The Italian style home’s newest assortment, which included footwear bearing a hanging resemblance to the centuries-old chappals, set off a firestorm of debate in India.
The preliminary absence of any point out of the shoe’s origins, born of a protracted custom rooted within the bustling markets and dusty workshops of Maharashtra, prompted accusations of cultural appropriation and exploitation.
It took a wave of public outcry for Prada to acknowledge its debt. In a letter to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, the model conceded that its design was, actually, “impressed by conventional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage.”
Kolhapuri chappals, crafted from buffalo conceal tanned with pure dyes and assembled and not using a single nail, are greater than mere footwear. They bear a “geographical indication” tag, a mark of authenticity and regional pleasure. For generations, they’ve been made by hand, typically for a fraction of the worth now commanding consideration on Europe’s style runways.
