Khadi & Mangalagiri: The Cloth Behind The Loom Edit

A favourite tunic often begins with its cloth: the texture, the colour, the way it works with your wardrobe. In The Loom Edit, Khadi and Mangalgiri offer two starting points for R.A Studio’s everyday dressing.

Khadi is cloth woven by hand from handspun yarn. Mangalagiri is a handloom textile tradition named after a town in Andhra Pradesh. Understanding those names is easier once we separate the fibre, the loom and the weave. Here is a simple guide to the fabric behind the clothes.

What is Khadi?

Khadi brings together two stages of making: spinning yarn by hand and weaving that yarn by hand. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises describes genuine Khadi as handspun, handwoven cloth made in India from natural fibres including cotton, wool and silk. Cotton Khadi is one form of Khadi; the name does not mean cotton alone. Read the Ministry’s explanation of Khadi.

Spinning makes yarn from fibres. Weaving then turns yarn into cloth. This is why “handloom” and “Khadi” do not mean exactly the same thing: handloom tells us about weaving, while Khadi also requires handspun yarn.

The Victoria and Albert Museum documents Khadi’s connection with Gandhi, self-reliance and India’s freedom movement. Today, its story can continue through a relaxed tunic or a coordinated outfit. Explore the V&A’s account of Indian textiles.

Loom and weave: what is the difference?

A loom is the equipment used to weave cloth. A weave is the arrangement in which the threads cross. They describe different parts of the same process. The National Park Service’s weaving guide explains the two thread directions:

• Warp: the threads running along the length of the fabric, held on the loom.
• Weft: the threads passed across the warp to build the cloth.

In plain weave, the weft passes over one warp thread and under the next; the following row reverses that order. Plain weave is a structure, rather than a fibre or a place of origin. Cotton names a fibre, handloom describes how weaving is done, and plain weave describes how the threads interlace. See the plain-weave explanation.

What is Mangalagiri fabric?

Mangalagiri takes its name from the weaving town in Andhra Pradesh. Mangalagiri Sarees and Fabrics is the registered geographical indication recorded by India’s GI Registry. You will see the spelling Mangalgiri in R.A Studio’s product names. View the official GI record.

The government’s India Handloom Brand technical sheet describes traditional Mangalagiri cotton dress material as a fine-count cotton fabric woven on pit looms with a dobby attachment. The pit loom is the equipment; the attachment helps control warp movements during weaving. That description does not make the yarn handspun or automatically make the fabric Khadi. Read the Mangalagiri cotton technical sheet.

Plain weave is documented for the main fabric in Mangalagiri saree and dress-material production by the Development Commissioner for Handlooms. Traditional sarees are also known for their Nizam zari borders, which have their own woven decoration. An embroidered tunic or co-ord need not display that traditional saree border. See the official handloom directory.

The Andhra Pradesh Handlooms Department describes the tradition extending beyond sarees into tunics, blouses, scarves and stoles. Discover the state’s Mangalagiri overview.

Khadi and Mangalagiri: the distinction to remember

Khadi tells you about handspinning and handweaving. Mangalagiri tells you about a place and its textile tradition. The loom is the equipment; the weave is the thread structure.

A Mangalagiri label alone does not establish handspun yarn, and a Khadi label alone does not establish Mangalagiri origin. Read the fabric description alongside the cut, colour and finishing details.

Khadi and Mangalgiri in R.A Studio’s The Loom Edit

The Loom Edit brings Khadi and Mangalgiri into clothes you reach for regularly, with relaxed shapes and details that reward a closer look. Here are four ways to begin.

Ivory Khadi, with room to move

The Ivory Khadi Relaxed Six-Panel Tunic with Magyar Sleeves lets its pale colour and panelled shape lead. Try straight trousers and simple flats for a workday or a slow lunch.

Soft blue Khadi, with a small embroidered detail

The Soft Blue Crinkled Khadi V-Neck Tunic with Hand-Embroidered Bell Detail combines a textured surface with a relaxed shape. Try it with ivory trousers and a single pair of earrings. The bell embroidery is a finishing detail on the garment, distinct from the weave of the cloth.

Blue Mangalgiri, worn together or apart

The Blue Mangalgiri Multicolour Button Kurta & Bell-Detail Pant Co-ord Set uses contrasting buttons to give the coordinated silhouette a playful note. Wear the set with minimal accessories, or pair the kurta with a neutral bottom you already own. For more ideas, read our Mangalgiri cotton co-ord styling guide.

Grey Mangalgiri, with hand embroidery

The Grey Mangalgiri Hand-Embroidered Kurta & Bell Pant Co-ord Set brings embroidery and a bell-pant shape into a quiet grey palette. Simple footwear works for daytime; a more expressive earring can carry it into an evening plan.

Choosing the piece that feels like you

Start with the silhouette you enjoy wearing. A tunic offers an easy starting point if you prefer choosing your own bottom; a co-ord gives you two pieces to wear together and revisit as separates.

Browse The Loom Edit, Tunics & Tops for Women or Coord Sets. Before choosing a size, compare the garment measurements with a similar piece you own using our size guide and fit guidance. For care, follow the instructions supplied with the particular garment.

The pleasure is in finding cloth with a story, in a shape that becomes part of your own.

A few common fabric questions

Is all handloom fabric Khadi?

No. Khadi requires handspun yarn as well as handweaving. Handloom weaving alone does not establish both stages.

Is Khadi always cotton?

No. The government’s definition includes natural fibres such as cotton, wool and silk.

Is Mangalagiri a loom or a weave?

Mangalagiri names a place and textile tradition. Pit loom describes the equipment used in documented traditional production; plain weave describes one thread structure documented in its sarees and dress materials.