Amid mounting backlash over alleged cultural appropriation, Italian luxurious style home Prada will maintain a digital assembly with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Business and Agriculture (MACCIA) on July 11, 2025, to discover a possible collaboration. If profitable, this initiative may mark a uncommon occasion of equitable engagement between world style manufacturers and conventional artisans.
The MACCIA formally addressed the problem in a letter to Prada, expressing dismay on the commercialisation of a heritage product with out honouring the artisans accountable for it. These artisans have safeguarded the Kolhapuri custom for generations. In response, Prada’s head of company social accountability, Lorenzo Bertelli, acknowledged the Indian roots of the design and indicated that the product was nonetheless in its early design phases. He additionally welcomed “a meaningful dialogue with local Indian artisans”, as per world media studies.
Prada-Kolhapuri row has reignited the controversy on cultural appropriation in style, after the model showcased sandals resembling India’s conventional Kolhapuris.
Following backlash, Prada will meet MACCIA on July 11, to discover a world collaboration with Indian artisans.
If profitable, the transfer may mark a turning level in fostering moral engagement between style homes and craft communities.
The transfer follows widespread outrage in India after Prada showcased ‘toe ring leather sandals’ at Milan Style Week final month. The design drew quick comparisons to conventional Kolhapuri sandals—handcrafted leather-based footwear with centuries-old roots within the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The controversy has reignited the worldwide debate on cultural appropriation within the style business, highlighting the necessity for extra moral engagement with conventional crafts.
Kolhapuri sandals aren’t solely a cultural emblem but in addition carry historic and geographical significance. Recognised with a Geographical Indication (GI) standing by the Indian authorities in 2019, these sandals date again to the twelfth century. Handcrafted from leather-based and dyed utilizing pure colors, they’re recognized for his or her sturdiness and suitability for India’s local weather.
Nonetheless, this isn’t an remoted incident. The style business has seen a rising sample of cultural appropriation this yr.
A viral TikTok development dubbed the ‘Scandinavian scarf’ was shortly recognized by South Asian influencers as a dupatta—a garment integral to South Asian ladies’s apparel for hundreds of years. The development, launched with none historic context, was broadly criticised for repackaging conventional South Asian style as a novel Western invention.
On June 27, Dior offered a coat that includes mukaish embroidery—a conventional metallic threadwork from Lucknow—at a Paris runway present. Regardless of the flowery use of Indian craftsmanship, Dior didn’t credit score the artisans, prompting additional criticism for the erasure of cultural contributions.
The Prada-Kolhapuri controversy might but turn out to be a watershed second. If the model’s proposed collaboration with Indian artisans materialises, it may pave the best way for extra moral practices in style—the place cultural trade replaces exploitation, and credit score is given the place it’s lengthy overdue.
