NEW DELHI: Khadi turns trendy. The new chain of high-end stores called, Khadi India Lounge, will house garments for men and women tailored fashionably out of this handspun cloth. Keeping up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call of Make in India, it has been re-branded on the lines of Khadi for Nation, Khadi for Fashion.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) minister Kalraj Mishra inaugurated the outlet at State Emoria Complex at Baba Kadak Singh Marg in Connaught Place last week. He was accompanied by MSME minister of state Haribhai Chaudhary, Khadi and Village industries Chairman V K Saxena, MSME Secreatry K K Jalan, in addition to fashion designer Ritu Beri who is showcasing a ‘ready to wear’ line.
On January 7 and 17, other such stores were launched in Mumbai and Jaipur. These stores attempt to make these garments a choice of the masses. “Buying one piece of cloth will generate employment for one artisan,” said Mishra on the inauguration, adding, “Today, MSME is generating 94 per cent employment and only four per cent is being done by public sector. Not only this, MSME sector contributes 65 per cent to the total GDP growth.” In addition to creating employment opportunities, it will also empower women financially.
It’s time khadi is taken from being a simple cloth to a stylish weave.