• Source:JND
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Days after Italian luxury fashion brand Prada was accused of copying Kolhapur's famous footwears, a team of experts from the brand visited the city on Tuesday to interact with artisans and assess the GI tagged Kolhapuri footwear manufacturing process. The Prada team also visited the retail market in Kolhapur and interacted with shopkeepers.

"Prada's technical team, comprising four members, including footwear design heads and two external consultants, visited Kolhapur," Lalit Gandhi, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, told PTI. He added that the team visited the Kolhapuri chappal manufacturing cluster, observed the production process and interacted with local artisans. Highlighting the craft, Lalit Gandhi said, "Our chappals are handmade and rooted in tradition. The team will now submit a report to their corporate office, based on which senior Prada officials may visit Kolhapur in the next phase."

What Is The Kolhapuri Chappals and Prada Controversy ?

The controversy erupted after Prada introduced classic T-strap leather flats, which looked exactly like Indian Kolhapuri chappals, as part of its Summer 2026 menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week. In the description of its show, the Italian brand described the new range of shoes simply as "leather sandals". There was no mention of any Indian connection in this description.

The Kolhapuri chappals are very popular throughout India and are often worn with traditional Indian outfits on occasions. The appropriation sparked a row in India with Kolhapuri chappal manufacturers strongly objecting to the Italian luxury fashion brand’s “leather sandals”. They alleged that these sandals are very similar to the traditional Kolhapuri chappal, which has received Geographical Indication (GI) status from the Government of India.

A delegation of Kolhapuri chappal makers also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and expressed their protest. The District Footwear Association of Kolhapur condemned Prada's alleged misuse of the design in a meeting over the issue. Bhupal Shete, a member of the association, told The Hindu, that there are 20,000 artisans in Kolhapur who make these slippers and all the manufacturers have come together to condemn Prada. "We will also submit a memorandum to the Sant Rohidas Dharmodaya Vikas Mahamandal to take action in this matter. We will now approach the district collector, the state government and the central government.”

Referring to Prada's collection, he said the brand has called it just 'leather slippers', which they objected to. "They cannot do that. We have a GI tag. They have not accepted the name Kolhapuri chappal," he said. Bhupal Shete further said that the brand should come here and buy slippers, rather than buying them from local manufacturers for 400 rupees to 500 rupees and selling them for over 1 lakh rupees, as this does not give any benefit to the artisans.

Expressing the concerns of slipper manufacturers, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) also wrote a letter to Patrizio Bertelli, chairman of the board of directors of Prada.

Prada On Kolhapuri Chappal Controversy

After two days of letter to the Chairman of the board of directors of Prada, the company acknowledged in its response that the design was inspired by centuries-old Indian slippers. Prada said, "We deeply understand the cultural significance of these types of Indian crafts. Please note that the entire collection is currently in the early stages of design development, and no products have been confirmed to be manufactured or commercialised."

The company also said it is "committed to embracing responsible design practices, fostering cultural engagement, and initiating dialogues for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisan communities, as we have done in the past in other collections to ensure their crafts are given due recognition."

Why Is Prada Team In Mumbai?

A four-member technical team from Prada, comprising the footwear design head and two external consultants, visited Kolhapur. Their aim was to understand the manufacturing process of Kolhapuri chappals from local manufacturers.

"They visited the Kolhapuri chappal manufacturing cluster, observed the production process and interacted with local artisans," confirmed Lalit Gandhi, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

The team will now submit a report to its corporate office, based on which senior Prada officials may visit Kolhapur in the next phase.

Kolhapur-Prada Collaboration On The Cards?

Lalit Gandhi called the visit a positive step towards working with Prada. "Prada sending a technical team to Kolhapur shows their serious interest. This is probably the first time a Prada team has visited Maharashtra on Tuesday," he told PTI.

In a statement to Reuters, Prada said it held an online meeting with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce on Friday to discuss the possibility of future collaboration. The chamber represents 3,000 Kolhapuri chappal artisans.

According to the company, "As a next step, Prada's supply chain team will meet with various artisan footwear manufacturers."

The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce also said that Lorenzo Bertelli, son of Prada's owners and head of corporate social responsibility, attended Friday's talks.

According to the Chamber of Commerce, during the talks, Prada expressed the goal of releasing a limited edition of "Made in India" Kolhapuri-inspired sandals in partnership with Indian artisans.