parameters of hand spinning and hand weaving.

 

There are also questions related to the understanding of the ideological significance of khadi in a contemporary marketplace, and its perception by the consumer. Being very much more than just a handmade fabric and representing a particular set of ideological beliefs and values, the positioning of khadi in today’s marketplace involves communication strategies that must reinforce the conceptual nature of the product in a language relevant to the new consumer.

Mahatma Gandhi promoted the spinning of yarn on a hand operated charkha in the fight for independence from British rule. Khadi became a powerful symbol of self-reliance during the Indian independence movement. The promotion of yarn that was handspun on a charkha was to contribute to the making of an Indian cloth intended to counter the use of cheap British mill made fabrics that were being dumped in India leading to the decline of the Indian textile industry. In addition to this, Gandhi saw the act of spinning as symbolic of an individual’s self-reliance through his own ability to participate in the creation of clothing for his own needs.

 

There were other reasons too. By wearing a simple homespun cloth by all members of society, clothing could become a unifying leveller irrespective of the wearer’s social and economic status. It would do away with the visual markers of status that clothing employed in a highly stratified society. In pre-independent India, the use of khadi clothing was a rejection of the westernized clothing worn by many Indians imitating their British rulers. Adopted by members of the freedom movement, khadi eventually became the ‘uniform’ of Indian politicians and an effective communication device. They saw the advantage of an easily identifiable ensemble to espouse certain values to communicate political power. This choice of attire has continued to be the uniform of the politician for some, though not as widely worn as it once was. However, the fabric in the form of the white khadi ensemble, is still perceived as a political symbol that speaks to all segments of voters across the country.

The raw material used to make khadi fabric began with handspun yarn. Originally the yarn was spun on a hand operated charkha for weaving the fabric. Both the twisting of the fibres and the manual operation of the spinning wheel require considerable dexterity and coordination which in turn influences the very particular texture of the yarn. Later, semi-mechanized spinning devices called the ‘ambar’ charkha were introduced to increase output.

The ambar charkha can be operated both with and without electricity and is a semi-mechanized system of spinning yarn. Purists, however, question the use of yarn spun on an electrically driven ambar charkha with multiple spindles, as opposed to yarn that is spun on the hand operated charkha. The next stage in the manufacture of khadi is weaving these handspun yarns on a handloom. Khadi is therefore a combination of these processes, spinning and weaving, both controlled by the human hand. At this point we should also note that khadi originally utilized yarns spun from cotton, though silk and wool are now used as well.

 

In contemporary India, the resonance of this ideology associated with khadi and its role in India’s fight for independence is diminishing for the young consumer who has grown to maturity in a post-liberalized economy. A powerful consumer demographic, young India’s perception of itself has moved far from the mindsets that were shaped by colonization. A different set of values now dictate consumption. In a globalized and digitally interconnected world, self-reliance from foreign made goods is no longer a compelling factor influencing consumption. We live in a time where technology and consumer products are free of geographical boundaries.

The growth of a young and expanding workforce has simultaneously been accompanied by rapid social churn and increasing urbanization. New professions and the move to urban environments is redefining identity for a large segment of the consumer population. Fashion and aspiration play a key role in creating a modern identity today and the spread of digital technology too is playing a vital role. What role does khadi have in this new consumer oriented economy where the narratives of self-reliance and a nation’s independence movement are no longer able to influence consumption?

 

The economics of khadi production, at another level, remain somewhat problematic as the fabric and the manufacturing process are highly dependent on government subsidies. However, with self-employment in the decentralized rural sector being important, subsidies are essential. In a future forward scenario it is worth developing certain khadi products that would provide higher returns to reduce the dependence on subsidies. A combination of design, with strategic marketing, to develop a high margin product with appropriate pricing and costing strategies, should be explored. Once marketed as a fabric for the mass market, khadi is now also being successfully retailed as a high value product to fashion sensitive markets through design interventions and branding.

In a scenario of rapidly changing consumer tastes driven by fashion and aspiration, diversification in this segment is imperative. While the costs of production have risen, and wage levels are being raised, the perception of khadi as a premium fabric needs to be focused on, and moved higher up the value chain. Over the years, the heavy discounting made possible through subsidies has negatively influenced the perception of the khadi brand.

Highly interrelated, any increase in financial returns would also incentivize artisans to focus on upgrading the product, raise quality standards and focus on developing finer qualities of khadi fabric. Increased demand would positively affect the livelihood of a large number of spinners and weavers, making employment in the sector more attractive.

An important step would be to reposition khadi in the luxury market segment. Khadi is uniquely positioned to be marketed as a luxury product being completely handmade and unique in an ecosystem of industrially manufactured cloth. While building on its unique manufacturing process, as well as its positioning within the historic narrative, communication strategies and new exclusive products need to be developed.

Additionally, in the context of the present concerns with environmental issues, khadi with its small and sustainable environmental footprint, should be aggressively promoted for the modern consumer concerned about the environmental damage done by the industrial textile production process. A fabric woven by hand from handspun yarn in such sizable quantities is a unique phenomenon in the world’s textile production ecosystem. Khadi can be a luxury textile not just for the Indian market but for the world. Admittedly, while textiles made completely by hand are still woven in other parts of the world, the quantities are miniscule. It is only in India that they are manufactured in quantities that will allow it to be scaled up into a commercially viable opportunity.

 

An important aspect of the marketing effort will have to be the understanding of the term ‘luxury’. If a khadi product is to be positioned on the platform of a luxury product, we will need to re-appropriate a term which has been co-opted by powerful international luxury conglomerates. We need to step back a bit and examine the term luxury as it is understood today and analyse the attributes that the term is imbued with. After decades of effective marketing by powerful corporations producing high value consumer lifestyle products, the word luxury has now been almost totally co-opted to create value for highly priced, branded products that are predominantly industrially manufactured. The perception of exclusivity is controlled through marketing and careful distribution. Positioning and pricing play an important role in the way these products are seen.

In some cases, luxury products that are available can be of high quality and expensively fabricated using rare materials and special manufacturing processes. This, though, is not always the case. Marketing creates the perception of luxury and in turn, generates demand. For example, one of the most successful examples of a luxury product today is a woman’s handbag made of industrially manufactured coated PVC and printed with the company’s logo. Produced in large quantities, the successful marketing of the product has made it highly aspirational to a prime consumer segment, demonstrating how perception has been successfully shaped by marketing to create demand.

 

The perception that a khadi product is the handiwork of a human artisan as opposed to an industrially manufactured product, is key. Luxury has long been about that which is widely regarded as both valuable and rare. Luxury must be assessed through the lens of the artisanal and the handmade as opposed to the machine made. Products need to be developed with appropriate design interventions that enhance the exclusivity and the non-replicable nature of the handmade. Khadi fabrics that exclusively use handspun yarn in natural fibres, should be eligible. Design strategies need to be developed that focus on longevity of the product and avoid the dangerous and wasteful short-term trend cycles to which fashion is currently prone.

The physical structure of handmade cloth varies from metre to metre, from spinner to spinner, and from weaver to weaver. The irregularity in the texture of the fabric is easily identifiable and must be celebrated. This is a defining feature of khadi. In every metre of the handmade fabric is a ref-lection of each individual maker and a demonstration of the skill. The slubs in the yarn, the beating marks that indicate the pressure of the beater, the manual turning of the beams on the handloom, together cause the irregularities that have made khadi a unique product completely distinct from the predictable uniformity of an industrially produced machine made fabric.

Just as in fashion terminology, ‘couture’ is used to indicate luxury products at the highest end of the fashion chain because of exclusivity and customized manufacturing processes employing particular hand skills, India needs to position khadi as the equivalent to couture in the context of textile manufacture.

With the decline of a human interface in the manufacture of products, all products made with the direct intervention of the human hand takes on a special meaning. The physical interaction between the material, the human hand and the mind creates a product that represents an artisan’s skill and integrity. The variable nature of the human hand in action and movement which is captured in the uneven texture of khadi is a visible demonstration of the skills of the maker.

A handmade product, at a time when AI, IOT and robotics are slowly taking over the production systems of the world, has a special resonance and meaning. A symbol of the human hand and spirit, khadi represents the extraordinary idea that simple means can result in profound change. It is a reminder of the potential of the individual in shaping history. In both textiles and craft, India is home to the largest base of hand skilled artisans. Khadi, with its large decentralized network, is capable of producing a unique Indian luxury product for the world.