D M Deshpande
Prada is an internationally well known brand in the world of fashion. The group had showcased toe ring sandal, as its Milan Spring-Summer 2026, men’s collection. The footwear bears very close resemblance to the Indian Kolhapuri chappal.
In fact, fashion historians, Indian designers and cultural commentators were quick to point out that they are indistinguishable from centuries old Kolhapuri chappals sold all over India. It is alleged that the famed Prada brand has indulged in cultural theft. After a backlash and mounting pressure, Prada authorities have officially acknowledged that the design was inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries old heritage.
While these leather products are generally sold in India in a price range of Rs 300 to Rs1,000, Prada has proposed a price tag of $1,300 that is a staggering Rs 1.11 lakh for a pair! While at the macro level it is a case of cultural appropriation and preserving heritage, at the micro level it is more a matter of economic justice to the artisans. Their craft, traditional knowledge, and design have been taken without their consent or collaboration. This incident has reignited the old debate of ethical responsibilities.
The footwear is mostly made in eight districts- four each of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Kolhapur district leads in production and distribution, justifying the tag, Kolhapuri Chappals. Crafted and stitched by hand entirely using sustainable materials and polished with natural oils, artisans carry forward centuries old legacy.
All this gels well with current global trends in fashion. Yet most of the artisans barely make a decent living. They are unorganised; most of them are not highly educated and not surprisingly, do not have easy access to organised credit. Their distribution network is patchy. They lack institutional framework for product and design innovation and for advertising both in India and abroad.
With all these limitations, they can hardly compete with national and international brands. Add to that the social stigma of Kolhapuri chappals being too desi for high end customers. Profit margins are very low and growth doesn’t happen for years. Once adored by the royalty and the elite rich class, now an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 artisans face shrinking markets and increasing competition from factory made footwear.
In a way, therefore, Prada’s misdeed is a blessing in disguise. At least, the art and design of artisans, mostly rural and semi-urban, have received recognition at the highest levels in the fashion world. This is not to give a clean chit to Prada; they have appropriated the design of a product that has got Geographical Indication (G) in India since 2019. Prada may claim to have not breached any law. In showcasing their new design in Men’s Collections, they have carefully avoided using the term Kolhapuri Chappals.
In contrast, a US based company tried to sell long grain rice as Basmati. However, in a rare gesture of collaboration, India and Pakistan fought the case together and won the case. Basmati is a GI product that is mainly produced in the Indian sub-continent. Due to a variety of climatic, soil and other factors, it has a special flavour that distinguishes it from other rice varieties.
Groups of lawyers from Pune and Mumbai have already filed a PIL in Bombay High Court. Officially too, the government is contemplating legal action. The GI tag gives Intellectual Property protection in India. However, at the global level, there is no binding law that protects products from imitation unless there is a trademark, patent or copyright infringement. This is not the first case of such unauthorised appropriation nor will it be the last one.
Other international brands like Doer, Zara have drawn ‘inspiration’ from Banarasi Brocade, Ajrakh prints. Since local artisans lack capital, know-how and entrepreneurship, governments and industry have a role to play.
In 1995 India signed the TRIPS agreement of WTO that brought our IP laws on par with global standards. Idea was that India did not lack in manpower capabilities; our scientists and researchers are rated among the top in the world. But we failed to build an ecosystem that could sustain scientific research and development. Perhaps governments’ withdrawing from higher education and research funding was not a right strategy.
China invested heavily in both higher education, building a large number of universities and research institutions in a short time. Result-while China led the world by filing over 70,000 patents, India was languishing at a meagre 4,500 patents in 2024.
Support branding, marketing and training activities for groups of artisans-governments could share the financial burden and corporates, too, could pitch in with their CSR funds. Public-private partnerships could be fostered for product design innovations and also for exploring foreign markets.
Unless the IP laws are strengthened and initiatives taken for registering IP rights globally, it will be very difficult to prevent imitations. Presently promotion of new designs, products is limited to government sponsored exhibitions within India. It needs to be taken abroad, especially to key foreign market regions.
One positive fallout, perhaps the only one, is the renewed interest in India with regard to Kolhapuri chappals. There are reports of youngsters flocking to small shops and outlets selling authentic footwear. This is an opportunity to remove the too desi, perception among a class of users.
Encouraging more e commerce initiatives hold the key to reach far flung markets at economical cost. Walmart, through its Indian enterprise Flipkart, has reaffirmed its commitment to export $10 billion annually. It is time to ensure that such Indian products are catalogued, collected and distributed worldwide.
It is important to fight this case, even at international level. Irrespective of the outcome, we would have sent a signal, one of intent-to protect our cultural heritage and artisans. It has become too easy for global MNC’s to usurp our traditional knowledge and heritage. While the costs are low for them, rewards are very high. This must be reversed. Kolhapuri chappals should act as a pivot not as one more in the long long list of cultural and heritage losses.
The author has four decades of experience in higher education teaching and research. He is the former first vice-chancellor of ISBM University, Chhattisgarh
