Make a Mark With Handloom Dude!

On National Handloom Day, celebrated every year on August 7, the spotlight inevitably falls on cotton saris, silk dupattas, and crisp salwar kameez that go viral on social media. Brand campaigns feature draped silks, heirloom weaves, and revivalist craftsmanship worn by women, and surprisingly men’s clothing remain largely absent from the conversation. One wonders why should India’s weaving narrative be almost entirely feminine, and why Indian men are left behind? The bigger issue isn’t availability of textiles but the absence of a strong handloom menswear culture in everyday life.

Traditionally, the loom was never gendered and India’s textile history is filled with male dress traditions that were as rich and sophisticated as the sari culture. Handwoven silk kurtas, jamdani angrakhas, dhotis, veshtis, Madras checks, ikat shirts, khadi jackets, and Chanderi overlays once formed an integral part of the Indian male wardrobe. According to experts, colonial history played a significant role in equating Western trousers and shirts with education, professionalism, and upward mobility. In modern offices, the corporate dress code preferred imported fabrics, Western tailoring, convenience of low-maintenance synthetic clothing, and fast fashion over homegrown natural fibres and artisanal craftsmanship.

Integrating handloom

The future of handloom will not be secured by admiration alone, but by more Indian men choosing to wear it to work, to dinner, while travelling, and in everyday life. The options are far more versatile and pocket-friendly. Jamdani and Chanderi can become lightweight shirts and casual jackets; khadi and Bengal cottons improve with every wash; South Indian weaves, Madras checks lend themselves to relaxed tailoring; and ikat transitions effortlessly from office shirts and waistcoats to silk occasion wear. Even small touches such as handloom pocket squares, bow ties, and silk neckties can bring Indian craftsmanship into a modern wardrobe without requiring a dramatic style shift.

Designer Gautum Gupta of the label Asha Gautam believes the potential is enormous. “Ikat is one of the handlooms which comes both in cotton and in silk, and in cotton silk. I feel Ikat is so versatile and can be easily worn in offices as cotton shirts or waist coats, while the ikat silk garments look amazing for occasion wear. Similar to ikat is the handloom Banarasi fabrics that can be turned into stylish jackets and waistcoats. The most cherished handloom for Indians is the handmade khadi, which is so easy, comfortable to wear and skin-friendly. Khadi looks better with each wash and if it gets popular among men as daily wear it can really boost the economy.”

Economic Boost

Greater male participation in handloom consumption is not merely a style statement but an economic necessity. Many weaving clusters depend on expanding demand beyond women’s occasion wear. When men buy handloom shirts, jackets, kurtas, or accessories for regular use, they create year-round demand that supports spinners, dyers, weavers, finishers, and small retailers. Jigar Shah, head designer at Jigar & Nikita, adds, “I honestly feel Indian men should wear more handloom in their everyday lives, not just on special occasions. A simple handloom shirt, kurta, or jacket can be styled effortlessly with denims or tailored trousers and still feel modern. Every time we choose handloom, we support artisans and weavers who have kept these crafts alive for generations. I’ve always admired how Rahul Khanna carries Indian textiles with understated elegance.”

Eternal Desi Elegance

Handloom menswear does not have to mean flamboyant ethnic dressing. A khadi button-down with tailored trousers, a Madras check shirt with chinos, an ikat overshirt over a T-shirt, or a handwoven Nehru jacket with denims can look entirely contemporary. The challenge, as designer and multi-disciplinary artist Jenjum Gadi points out, is design access. “Indian men love wearing handloom cottons, silks and linens as it is the best solution for Indian weather. However, the lack of stylish daily wear in handloom is a challenge for men, and so they go for European fabrics or brands that are easily available.” This is where the industry must step up. If women have long carried the burden of preserving India’s textile heritage through their wardrobes, men can no longer remain passive admirers.

Brands need to create sharper everyday handloom options, retailers must make them more accessible, and consumers must stop treating handloom as something reserved for weddings and festivals. Ravi Gupta, Director of Gargee Designer’s, sees both cultural and economic value in this shift. Gupta remarks, “As more Indian men incorporate handloom into their fashion choices, they automatically aid in supporting the livelihood of artisans and weavers whose skill and craft have been perfected over decades. Public figures in business, politics and movies have repeatedly demonstrated how handloom fashion can be sophisticated yet completely Indian. From handloom shirts, kurtas, Nehru jackets, or even stoles or pocket squares, these can all be easily styled with trendy shirts, both for office wear as well as casual outings.”

Wear it with pride

Italians wear artisanal tailoring with pride, British men swear by classic English tailoring and Japanese men celebrate heritage textiles as part of modern identity. Indian men have an equally extraordinary textile inheritance waiting in their own country, but are we celebrating it enough?