Maria Kurian Chakola has one dream. She wants to see khadi in everybody’s wardrobe. It suits our climate, it is comfortable, it is easy to maintain, it consumes less power than mill made fabric, it helps the weaver…with all the pros in its favour it would appear khadi has everything going its way. But unfortunately, it is not. The fabric, which has ideology in its warp and weft, hasn’t been able adapt to modernity.
We have seen khadi in menswear and sometimes women’s wear. Even in these forms they are clichéd – the loose, shape-free kurta being the most common. The irony is that khadi has a viable international market, as for all things handmade. It would appear that in India it is not marketed in a way that makes it contemporary.
This is where Maria comes in. And if she has her way she’ll make sure that her dream comes true. For the last four to five years, she has been working hard at getting some attention for the fabric. The first step in this direction is Khadikids, her kidswear line, which her design house, Earth and I, has launched.
She lists khadi’s inherent qualities which make it perfect for children, “since the yarns are hand spun and then hand woven the resultant fabric has a very open structure when compared to any mill made fabrics available, this allows the fabric to breath and keeps the skin cool, a desirable trait for garments in the tropics.” A mother herself, she is familiar with concerns ranging from pokey seams to carcinogens in dyes.
“The whole idea behind starting up Khadikids was to show khadi fabrics in a new light and showcase its versatility. Through Khadikids I hope to bring in a widely recognised children’s apparel brand in khadi which will take this beautiful fabric to the masses,” she says.
The years she has put in the garment industry, working with MNCs especially those in the kidswear sector, give the NIFT graduate an edge. She says she is “committed to it. I can’t let go of the fabric. I am attached to it.” Her engagement with the fabric is such that she constantly keeps going back to it. She sources her fabric from Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB).
At a time when tight-fitting synthetics and knitwear apparel dominate children’s wardrobes, “cheap solutions for busy mothers,” Khadikids, she hopes, will be a refreshing change. Playwear is the term she uses for the garments, “these are the kind of clothes that children can wear when they play. These are easy-to-wear, fit comfortably, lengths and fits are modest all the while taking into account the child’s growth.” Khadikids was recently showcased on www.jaypore.com.
For the time being the collections are limited to three to 12-year-olds. With the garments ready, she is all set to introduce the city to it on Children’s Day, November 14 (and November 15), when there will be a soft launch of Khadikids at Jhalak, Panampilly Nagar. At the launch, however, mothers of little boys will be disappointed, this time the collection is just for little girls. “I am working on garments for boys and will shortly come out with those,” Maria says. There will be skirts (with shorts), tops, frocks, jumpsuits and other styles. The collection is everything that one does not expect khadi to be – especially for kids.
Khadikids can be accessed online at >www.facebook.com/khadikids .
