A high-level team from the Italian luxury fashion house Prada visited the famous Chappal Galli of Kolhapur on Wednesday and interacted with shopkeepers on the footwear and how they were displayed, packaged and sold. One of the highlights of the trip was a meeting with District Collector Amol Yedge to discuss the heritage of Kolhapuri sandals. The Prada team had met with craftsmen the previous day and reviewed the entire process from the manufacturing stage to retail.
Prada’s visit comes in the wake of a global backlash after their Spring-Summer 2026 collection at Milan Fashion Week on June 22 saw models walk down in flat sandals that looked similar to Kolhapuri chappals. Since the fashion house did not give credit or acknowledge the Indian roots of the product that they had reportedly priced upward of Rs 1 lakh, it caused a storm of accusations of plagiarism and cultural misappropriation, as well as a PIL in the Bombay High Court.
“The Prada team has been working in a professional way, observing every detail minutely and is serious about all the processes of making Kolhapuri footwear. This is the first time such a high-level team has visited Kolhapur. The team was impressed with the craftsmanship, but their standards are different from our handcrafted traditions, so we are waiting for their report on the visit,” Lalit Gandhi, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), who was present at the meeting, said.
The Prada delegation included Paolo Tiveron, technical and production director of Prada’s footwear department, Daniel Contu, manager of the pattern making department, and external consultants Andrea Polastrelli and Roberto Polastrelli. District Collector Yedge informed them not only about the footwear but other traditional items, such as Kolhapuri Saaj and Thusi. The delegation said that, in the future, the company can consider entering into agreements at various levels to increase the quality of production of traditional items of Kolhapur and take it to the international level. After a decision is taken in this regard in the company’s board meeting, the district administration, the relevant board of association and the manufacturing companies will be informed about this.
The Prada team had begun their visit to Kolhapur on Tuesday by spending time at five-six manufacturing facilities where they reviewed the making of Kolhapuri chappals and took some samples.
On June 26, MACCIA had written to Patrizio Bertelli, chairman of the Prada Group, with a “request for acknowledgement and ethical collaboration regarding traditional Kolhapuri footwear designs”.
“Kolhapuri chappals represent centuries-old craftsmanship rooted in the cultural fabric of Maharashtra, India. The products are not only symbolic of regional identity but also support the livelihoods of thousands of artisans and families in the Kolhapur region and surrounding districts,” said the letter signed by Gandhi. It also pointed out that the chappals had received a Geographical Index (GI) tag from the Indian government in 2019.
In a reply from Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada group head of corporate social responsibility, the company said, “We acknowledge that the sandals featured in the recent Prada Men’s 2026 Fashion Show are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage. We deeply recognise the cultural significance of such Indian craftsmanship.”
The company added that the entire collection was in the early stage of design development, and none of the pieces had been confirmed to be produced or commercialised. “We are committed to responsible design practices, fostering cultural engagement, and opening a dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisan communities as we have done in the past in other collections to ensure the rightful recognition of their craft,” it added.
On July 11, MACCIA and Prada held a video meeting, where Prada reiterated the design’s heritage. “Our aim was that the GI tag and the rights of the Kolhapuri sandal craft be protected, in which we were successful. It was at the meeting that Prada said that they would send two teams,” Gandhi said.
“The present visit is by the technical team that flew from Italy to Kolhapur. Based on their report, another team, with the corporate business head and others, will visit Mumbai in the first week of August and meet us,” he added. “I would like Bertelli, the chairman, to also visit as this could open doors for the crafts of Maharashtra,” he further said.
The other proposals for discussion were the formation of a joint working group of Prada, MACCIA and artisan bodies to ideate and drive long-term engagement models between the design house and artisan communities; co-branded artisan collections; and the setting up of Prada Artisan Excellence Lab-India to foster high-end design innovation and skill enhancement and a fair trade supply chain development.
It was at the July 11 meeting that MACCIA introduced four more products to Prada: the silver payals (anklets) from Kolhapur, which also have a GI tag; a form of wax-filled gold jewellery that is awaiting a GI tag; Paithani saris; and garments with Warli art made by Adivasi women.
“Prada, in principle, positively responded to our suggestions and said that they would work on these crafts. Their jewellery and fashion teams will visit different sections of Maharashtra. If Prada collaborates with artisans on Paithani or other crafts, it would mean several opportunities,” Gandhi said.
Prada's visit comes in the wake of a global backlash after their Spring-Summer 2026 collection at Milan Fashion Week on June 22 had models walk down in flat sandals that looked familiar to everyone who has ever worn a pair of Kolhapuri chappals. (Express photo) 
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