Can Kamal Haasan help khadi?
The Hindu
With the actor’s new brand, KH House of Khaddar, having launched in India on Republic Day, some industry experts weigh in
Last November, KH House of Khaddar (KHHK) — a joint venture between designer Amritha Ram and actor Kamal Haasan — launched in Chicago, with a Fall-Winter collection that included trenches, blazers, and skirts. On Republic Day 2022 it came to India. With organic colours such as olive, dove grey, spring blue and a fruity pink, the palette is youthful and hip, in keeping with KHHK’s aim to push the handloom conversation beyond our borders.
Was it because of KVIC’s (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) trademark of the name ‘khadi’ that they used khaddar in the brand name? “My father’s name is Srinivasan, but I go by the name Kamal Haasan. [Similarly] the genesis and DNA [of khadi] are the same, but our business models are different,” Ram recalls Haasan as saying.
She adds: “It’s all handloom and handwoven, and that’s the beauty of it. If demand for our weavers’ work grows, we will employ more and even train new weavers.” Meanwhile, the big question is whether a celebrity-endorsed venture will finally help bridge the gap between the handspun fabric and a new, young audience. (The finished product is often expensive and inaccessible after top designers work with it.) We talk to some industry experts.