Prada, the renowned Italian luxury fashion house, recently created a controversy over its Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week, which featured leather sandals that closely resembled India’s traditional Kolhapuri chappals.
What was the hullabaloo about? More important, what will be the fallout of this? Will the noise die down and will Prada just abandon their experiment with the chappals? Leaving the makers of Kolhapuri chappals in India with their meagre earnings? Or will we as Indians wake up, and become aware of the talent and traditional knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation with very little support from the powers that be?
I wore Kolhapuri chappals frequently during my college days in Bombay. They were available at roadside stalls in Colaba Causeway, a stone’s throw from college. They looked delicate yet elegant, and were easy to wear and walk around in on the streets of Mumbai. They were, and still are, easy on the pocket. They could always be fixed by the mochi working on the pavement, if a strap or some stitches came off. Of course, innovations, maybe like a rubber sole, would have probably helped make the chappals more comfortable, especially during the rainy season, but that would require investment in appropriate technology in the villages where the artisans practise their craft.
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