Patagonia buys khadi denim from Gujarat for $1.08 million

Following a July 2017 agreement between the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and Ahmedabad-based Arvind Mills to market khadi denim products around the world, Patagonia has purchased nearly 30,000 meters of khadi denim fabric worth Rs.1.08 crore for its apparel from Gujarat, according to a statement released by the government-owned KVIC.

Since then [July 2017], Arvind Mills has been procuring a considerable quantity of khadi denim fabric from KVIC-certified khadi institutions in Gujarat every year.

KVIC said that this new KVIC program not only creates additional man-hours for Gujarat’s khadi craftspeople, but it also fulfills the Prime Minister’s aim of ‘local to global.’ Patagonia’s purchase of khadi denim resulted in an increase of 1.80 lakh man-hours, or 27,720 man-days, of labor for khadi craftspeople. The order was placed in October 2020, and it was completed in 12 months, as planned, in October 2021.

Before placing the order, a global third-party assessor conducted a thorough examination of all elements of khadi denim manufacturing, including spinning, weaving, carding, dyeing, wage payments, and worker age verification, at a khadi making institution in Gondal, Rajkot.