New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- Khadi has always been more than a fabric. During India's freedom movement, it became a powerful symbol of self-reliance, with Mahatma Gandhi famously describing it as the "livery of freedom". Wearing khadi was a way of rejecting imported cloth and supporting local production. But after Independence, its fashion identity became increasingly tied to austerity: the politician's kurta, the activist's sari, the government emporium. For several decades, khadi seemed to belong more to history than to the contemporary wardrobe.

Fashion, however, has a habit of revisiting what it once considered unfashionable. Over the past few decades, Indian designers have steadily dismantled khadi's image, treating it as a material to expe...