This summer, ``Khadi: Indian Craftsmanship'' was held at the Issey Miyake flagship store in Tribeca, New York. Martin Singh, who was active as a producer and curator in India, is responsible for the fact that Khadi, a hand-spun cotton cloth that is a symbol of India, has become recognized as a textile worldwide. Singh passed away in 2017, but his spirit still lives on in Asha Sarabhai, an Indian businessman who is a comrade of Singh and a good friend of Minagawa, through Maiko Minagawa, the total director of HaaT.

The beauty created by handiwork, Indian textile “Khadi”

Khadi, India's hand-spun and hand-woven cotton cloth, is an inseparable part of the story of India's history, thought, philosophy, and people's lives. India is a ``cotton superpower'' that boasts the world's largest cotton production. The history of cotton in India dates back to about 7000 years ago, when the Indus Valley Civilization emerged. Khadi is made by hand-spinning cotton using a spinning wheel called a charkha, and then carefully weaving the thin threads by hand. Khadi, which is spun through the labor and time of many artisans, is a gentle, soft textile that gives you a sense of comfort when wrapped around it.

“Khadi: Indian Craftsmanship” was held at the Issey Miyake flagship store in New York in August 2019, and was also held at 8_21 Design Sight in Tokyo last year, where it was well received. This book introduces Indian culture, the charm of handiwork, tradition and development through the words and perspective of Martin Singh, who carried out a wide range of cultural revival activities in Indian textiles. Even in India, preserving and passing on handicrafts is not easy. Minagawa has been working with Martin Singh since the 21s, and says that for him, Singh is someone who "not only taught me the values ​​of India, but also helped me rethink Japanese textiles."

Along with Martin Singh, Asha Sarabhai, who is active as a designer and businesswoman in India, introduced Indian handicrafts to top fashion houses around the world and established the status of Indian textiles. Asha is Minagawa's friend, having previously worked with him to launch a brand at Miyake Design Office. After Singh's death, the two have kept his words close to their hearts, deepening their love for handicrafts and Indian textiles, and are devoting their efforts to further recovery.

Story by Asha Sarabhai

I met Issey Miyake and Makiko Minagawa in the 1980s. At the invitation of the Indian government, Mr. Miyake and Mr. Minagawa visited India and became interested in Indian handicrafts and the Indian textile "khadi." Around the same time, Mr. Miyake and Mr. Minagawa saw my work, which had just been launched as a brand centered on "handmade work," and asked me if I would like to work together to create things, which is how I connected with them. It was the beginning of After that, I started making clothes with Mr. Minagawa, and I think we have a lot of mutual understanding. Currently, we are not working together at HaaT, but when Mr. Minagawa comes to India, he comes to my house and we talk a lot. This is what we're looking forward to.

Maphu (Martan Singh's nickname) is two years older than me and we lived in the same era. He was a famous producer and curator who worked on the development and development of Indian textiles, preservation of techniques, and training of craftsmen. We have always talked about our work and ideas, and together we have fought for the development of Khadi and for India. Maphu said, ``Khadi, which is made through the meditative process of hand-spinning, is a symbol of freedom.And khadi has a mysterious magical power that brings out the abilities and motivation of the weaver.'' Mapu, who loved Khadi with all his heart and conveyed its charm in his own words, has always been a great inspiration to creators around the world. How much my life has been enriched by talking to him. I'm sure the same was true for Mr. Miyake and Mr. Minagawa. His inspiring, passionate, but down-to-earth words saved and inspired us.

"Don't glorify tradition." Gandhi and Maphu had the same idea. I also believe that it is wrong to embrace tradition as a unique culture. Just as people travel, learn many things, and grow, I believe that traditions also become more complete as the cultures of many countries intersect and pass through time. It is good to display traditions in museums, but that alone does not constitute inheritance in the true sense of the word. Ikat is a traditional weaving technique. This has been known as kasuri for a long time in Japan, but some people emphasize that its origin is India. However, ikat is a technique that can be seen not only in India and Japan, but also throughout Asia, including Indonesia. I don't think ikat belongs to just anyone, as even the same techniques have undergone repeated changes within unique cultures and lifestyles. I believe that "interaction" is important, whether it's culture, human relationships, or tradition. By seeing, feeling, and exchanging opinions with many things, we become more refined, stronger, and evolve. I think this idea is also present in HaaT. That's why new inspiration always comes from Mr. Minagawa. And this must be a great source of power for Japanese handicrafts.

→Next time is Yuriko Takagi (photographer).

(Titles omitted)

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