Umang Sridhar developed the handcrafted textile company KhaDigi, which sources a number of khadi variants from a region historically frequented by dacoits.

KhaDigi is a nonprofit company with the purpose of preserving textile artisan traditions. A company located in Bhopal called KhaDigi specializes in handwoven fabrics. KhaDigi, which was founded in 2017 with the aim of empowering women by educating them on how to spin and weave khadi cloth, has since grown to provide a market and a platform for regional artisans.

A social company called KhaDigi aspires to revive traditional textile craft techniques while giving them a “contemporary spin” for the twenty-first century. Handloom weavers, dyers, block printers, and other artisans create KhaDigi’s textiles using only sustainable materials like cotton, silk, soy waste, or bamboo.

They work together to develop fresh concepts for the following fashion trends while preserving the socioeconomic stability of the more than 1000 working craftspeople.

By identifying groups of capable individuals who are focused on collaborating with time-honored traditions, KhaDigi aims to upskill craftspeople in the use of cutting-edge technologies and work with them on product creation and marketing.

KhaDigi goes a step further by instructing local women in spinning and weaving. By giving them access to markets, better equipment, and a comfortable working environment, it is trying to motivate the lives of craftspeople in Bundelkhand.

Along with expanding internationally and working with well-known textile retailers like Zara and H&M—both of whom are committed to sustainable design and the UN 2030 Agenda For sustainable development 2030—Khadigi also has global expansion plans.

Umang Sridhar earned a commerce bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi.

In addition, Umang is a Fellow at the School for Social Enterprises in India. She was a Top Woman Inventor of India by the Technology Development Board of India in 2018 after being nominated for the WISE 100 award by NatWest Bank London in 2017. She only abides by one principle, “Be the difference you want to see in the world,” and she lives by it.

Tanya Chugh is a strategic human resource management expert who earned her MA in fashion and luxury brand management from the University of London. She holds a position to be a visiting professor at the Istituto Marangoni for Fashion Industry.

Her experience with the “global fashion industry” motivated her to return to India and seek to promote and motivate the treasure of art and skill there.