Why India's Kolhapuri chappals will soon be sold in Prada stores worldwide

India’s Kolhapuri chappals are set to go global.

This is after the luxury fashion brand Prada announced that it will work with Indian artisans to make and export these chappals.

The development comes months after the brand was engulfed in controversy after showcasing Kolhapuri-type footwear at an event without acknowledging its origins. This led to a torrent of criticism from both consumers and those on social media.

But what happened exactly? And how are India’s Kolhapuri chappals now set to go global?

Let’s take a closer look.

A brief look at Kolhapuri chappals

Now, let’s take a brief look at Kolhapuri chappals.

The Kolhapuri chappals are named after the town of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where they are made. The craft itself dates back to as far as the 12th Century.

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These chappals, crafted painstakingly by hand by artisans, are usually sold for around Rs 1,000.

“These sandals were originally crafted by members of the marginalised Charmakar (cobbler) community, also known as Chamars,” Kavita Gagrani, a history professor at the New College in Kolhapur, told the BBC.

“But in the early 20th Century, the craft flourished when the then ruler of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, granted royal patronage to this community,” Gagrani added.

Eight districts in India in Maharashtra and Karnataka were granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kolhapuri chappals. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) awarded the tag to Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur and Satara in Maharashtra, and Belgaum, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Bijapur in Karnataka.

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The GI tag makes note of the geographic origin of a product or good and prohibits copying the design of these items for commercial use illegally within India.

The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA) has said there are around 100,000 such artisans who make Kolhapuri chappals, with the trade worth around $200 million (Rs 1,812 crore).

In Kolhapur, there are only 5,000 such artisans left. Sadashiv Sanake, one such craftsman, told the BBC he makes around eight to ten pairs per day. “I learned the craft as a child,” he added.

“I was never educated. This is all I know, and I earn about $4–5 (Rs 362–453) a day, depending on the number of orders,” added 60-year-old Sunita Satpute.

Prada displays ‘leather sandals’, gets torrent of criticism

In June, Prada displayed its Spring–Summer 2026 Men’s collection at Milan Fashion Week. Among the items that the high-end luxury brand put on the catwalk were a pair of flat, leather sandals. The pair of sandals, which came with a braided design, caught the eye of many, mainly for their striking resemblance to the iconic Indian Kolhapuri chappals.

However, Prada made no mention of either India or the craft. Prada also priced the sandals at an eye-watering Rs 1.2 lakh. Images of the sandals at the fashion show quickly went viral.

The lack of acknowledgement from Prada, combined with the exorbitant price, set off a firestorm and claims of cultural appropriation. Indian artisans, politicians, the media and internet users lined up to take aim at the fashion brand.

Harsh Goenka, chairman of Indian industrial and services conglomerate RPG Group, wrote on social media, “Prada is selling products looking like Kolhapuri chappals for more than 100,000 rupees. Our artisans make the same by hand for 400 rupees. They lose, while global brands cash in on our culture. Sad!”

Human rights group the Dalit Voice wrote on Instagram that Kolhapuri chappals are “a legacy of Dalit craftsmanship and resilience.”
“They are history, identity and resistance,” it added. “Respect the roots.”

“From the dusty lanes of Kolhapur to the glitzy runways of Milan… will the world finally give credit where it’s due?” DNA News wrote on X.

Sambhaji Chhatrapati from the Kolhapur Royal family said he was upset that craftsmen had not been acknowledged for the “history and heritage of 150 years.”

“While Indian artisans and small-scale producers excel in craftsmanship, they rarely have access to capital or business acumen” to position their products globally as luxury goods, Dhanendra Kumar, a former World Bank executive director, told the Economic Times.

“By not calling their new line of sandals ‘Kolhapuris’, Prada is guilty of monetising cultural appropriation,” he added.
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will move to have the Kolhapuri chappals patented. The group, which represents 3,000 Kolhapuri sandal artisans, also sent a notice of complaint to Prada.

“The collection includes footwear designs that bear a close resemblance to Kolhapuri sandals, a traditional handcrafted leather sandal that has been awarded ‘geographical indication’ status by the government of India in 2019,” Chamber of Commerce President Lalit Gandhi had said. Gandhi told Prada to find ways for “collaboration or fair compensation that could benefit” Indian artisans.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was also filed at the Bombay High Court by Intellectual Property Rights advocate Ganesh S Hingemire, who demanded that Indian artisans be compensated by Prada.

Sanake reacted with disbelief when he was told how much these slippers sell for. “Is there gold in them?” he queried with a scoff.

Prada acknowledges backlash, signs MoU

Prada, reeling from the backlash, finally acknowledged in a letter that the leather sandals were “inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage.” The company announced that its representatives, including Lorenzo Bertelli, son of Prada’s owners and head of its corporate social responsibility, had held talks with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce.

It also said it wanted to work with Indian artisans to discuss possible avenues of how they could work together in the future.
A Prada spokesperson at the time added that the firm has “always celebrated craftsmanship, heritage and design traditions”. The spokesperson said Prada is open to a “dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisans” and will arrange follow-up meetings.

Prada has now signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the leather development corporations of Karnataka and Maharashtra to sell Kolhapuri chappals. These groups, LIDCOM (Sant Rohidas Leather Industries & Charmakar Development Corporation) and LIDKAR (Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation), support citizens from underprivileged communities who make Kolhapuri chappals by hand.

Prada has said it will produce around 2,000 Kolhapuri chappals in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Each pair of the limited-edition collection of sandals will sell for around $930 (Rs 84,239), according to Bertelli. “We’ll mix the original manufacturers’ standard capabilities with our manufacturing techniques,” Bertelli said.

He added that the idea behind this programme is to shine a global spotlight on the handicraft. He said the programme will run for three years and vowed that the artisans would be compensated fairly. The collection will go on sale in February 2026 across 40 Prada stores worldwide and online, the company said.

With inputs from agencies