In November 2025, we attended the Navyug Khadi exhibition at the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, New Delhi - an exhibition that brought together regional handloom textiles from across India, organised by the Centre of Excellence for Khadi in partnership with NIFT and curated by FDCI.
We went to look. We found Katiya cotton.
What Katiya Cotton Is
Katiya cotton is a handspun, handwoven cotton fabric within the khadi family. What makes it distinct is the weave itself - "katiya" refers to a self-patterned weave structure where texture and dimension are built into the cloth through the weaving process, not through printing or embellishment. The result is a fabric with a natural slub effect: slight variations in thickness that occur because each thread is hand-spun on a charkha before it reaches the loom.
These variations are not inconsistencies. They are the record of how the cloth was made.
There is also a Katiya silk variant - a blend of silk and khadi cotton, handwoven using traditional methods, combining the sheen of silk with the breathability of the cotton base. It carries the same slub quality but a different handle - softer, with a rustic sheen. Primarily woven in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The fabric we use is the cotton variant - heavier, more structured, and suited to outerwear.
Why It Suited the Jacket
Katiya cotton is traditionally made for structured outerwear - jackets and Nehru waistcoats. The weight and body of the cloth is designed for garments that need to hold their shape. For the Quilted Jacket, this mattered.
Quilting on a lighter handspun cotton produces a different result than quilting on Katiya. The heavier, self-patterned weave holds the quilting stitch differently - the surface gains structure and depth without needing interfacing or stiffening. The cloth does the work.
Khadi also has a natural ability to regulate temperature. The hand-spinning process creates microscopic air pockets within the weave - spaces that encourage airflow in warmth and trap heat in cooler months. When quilted, this effect is enhanced. The jacket is warm without weight, and the warmth comes from the cloth, not from filling.
An Unexpected Note
The word katiya appears beyond textiles. Those familiar with the 2011 film Rockstar may recognise it from the song "Katiya Karun" - in North Indian dialects, the phrase refers to the act of spinning thread on a charkha. Used poetically in the song, it quietly points to a practice that has shaped India's textile traditions for generations. The cloth and the word carry the same root.
Katiya Cotton in First Thread
Within the collection, Katiya cotton belongs only to the Quilted Jacket. The rest of First Thread is built on lighter handspun cottons - 125cc, 250cc, and 300cc. Katiya operates differently. It is heavier, more textured, more structural. It was not interchangeable with the other cloths in the collection, which is part of why it stood out at the exhibition and why the jacket exists in the form it does.
The fabric shaped the garment. Not the other way around.
Shop Handwoven Quilted Jacket
