Why a 'Prada' to add value to Kolhapuris?
The backlash was severe. Prada had underestimated our nationalistic troll army, which went to town against the brand appropriating Indian culture. Within days, Prada acknowledged the Indian roots of its new footwear line, and accepted it was inspired by 'traditional Indian footwear'.
But here's the rub. There are plenty upholding India's heritage. But why aren't there enough Indian entrepreneurs who can do what Prada did? Those who can design and brand 'kolhapuris' and other footwear and make them international products. Surely there is no rocket science about holding fashion shows andclevermarketing. The Kolhapuri is a 12th Century product. It has its innate strength. Why do you need a Prada to discover it?
Low-value leather
India has a huge leather industry. The domestic sector produces a whopping 3 billion square feet of leather annually and employs over 4.4 million people. India is the world's second largest exporter of leather garments, the third largest exporter of saddlery and harnesses and the fourth largest exporter of leather goods in the world.
Unfortunately, it is high volume, but low value we export. In FY2023, leather and leather products exports peaked at about $5.4 billion. This is peanuts considering the size and the manpower the industry employs. Over the next two years, exports fell 18-20 percent, mainly does to the disruption of the Eurozone by the Ukraine war.
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