INDIA SHOWCASES SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES
Special programme, titled ‘Virasat, pays homage to ‘khadi’ legacy of Mahatma Gandhi
The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai held a special show on sustainable textiles, called ‘Virasat’ (heritage), to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Items of natural, sustainable fabric were on display at ‘Virasat’. The show was presented by FLO, the Ladies wing of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the Terra auditorium at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Future of fashion
One of Mahatma Gandhi’s most amazing achievements that deeply resonates with us at FICCI [Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry] is the Khadi Movement, which we are paying tribute to.
Sustainability is the future of the fashion world and fabrics that are made from natural fibres with vegetable dyes are currently in vogue. Consumers the world over are increasingly concerned about where the products they use are manufactured. They are increasingly rejecting products made at sweatshops, exploiting the underprivileged.
In India, hand-woven textiles used to be the symbol of freedom and self-reliance. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, led the way with spinning ‘khadi’, or homespun cotton yarn, on his homegrown spinning wheel and offered every Indian an opportunity to feel empowered by using ‘khadi’ clothes. It was this very sentiment that was honoured by all the participants at ‘Virasat’. In India, fabrics made from fibres
Ujjwala Singhania | President, FLO (ladies wing), FICCI
of fruit such as banana, pineapple and fibres from other natural products such as jute and coconut are now being used.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ujjwala Singhania, president of FLO highlighted the significance of sustainability in fabrics. “One of Mahatma Gandhi’s most amazing achievements that deeply resonates with us at FICCI is the Khadi Movement, which we are paying tribute to. ‘Khadi’ is the favourite textile of our fashion houses. Fashionconscious consumers are quick to adopt ‘khadi’ denim jeans and modern Indian brides prefer having the brocaded khadi ‘lehengas’ (long skirts) in their bridal trousseau.”
Sustainable fabrics are gaining ground worldwide. Fabrics made out of orange peel and fibre, wood and bamboo shavings, spider-thread have all taken the fashion world by storm.
Talking about the revolution that ‘khadi’ and other sustainable fabrics have brought about in India, Singhania said: “India’s fabric or textile industry dates back to 400 BC, according to Greek historian Herodotus. In the 17th Century, homespun Indian fabric was giving serious competition to machine-made French and British fabrics. Today, the impact of India’s sustainable fabrics on the global textile business is huge.