‘Khadi-Thagzo’- a textile presentation

A textile presentation, ‘Khadi-Thagzo’ was held at the Royal Textile Academy (RTA) in Thimphu yesterday. Four leading Bhutanese designers and three Indian designers exhibited 48 ensembles using Khadi and traditional Bhutanese fabrics.  

The event is also to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.

While Thagzo is a traditional Bhutanese fabric, Khadi is a hand-spun fibre used by Mahatma Gandhi. Khadi in India symbolises freedom and economic subjugation against the British.

The programme is also an opportunity for the two countries to collaborate in the field of textile and fashion.

“We are working in many sectors together, we are working in the hydropower sector, and we are working in space, science, technology, economic and political aspects of the bilateral relationships. We said why don’t we this time look at something new that connects the people of our two countries and we looked around and we said, well our two countries have such a glorious tradition of textile, both India and Bhutan, so let us work together, come up with something new, exciting and innovative,” Ruchira Kamboj, the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, said.

“Royal Textile Academy, they are very keen to promote this also because at the end of this they are promoting weaving, they are promoting how handspun which is already a part of Bhutanese weaving is also in another country, so they have taken yarn from ours, they are learning the techniques of better dyeing, they are learning to work in different ways with Khadi, so that is for me a very proud moment that the collaboration is not just on paper,” Sunil Sethi, the President of Fashion Design Council of India, said.

To further maintain the collaboration in the textile sector, a few of the Bhutanese from now on will go to India fashion Week to get exposure to the best Indian designers.

“We don’t want to do a fashion show just for the event but to have something happening after that, so in continuation with this collaboration, we are going to move on to possibility of having more participation at the India Fashion Week and we are looking forward to that,” Rinzin O Dorji, the  Executive Director of RTA,said.

 Khadi is eco-friendly as it does not generate any toxic waste products. It keeps the body warm in winter and cooler in summer through its air pockets. This is why to sustain Khadi momentum in Bhutan, they also plan to open the first overseas showroom which will sell Bhutanese traditional textiles woven out of Khadi.

Samten Dolkar & Pema Seldon Tshering