Designs on the marathon

Fashion designer Arjun Khanna designs khadi stoles for the Mumbai Marathon winners.

Getting into the marathon spirit, Arjun Khanna has designed a line of stoles made from traditional high-quality khadi. For the second year running, the marathon winner will be presented with a stole, the modern version of an olive wreath.

HT Image

Bearing the symbols of Gandhi’s chakra and the original chakra, Khanna has also incorporated the symbol of the marathon flame, to commemorate the iconic flame being brought to Mumbai. The stole also has an image of a peacock embroidered on it, matching its peacock blue lining.

“They loved what we’d done for them last year. Though we had created few pieces in 2009, this time they ordered almost 30 pieces. They may also hand them out as souvenirs,” says the designer.

On his choice of fabric, Khanna says, “Khadi is the fabric of India. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s a beautiful fabric. It has a raw quality and it holds embroidery well.”

Based on the reactions to his creation from the international press and other well-wishers last year, Khanna decided to stick to Khadi, this year too.

“It's a great platform to promote our fabric and crafts, which are anyway grabbing attention the world over. And anything that helps to promote India, is something I would like to be involved in.” Khanna says.