Prada has finally started acknowledging India and its artisans with the credit they should have received earlier.
Last June, Prada unveiled its Spring–Summer 2026 menswear collection in Milan, featuring a pair of open-toe, braided leather sandals listed simply as “leather footwear.” The design bore a striking resemblance to India’s Kolhapuri chappals, handcrafted since the 12th century by artisans from marginalized communities, defined by intricate braided leather straps and toe loops. The similarities were quickly noticed, as these things tend to be.
Prada Says Sorry To India?
The original Kolhapuris retail in local markets for roughly $6–$12. Prada’s version was reportedly priced at nearly $1,400. Somewhere between the artisan’s workbench and the Milan runway, the sandal had undergone a transformation in name, price, and provenance.
Following continued public discussion and massive backlash, Prada has now announced a limited-edition “Made in India” Kolhapuri collection, alongside a three-year training programme for artisans across eight districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and exchange opportunities at the Prada Group Academy in Italy. Around 180 artisans are expected to participate over six months, with implementation support from institutions including NIFT. The sandals will be sold in 40 select stores worldwide at approximately ₹83,000 a pair.
By most measures, it is a thoughtful response. The timing, however, invites reflection. Because this dynamic is not unique to Prada.
Inspiration Or Cultural Appropriation?
Dior, for instance, presented a coat at Paris Fashion Week featuring Mukaish embroidery from Lucknow, a delicate gold wire craft with artisan-made versions priced between ₹10,000 and ₹50,000. Twelve artisans spent 34 days creating the piece. Yet neither the show notes nor the press materials mentioned them – no names, no city, no country, no craft. The coat received acclaim; the craft received little acknowledgment.
Also Read: Ralph Lauren’s Rs 44,800 Bandhani Skirt Sparks Row: Is the Brand Ignoring India’s Craft Legacy?
Ralph Lauren, more recently, introduced a cotton wrap skirt described as “inspired by Bandhani tie-dye techniques,” priced at ₹44,800. The product page made no reference to India, offered no cultural context, and named no communities. Bandhani, after all, is not merely a pattern but a textile tradition from Gujarat and Rajasthan, with roots tracing back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, sustained across centuries by skilled, often unrecognized artisans.
Do you see the pattern that’s begun to emerge, even if not always by design. Indian crafts – footwear, embroidery, textiles travel from their places of origin into global collections, sometimes accompanied by attribution, often not.
Which makes Prada’s current initiative worth watching. Artisan training, co-creation, and structured engagement with craft communities signal a shift beyond symbolic acknowledgment. Whether it becomes a precedent others follow is another question entirely.
And perhaps that is the more interesting one – not whether this response is a win, but whether it should have required this much public scrutiny in the first place, and what that says about how traditional craft is valued when the cameras aren’t rolling.
