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Aruna Singh

"I come from the legendary 'Pink City' of Jaipur, renowned as place rich in traditional arts. I've been designing since I was a little girl, my dear friend and I used to dress-up other girls for school plays and performances. We had so much fun! Also, whenever I would buy a new dress, I would always make some changes, and this is how I developed my creativity. I knew then that I had something in me to be a designer.

"I grew up along with my two brothers, and being the only girl, I was somewhat of a tomboy too… I learned to drive when I was barely in 5th standard! I was also very keen on sports and represented my school in many inter-school tournaments. My favorite sports were tennis and basketball.

"My father was an Indian Administrative Service Officer, which demanded a lot of traveling. We got to visit to a lot of great places, and it was a great experience. I've been to almost every state in India.

"When I finished school I went to college in Delhi, and during my third year I took up a course in Textile and Dress Design. I got married and had a child, so I couldn't pursue my career full fledged. In 1999, I started my label under my name. By that time, my child had grown and I knew the time was right.

"My designs fuse Indian classic and modern textile arts, resulting in designs of timeless elegance inspired by Jaipur traditions. Each design embraces elegance in its own way. In 2002, I became a member of India's Fashion Design Council and I also founded 'Woven Gold,' an NGO with a mission to promote artisans in rural areas by training them in quality development, and help them marketing their raw materials.

"I love working with khadi fabrics because they can be really fresh in summer and warm in winter. Most importantly, they are eco-friendly. I would love to promote khadi more and more, in fact I have used khadi as my central theme for a couple of Fashion Weeks in India. I have been participating in India Fashion Week since 2005, as well as in many other solo fashion shows in India."

Cotton spinning was promoted by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s to develop self-employment in India's countryside. After threads are hand-spun, they are hand-woven to create the soft khaddar fabric. Once, khaddar material was used to drape only politicians.

Today khadi is not only spun of cotton, it applies to very fine wools and silks. Yarns can be dyed in all sorts of colors, and its soft texture makes it cool in summer and warm in winters. With the government of India supporting this fabric, khadi has evolved to exquisite soft textures that have received worldwide acclaim.