Seeking to re-energise Bihar's khadi industry and make the heritage fabric more attractive for youth, the state government and NIFT-Patna have joined hands to rebrand the indigenous textile with a global appeal.
Bihar State Khadi Gramudyog Board, under the Department of Industries, was created post-Independence to start, encourage, assist and promote khadi and village industries.
Over the decades, the home-spun brand, popularised by Mahatma Gandhi, somewhat lost its allure in the state, especially among the youth. But, National Institute of Fashion Technology is now refashioning and rejuvenating this sartorial heritage for the new-age generation.
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"Bihar Khadi Board and NIFT-Patna have signed an agreement to this effect and the repositioned brand, christened 'Santiti' will be officially launched tomorrow at the Bihar Pavilion of the ongoing India International Trade Fair 2015," Director, NIFT-Patna, Sanjay Shrivastava told PTI.
The nearly 10-year-old institution in the state capital has been working on several projects on Bihar since its inception, and this Santiti project is also to "contemporise Bihar khadi to meet global standards".
Samples of the newly-styled garments have been put on display at the IITF at Pragati Maidan, he said.
"The garments have been created keeping in mind the needs and aspirations of the young minds. They have been designed from the fabric produced by the weavers of Bihar, sourced through the Khadi Board. And, due care has been taken to incorporate the current trends of fashion to make the garments wearable and fashionable," Shrivastava added.
He said the primary idea is to "reboot" the khadi industry, and make the youth connect to their heritage.
"The khadi brand of Bihar had been lying dormant for all these decades, with all the shops and emporia not making much of sale of khadi-made fabrics. So, we proposed to the government to reposition and re-imagine the brand with latest designs. And, our target is not just youth in Bihar, but globally," he added.
In rebooting the brand, NIFT Patna would be playing the role of consultant for the Board for a period of three years.
"When people wear this they should touch it and feel Bihar, the touch that the youth of the state may have lost today, since we (board) could not market ourselves that well. But, we want to restore that pride now," Shrivastava said.
There are nearly 60 'samitis' spread across Bihar under the aegis of the Khadi Board.
Shrivastava said NIFT pursued this association for three
years and we now want to make Bihar's heritage more accessible to people, in the state and outside.
"We are in talks with the Khadi Board and the Bihar government to give spaces in state emporia and souvenir shops in Patna, others cities in Bihar and outside. We want to invite our youth to come and celebrate made-in-Bihar khadi garments," he said.
Colour and prints are very essential part of the garmenting and these elements also increase the final appeal of the garment and hence directly impact their sales. Seasonal changes and trends impact the colour and print preference of the end user in a very strong manner, he added.
"Hence, in order to address this issue NIFT would develop swatches of prints and dye to be used on various fabric. In order to execute the task we would provide Khadi Board with swatches. A reference copy of each sample would be stored in the 'Design Bank' at NIFT Patna for further reference," Shrivastava added.
According to the agreement, the designs would be sent across to the Board over the year before the start of each season. The designs would be created as per the season after incorporating the right colour, trend and style forecasts and the market requirements and demand.
While NIFT would provide the consultancy services, the financial expenses incurred during the 're-branding' process would be borne by the Board, he said.
The NIFT director said as per the three-pronged strategy, online and offline media campaigns would be a part of it, to increase the "top of mind awareness" among the consumers.
"At the same time brand visibility would be created at prominent places such as airports and malls, among other places," he added.
On the brand name chosen, he said, 'Santiti' has been derived from the very essence of the word 'khadi' which signifies "continuous evolution".
"The name of the brand has been denoted in the form of the logo also, which would also be launched tomorrow. This is done specially keeping in mind the simplicity and classic nature of khadi which symbolises 'breathes from within'," he said.
"The green palette used to depict the logo is symbolic of the 'go green' concept and also depicts the attachment of the brand to the roots of our culture and tradition.
"The butterflies depicts the colour that this brand will add from 'i' of khadi to the 'i' of the individual," he said.
