Mahatma’s fabric dons a fashion avatar — ‘Khadi by Peter England’

Khadi, the hand-spun iconic fabric associated with India’s freedom movement, discovered and promoted Mahatma Gandhi, will soon be available in a new avatar – “Khadi by Peter England’.

To give a fashion push to the fabric, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail and Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) on Tuesday announced a strategic collaboration to strengthen the synergies between the two Indian brands.

As a part of the strategic partnership, Peter England, a well-known menswear brand from the portfolio of Aditya Birla Fashion, will develop an exclusive product line branded ‘Khadi by Peter England’, a company release said.

Under this convergence, Peter England has agreed for a guaranteed minimum procurement of Khadi and Khadi products for five years with primary purchases of muslin cotton and silk. Peter England will also bring in the design interventions at Khadi manufacturing clusters along with providing technical expertise, the release added.

‘Khadi by Peter England’ will be available at Peter England stores across the country, KVIC outlets and leading ecommerce portals.

KVIC Chairman VK Saxena, claimed the convergence will provide around two lakh manhours to Khadi artisans and will bring in the “much-needed professional input in Khadi readymades.”

On the marketing initiatives, Anshu Sinha, CEO, KVIC, said: “KVIC has developed convergence with major market leaders, such as like Raymond and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. This will be a win-win proposition for both the organisations and will bring in sustainable employment to Khadi artisans.”