Khadi, the symbol of nationalism since the days of the East India Company, is now weaving tales of pride to children in the UK.

About 3,000 khadi spinners and weavers from Saurashtra are narrating their stories of empowerment through button-up dresses, jeans and scarves that they make for their young overseas clients. Helping them is Moral Fibre, an initiative started by Shalini Sheth Amin, who designs the khadi garments that are retailed online by British brand 'Where Does It Come From?' Together, the two brands offer customers the ability to find out how and where their clothes were made and even information about the people who spun and wove the fabric. Traceability in the textile value chain has come to the forefront globally amid concerns over labour conditions and environmental degradation. "Each of our garments can be traced back to Athe farms by the consumer," said Amin. Each garment has a code tagged on the label, which, when keyed in on a website, provides details of the clothing.

"One could actually get to know the hands that spun their khadi to those who wove the fabric, trace their villages, get to know about their families, their lives, et al. This bridges the divide between the two sides of the textile value chain," Amin said.

Moral Fibre, based in Ahmedabad, has introduced finesse to the otherwise coarse khadi through processing and dying techniques. Amin has also attracted global attention: Moral Fibre supplied fabric for costumes in the Warner Bros. movie 'Pan' and has orders for two more fantasy movies.