Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePrada seeks to collaborate with Indian artisans after a sandal controversy, planning a Kolhapuri-inspired collection. Talks with local artisans are underway.
By Dhwani Pandya and Elisa Anzolin
MUMBAI/MILAN (Reuters) -Prada is looking to collaborate with "artisanal footwear" makers in India in a partnership, it said on Friday, two weeks after the Italian luxury group triggered a controversyby debuting ethnic sandals resembling 12th-century Indian ones.
After viral photos from a Milan fashion show drew criticism from Indian artisans who make the sandals - named after the historic city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra state - Prada was forced late last month to acknowledge that its new open-toe footwear was inspired by ancient Indian designs.
The furore even saw sales of Indian sandals boom, with sellers and artisans seeing the controversy as a way to promote the heritage craft by tapping into nationalist pride.
Prada said in a statement to Reuters that it held talks remotely on Friday with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, which represents 3,000 Kolhapuri sandal artisans, and discussed potential opportunities for future collaboration.
"The next step will be for Prada’s supply chain team to meet a range of artisanal footwear manufacturers," the company said.
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce said that Lorenzo Bertelli, son of Prada's owners and head of its corporate social responsibility, joined the talks on Friday.
The chamber of commerce said that during the talks Prada said it aimed to launch a limited-edition "Made in India" Kolhapuri-inspired collection of sandals in partnership with Indian artisans.
India's luxury market is small but growing, with the rich splurging on designer fashion, top end sports cars and pricey watches.
Prada does not have any retail stores in India, and its products are usually reserved for the super rich who shop overseas.
The sandal scandal left the social media abuzz for days with criticism and sarcastic memes, with Indian politicians, artisans and the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce demanding due credit to Indian heritage.
(Reporting by Dhwani Pandya in Mumbai, Elisa Anzolin in Milan and Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Susan Fenton)
Prada's consideration for collaboration came after viral photos from a Milan fashion show drew criticism from Indian artisans regarding the use of Kolhapuri sandals.
Kolhapuri sandals are a traditional craft from Maharashtra, and the controversy surrounding Prada's use of the design has led to a surge in sales and a renewed focus on promoting this heritage craft.
Prada's supply chain team is set to meet with various artisanal footwear manufacturers to discuss the potential launch of a limited-edition 'Made in India' Kolhapuri-inspired collection.
The sandal scandal generated significant buzz on social media, leading to criticism, memes, and calls from Indian politicians and artisans for Prada to acknowledge the origins of the sandals.
India's luxury market is small but growing, with affluent consumers increasingly spending on designer fashion and high-end products, despite Prada not having retail stores in the country.
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