With the actor’s new brand, Khaddar’s KH House launching in India on Republic Day, some industry experts weigh in.
Last November, KH House of Khaddar (KHHK) — a joint venture between designer Amrita Ram and actor Kamal Haasan — launched in Chicago, featuring a fall-winter collection that included trenches, blazers and skirts. It came to India on Republic Day 2022. With organic shades like Olive, Dove Grey, Spring Blue and Fruity Pink, the palette is youthful and hip, in keeping with KHKK’s aim to push the handloom conversation beyond our limits.
Was it because of KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) trademark of the name ‘Khadi’ which they used Khadi in the brand name? “My father’s name is Srinivasan, but I am known as Kamal Haasan. [Similarly] Origin and DNA [of khadi] They are the same, but our business models are different,” Ram recalled Haasan.
She adds: “It is all handloom and hand woven, and that is the beauty of it. If the demand for the work of our weavers increases, we will create more jobs and train new weavers as well.” Meanwhile, the big question is whether a celebrity-approved venture will eventually help bridge the gap between handmade clothing and a new, younger audience. (The finished product is often expensive and inaccessible once you’ve worked with top designers.) We talked to some industry experts.
Price between ₹4,950 and ₹9,450 on khhk.in.
Ramesh Menon
Ramesh Menon
Founder of Save the Loom, which works with handloom weavers in Kerala
hand spun fabric and youth: Khadi has certainly received attention during the Modi era, but it is not enough to rejuvenate its weavers and weavers. Handmade, hand woven Khadi has immense potential as it is completely manufactured by human hands; It is not only durable but suitable for all seasons. There is a global awakening towards Khadi – this is from our experience of launching the ‘Colors of Resilience’ project. [when over 20 leading designers worked with Kerala khadi and this found a global audience in 2018-19],
Kamal Haasan Connect: He is a legend and will definitely focus on Khadi. We hope that instead of simply selling it as a business under his own brand name, he will go on to speak [the fabric] and its Gandhian values. Khadi needs attention and who better than the cine stars of the country?
Ravi Kiran
Ravi Kiran
Founder of Rupak Racha, which works with Amber Charak Handspun Handwoven Fabric
celebrities and Khadi: Instead of launching a label, a celebrity who wears handlooms regularly is a huge endorsement in itself! An actor does not need to launch a label to promote clothing.
A new audience: We should first educate the youth not only about Khadi but also what it means. [Since it is often expensive] Instead of expecting them to dress up in it, they can start with a small handkerchief, which doesn’t cost much. The idea is that they sense the fabric.
Malika Kashyap
The founder of Border & Fall, who pioneered The Saree Series, a digital anthology on how to drape a saree.
handmade clothes: Handmade, in general, is gaining more visibility, although it is less about individual brands and more about current trends and changes in society. That being said, visibility only matters if it resonates with younger audiences. This relationship is still driven by aspiration; i.e. would they want to wear it, would it look cool?
Celebrity and Branding: The branding of Khadi is already problematic, much of what is sold in the market is semi-mechanized and has, in fact, become an elite fabric. An actor isn’t going to fix it, especially if they put it in the same tedious way as before—that is, as a moral duty to save the craft, or within a savior complex—which is the case here as well. It seems only. Overall, there is a need to understand the real Amber Charkha Khadi. It’s an expensive fabric, you can’t throw it in the washer/dryer. In addition, it represents a way of living. The best ambassadors of Khadi can be the people who live its values every day.
V Sunil
Advertising veteran and founder of the Motherland joint venture, which deals with urban regeneration and lifestyle products
Everyday Khadi: Hand made clothes had a good image; It was good when Gandhi wore it – as it denoted strength and self-reliance. Then there was a mess in the middle. The design community wasn’t able to do it justice. It either became more stylish and expensive or didn’t fit well. From a general standpoint, you should be able to buy this as a happy, good thing to wear. But it doesn’t exist, unless you come from a certain background or really believe in it. We all should be able to wear Khadi when we travel, work, everyday.
star power: I believe that Khadi is not cast properly in front of the people. And if Kamal Haasan can do that, that’s great. Sometimes a big name like him is needed to bring handloom to the fore as a serious conversation. Knowing him, the way he perpetuated himself [in the film industry]If anyone can maintain it, it is him. Still, the important thing is to do it keeping in mind the strength of Khadi. Just as Italians and Japanese take pride in everything handmade in their countries, I hope we get there. We need the glory that adds up everyday.
with inputs rosella stephen, Subha J Rao, Surya Praful KumarAnd Shilpa Nair Anand
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