Students spin yarn every morning before class at the university founded by Mahatma Gandhi, whose self-reliance teachings live on at a nearby crafts center that produces designer wear for global luxury labels.

India's centuries-old cotton traditions attract high-end designers

Issey Miyake exec and Ahmedabad artisans bring Gandhi's philosophy to luxury boutiques

SATOKO IDO

June 7, 2025 08:02 JST

AHMEDABAD, India -- Indian artisans who practice embroidery and other textile disciplines honed over centuries continue to draw fashion illuminaries from all over the world. Makiko Minagawa, a designer at Issey Miyake Inc., has been making pilgrimages to the South Asian country for decades, and earlier this year when she traveled to the city of Ahmedabad, I tagged along, eager to discover the secrets of India's cotton industry.