The way that international fashion conglomerates interact with India, a nation whose rich cultural traditions have frequently suffered due to its incapacity to capitalize on them, has come into sharp relief in the wake of a recent dispute over the Italian luxury brand Prada.
When its models strutted the Milan catwalk in sandals with toe braids that resembled the Kolhapuri chappal, a handmade leather shoe manufactured in India, Prada found itself in hot water in June. A criticism resulted from the Prada collection’s omission of the sandals’ namesake, Kolhapur, a town in the western state of Maharashtra where they have been manufactured for decades.
In order to learn more about the process, a Prada team spent the last three days meeting with Kolhapur’s craftsmen and retailers who produce and market the sandals. Prada informed the BBC that it had a “successful meeting” with a well-known trade association for the sector, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, sector & Agriculture.
The remark also suggests that Prada could work with select Kolhapuri shoe producers in the future. Although it’s unclear what shape this partnership will take, it’s a unique instance of a major international fashion company admitting that it neglected to give local craftspeople and the craft it was stealing credit for credit. Numerous well-known companies have frequently been accused of drawing inspiration from South Asian and Indian culture.
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