Era of Indo- Western Fusion

Indo-Western clothing is the fusion of Western and South Asian fashion. In the
1960s and 1970s, at the same time as Western fashion was adopting elements of
Indian dress, Indian fashion also absorbed elements of Western dress. This practice
of mutual appropriation continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as
multiculturalism in fashion design took hold, with Western designers incorporating
traditional Indian crafts, textiles and techniques at the same time as Indian
designers allowed the West to influence their work. While middle-class Indian
women in migrant communities originally tended to favour Western styles for all
occasions in the 1960s and 1970s, they gradually began to wear stylish Indian
dress for special occasions as a status symbol equivalent to chic Western fashion.
One example of a traditionally Indian garment that has been heavily influenced by
Western fashion is the kurta suit, a reversal of the established tradition of Western
fashion being influenced by Asian design.
Impact of Films on Indian Fashion
The history of clothing in India dates back to ancient times, yet fashion is a new
industry, as it was the traditional Indian clothing with regional variations, be it the
sari, ghagra choli or dhoti, that remained popular until the early decades of post-
independence India. A common form of Indian fashion originates from Western
culture. Fashion includes a series of sequins and gold thread to attract customers
and apply a statement to the Indian fashion community. A famous Indian fashion
trademark is embroidery, an art of sewing distinct thread patterns. A way to
include the traditional look and create a new fashion statement includes
embroidery applied to different dresses, skirts, shirts, and pants to reflect the
western culture influence as well as include the Indian tradition.
An early trendsetter in fashion was Bollywood (Hindi cinema), where costume
designers like Bhanu Athaiya started experimenting with film fashion in the 1960s.
Athaiya started working on period costumes in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) and
Amrapali (1966), though he went on to introduce varied trends through Teesri
Manzil (1966), Chalte Chalte (1976), Karz (1980) and Chandni (1989). These were
soon followed by the mass market. Also situations and themes in Indian cinema
became westernised, making way for the display of diverse fashion. Over the
years, popular Bollywood trends have been the Madhubala's Anarkali-look with
kurtas and churidars in Mughal-e-Azam (1960), purple embroidered sari worn by
Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994), to Rani Mukherji's short kurti-
suits in Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Veer Zaara suits and blouses from Parineeta. This
comes besides various fashion interpretations of the sari in films like Chandni
(1989) with Sridevi, Main Hoon Naa (2004) with Sushmita Sen and Dostana
(2008) with Priyanka Chopra, which became fashion trends.
Textile mills and Handloom Revolution in India
The strong domestic demand and the revival of the Economic markets by 2009 has
led to huge growth of the Indian textiles industry. India projected a high production
of textile in 2010 -11. The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design,
production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be
natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry.
Handloom refers to wooden frames of different types which are used by skilled
artisans to weave fabrics usually from natural fibers like Cotton, Silk, Wool, Jute
etc. It is a cottage industry where the entire family is involved in the production of
cloth. Right from spinning the yarn, colouring, to weaving on the loom if done by
them. Fabric produced from these looms is also referred to as Handloom. Indian
Handloom dates back to the Indus valley civilization. Even in ancient times, Indian
fabrics were exported, Rome, Egypt and China.
Post- Independence, textile mills and spinning mills continued to function in India.
Today, there are many weaving styles that use machine spun yarn and these fabrics
are referred to as Handloom. And fabrics made from Handspun yarn are called
Khadi fabrics. Though the textile and spinning mills continued in Independent
India, handloom / khadi were given a lot of protection from unfair competition.
Thus the fabric was widely used and affordable for everyone.
Since 1985, and especially post 90’s liberalisation, handloom sector had to face
competition from cheap imports, and design imitations from powerlooms. In
addition government funding and policy protection also declined drastically. Also
the cost of natural fiber yarn has increased tremendously. In comparison to
artificial fiber, the cost of natural fabric has gone up. This makes it unaffordable
for the common people. But the wages of handloom weavers have remained frozen
for the past decade or two. Unable to compete with cheaper poly-mixed fabrics,
many weavers are quitting weaving and going for unskilled labour work. And
many have been reduced to extreme poverty.
Khadi. Yesterday And Today
Khadi – the word conjures up images of Mahatma Gandhi and the Swadeshi
movement he led. For a long time khadi was associated with the country’s freedom
struggle and politics. Here we take a look at its history, exploring the story and
significance of this textile.
Khadi is a term used for fabrics that are hand-spun and handwoven, usually from
cotton fiber. However, contrary to popular belief, khadi is also manufactured from
silk and wool, known as khadi silk or woolen khadi respectively. The fabric is
known for its rugged texture, comfortable feel and ability to keep people warm in
winter while keeping them cool during the summer. Broadly speaking, khadi is
manufactured in two steps: converting the fiber into yarn using tools like spinning
wheels (Charkha) and then weaving the yarn into fabric using looms. There are
many steps like dyeing and strengthening of the fibers which can be explored in
detail.
The resurgence of Khadi is bringing pride back to artisans and sustainability back
to village communities. A new generation is being trained in the ancient traditions
of hand looming, dyeing and other disciplines needed in the production and supply
chain of Khadi. Khadi production provides work for many men and women:
farmers, cotton pluckers, silk producers, spinners, weavers, thread cutters, washer
people, ironers, folders, dyers, transporters and deliverers, plus many more
employment opportunities. Khadi has re-emerged as the fabric of the people,
highly regarded for its durability, soft-feel and versatility.
After Independence, the Government reserved some types of textile production,
e.g. towel manufacture for the handloom sector, which resulted in a deskilling of
traditional weavers and a boost for the power loom sector. Private Sector
enterprises have been able to make handloom weaving somewhat remunerative and
the government also continues to promote the use of Khadi through various
initiatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserted that khadi cloth is a movement
to help the poor. He further highlighted that the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission is a statutory organisation engaged in promoting and developing
khadi and village industries. He lauded that Gujrat and Rajasthan are well known
for khadi poly, while Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are
known for the woolen khadi.