Kavita Parmar | "be good ancestors" , XTANT :Stitching this world with the beauty of EXTANT crafts

Founder of XTANT, guardian of textile crafts, served on the jury of the Loewe Craft Award, keynote speaker for the Cartier Foundation...But these labels that Google or ChatGPT might give you aren't quite enough.Kavita is the kind of person you feel you've known your whole life, the moment you meet her. She says that in Hindi, the words for yesterday and tomorrow are the same – because time in her culture has always been cyclical, not linear. Perhaps that's why she carries a certain timeless ease. She's always on the road, but never in a hurry.She left home at sixteen for London. She wanted to study politics – to find the path between capitalism and communism that no one had yet clearly walked. When she didn't get the scholarship (she laughs: "The dean had no reason to give me a full scholarship just because my father refused to pay my tuition"), she pivoted into fashion. And she never left. She says, once that door opened, it never closed again.For over thirty years since, driven by curiosity, she has traveled through the Miao villages of Guizhou, the alleyways of Hong Kong, the villages of India, the workshops of Nepal – not as a tourist, but as someone who truly wants to understand. She has seen modern production lines in China cleaner than those in Italy. And she has seen a woman weaving in her courtyard, adjusting her rhythm to her daughter's school schedule and the village wedding – she says that is the most human way of working she has ever witnessed.Later, she founded XTANT – a gathering that brings together artists, designers, craftspeople, and thinkers from around the world. Imagine a Burning Man reimagined through textiles and craftsmanship – a utopia born for the fiber arts.This interview was recorded in early 2026, in Madrid, on a sunny afternoon, sitting next to the botanical garden. Kavita brought light. She also brought the story of her nearly thirty-year love story, her deep affection for Chinese culture, her faith in beauty, and a dream she hasn't finished telling yet: to bring XTANT to China. Golden Quotes* "Capitalism is 'me' before 'we'. Communism is 'we' before 'me'. But 'me' cannot exist without 'we', and 'we' is nothing without 'me'."* "The factory worker might earn more, but there is no connection between what they make and their soul."* "Success should no longer be quantity. Success should be quality."* "Beauty isn't just appearance. Beauty is how you treat each other. It's whether your process is kind to everything it touches."* "The world needs to see China with new eyes. Not the cheap manufacturing China – but the China with a thousand years of living heritage."* "A wise person is someone who plants a tree under whose shade they will never sit."* "XTANT chose me. I didn't choose XTANT. It wanted to happen – it just needed someone stubborn enough to make it happen."Key people and brands mentioned in the interview* XTANT – The non-profit organization founded by Kavita, gathering artists, artisans, and designers from around the world, centered on textiles and craftsmanship, exploring the future of beauty. In 2026, it will be held in a medieval palace in Mallorca.* Wu Yong 無用 – A Chinese designer brand. The founder brought a rural Chinese workshop into the city. Named with a philosophical statement (Useless), expressed through handmade craft. A former First Lady of China has worn her designs publicly.* Angel Chen 陳安琪 – Kavita describes Angel as "a designer with eyes that speak." Introduced by Amber, Angel became the first Chinese designer invited to join the XTANT 2026 Leadership Program.* Minju – Graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, winner of Netflix's Next in Fashion Season 1. She has her own studio in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Together with Angel, she forms the "Dragon Princess" designer duo.