Nawshin Khair - in an effort to revive the Khadi

She is popularly known as Hema amongst friends; a mother, entrepreneur, activist, designer and the country coordinator for Fashion Revolution. To Nawshin, Khadi relates to mysticism; a unique item that symbolises the beauty and intellect of Bengal.

While in conversation with the designer, we learned about her aspirations regarding Khadi, the revival movement behind the heritage fabric and the Tara Masjid.

“Khadi is an extremely eco-friendly material with zero carbon footprint. The best thing about the fabric is that even though it is tremendously labour intensive, the end product is still affordable and extremely comfortable to wear,” Nawshin explained.

She had much to say about the Khadi Festival and its scope. “People of our country have not been patronising Khadi over the years. The fabric lost it attractiveness to milled yarns and foreign clothes. As a result, the artisans weaving the textile discontinued their work and Bangladesh almost went on the verge of completely losing the heritage material. Thanks to the initiatives by FDCB and their vision with the Khadi Festival, people are regaining interest in the material. The future looks bright for the fabric.”

Nawshin seemed enthusiastic about the theme she is working on for the festival – the Tara Masjid.

 “I got the Tara Masjid this year. It is an amazing architectural feat, sharing almost a similar history as the Khadi. There are rich Islamic geometrical patterns emblazoned on the masjid walls signifying a strong Mughal influence. The mosque itself witnessed history. I felt a sense of satisfaction working with the fabric and the pleasant theme. This unique concept to include our heritage architectural sites will definitely create curiosity amongst the public, allowing them to learn a bit more about our past.”

Talking about fashion and styling prospects of Khadi, we asked the designer about her expectations regarding the fabric.

“I have heard some people complain that Khadi was a very pre-historic material, going against the flow of modernity and fashion. While there were others who proclaimed Khadi was a very coarse material and very uncomfortable to wear. I would like to defend Khadi's position against both of these statements.”

“Khadi is actually an excellent fabric, which, if designed and fashioned wisely, would look gorgeous on any occasion. It looks especially attractive when designed as fusion wear. Regarding the coarseness, nothing could be far from the truth. If higher count fabric is used, it will almost  feel as smooth as linen.”

Reminiscing over last year's festival, the designer concluded our rendezvous. “Last year I designed a jacket with Khadi, which was extremely well received. Hopefully this year too, there will be similar response from the crowd.”

The Khadi Festival is supported by Tresemme, Bengal, Green Delta, Square, City Bank, Sailor, BMW through shared vision with the FDCB.