Hip hip handloom

Smriti Irani's #IWearHandloom campaign trended on National Handloom Day

Did you see textile minister Smriti Irani's #IWearHandloom Twitter campaign on the occasion of National Handloom Day on August 7? It quickly swelled into a trending topic. Thousands of her followers retweeted it.

For the next day or two, Twitter was awash with selfies of people in ikkat, khadi, Venkatagiri and a zillion other beautiful traditional Indian textiles. Politicians such as Devendra Phadnavis and Kiran Bedi, cricketer Virendra Sehwag, actors Jackie Shroff, Kangana Ranaut and many other celebrities also posted pictures of themselves in handloom outfits.

However, for most of us, handlooms are a one-off, rather than a regular style statement. It's okay to dress up in a shimmering Kanjeevaram or an elegant Baluchari for a wedding, or don a tussar churidar kurta paired with a zari-flecked Chanderi stole on Diwali. But, ask us to make handlooms an integral part of our regular wear, and we are likely to gape in disbelief. Ditch that sharp pencil skirt for a block print palazzo at work? Or trade that cool chequered shirt for a vivid red khadi kurta? Seriously?

As it happens, there has never been a better time to experiment with handlooms when it comes to corporate couture.

A lot of Indian firms have done away with the formal dress code of yore when men came to work in stuffy suits and ties, and the women in demure sarees or salwar suits.

Last year, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, and Lenovo joined many other companies in allowing their employees to wear smart casuals at work. And, that includes jeans, T-shirts, skirts, culottes and so on.

Even those who insist on formal attire on other days of the week permit casual Friday dressing.

So why aren't we going off the beaten track and embracing handlooms as workwear?

Here's why. First, handloom is saddled with a huge image problem. Most people in the 25-35 age group see handlooms as either too gorgeous for comfort or as boring, standard issue attire for politicians, academics, and 'NGO types'. To them, the khadi kurta, Nehru jacket or the handloom cotton saree, imbued as they are with their burnished swadeshi heritage, are more pious statements than articles of desi chic. Hence, other than the so-called 'creative' people - journalists, ad professionals - they rarely find favour with the young.

Second, if you're fond of Western casual wear - which many young urban Indians are - you're unlikely to find too many options in handloom. So, they are only kept for special occasions. You might pick up a couple or three, but you'd rather sink your clothes budget shopping at places like Zara or H&M.

Yet, handlooms have a huge potential to be developed into casual wear. According to a report by consultancy firm Technopak, the Indian apparel market, which stood at Rs 2.05 lakh crore in 2012, is growing at the rate of nine per cent and is projected to reach Rs 3.15 lakh crore in 2017. Interestingly, the highest growth rate is expected to be in the casual wear segment. So it's clearly a good time for branded retail to look at handlooms to add a dash of pizzazz to their casual wear collections.

There are some signs that this is happening already. It's not just the Fabindias and the Anokhis. Go to any online shopping site and search for 'handlooms' and you'll find a decent range of trendy, not too expensive, handloom apparels for men and women. And, many of them have been fashioned into Western wear, too.

While branded retail slowly warms to the handloom theme, why not sport some desi style at work? Okay, so you may not wish to don Jackie Shroff's eye-popping bandhni-printed pants, but, hey, there's a feast of fabrics, colours and textures waiting to be discovered. Go ahead and try them. You have nothing to lose but your idea of what counts for fashion in the workplace.

Twitter: @ShumaRaha