Recently, Kolhapuri chappals made global headlines when Italian luxury brand Prada released a pair of sandals that closely resembled the traditional Kolhapuri design — but priced them at several hundred dollars. This sparked a controversy, with many labelling it cultural appropriation and criticising the brand for the lack of acknowledgement of the artisans or the … Read more
Kolhapuri chappals are a GI-tagged product | Photo Credit: ROY CHOWDHURY A Now that the Prada-Kolhapur chappal issue has been debated over a week, what is the real issue enraging Indians? India is home to approximately 3,000 indigenous crafts, and while this is something to be proud of, the hard truth is a majority of … Read more
After a controversy triggered by the use of Kolhapuri chappals in a collection, Italian luxury fashion brand Prada has acknowledged the connection, saying the design is “inspired” by the Indian handcrafted footwear. The Italian house, however, said that sandals featured in the men’s 2026 fashion show are still at the design stage and none of … Read more