Is khadi really a rough textile?

• “The ends of a khadi cloth are usually soft and loose as compared to a machine-woven cloth. So you can take a part of it and twist it in the direction of the yarn. It the threads tighten, the cloth is khadi. If it comes loose, it is handloom or mill-spun,” he explains.
• If you have all three fabrics at your disposal, try this. Take each of them and look through them against a light source. If you spot a slight difference in density and considerable transparency, the cloth is most likely khadi. If the density is not uniform but the cloth is not very transparent, it is most likely handloom. If the spinning is completely uniform and the weaving opaque, the cloth is machine spun.
• Once you get familiar with these differences, you will understand that khadi is very light and soft. This touch-test will be a good measure to understand the fabric then.
• “If you have just started these exercises then it might be difficult for you to distinguish one material from the other. In such cases, you can simply ask the shopkeeper where they get their cotton threads from. If they have employed spinners and weavers, it will tell you that the fabric is definitely khadi. Or even if they can point out to the exact Centre and region where they procure the raw materials from, that is a good indication of authenticity,”
• Lastly, authentic khadi will have the KVIC logo. It will also have batch numbers and information that points towards a khadi material.

Our purpose is not to discriminate between the three types of materials. However, as a consumer you must be aware of what you are buying. Khadi is expensive because it demands time, labour and years of expertise of spinners, weavers and tailors. As more and more powered machines come into play, the process becomes faster and less cumbersome leading to mass production. Hence, the prices drop.

In below video, Deb from Handloom of India , explains about the myth that many people have that khadi is a rough textile.