In Chicago’s cruel winter, at -3 degrees Celsius, it was a khadi jacket that kept Kamal Haasan warm. To be precise, a jacket from KH House of Khaddar, his just-launched designer label. Now, khaddar has taken over his wardrobe.
“Khaddar needs no introduction. It’s woven into the fabric of the nation. We cling on to the thread and climb,” says Kamal at the virtual press conference to launch the website for House of Khaddar in India. “We are proud to launch our business on Republic Day,” he says, adding, “Let’s hope khadi will do better than burgers in India.”
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The brand’s first collection, titled Nunool, was showcased in Chicago in November 2021. “Whenever we spoke of exporting khaddar to the West, the first question asked was ‘who would want to wear an Indian politician’s costume?’ It’s not a politician’s costume: it is a historic thread that connects people like freedom fighters and the free Indians of today.” The actor says he is emotionally connected to the fabric, as his father, who was a lawyer and part of the Independence movement, used to wear khaddar to court.
The first collection for Fall Winter is heavy and has a lot of trenches, jackets, trousers, skirts and dresses in olives, browns, blues and pinks. Amritha Ram, the designer, put everything together with the layering concept in mind, so people can use each piece in different ways. Amritha says the next collection will be launched at the Paris Fashion Week.
Kamal also takes pride in the fact that KH House of Khaddar is eco-friendly, conscious about sustainability, and the welfare of the weavers associated with the label. “The fabric is hand-dyed using organic dyes. Our dyes have zero chemical waste and zero carbon,” he states, adding, “We have taken Gandhiji’s advice seriously and become the change we wanted.”
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