Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta on Prada Kolahpuris controversy: Every child knows who Prada and Gucci are, but very few ...
, CEO of
Edelweiss Mutual Fund
has started an online debate by calling out popular fashion brand Prada for showcasing scandals that resemble closely to India's traditional
Kolhapuri chappals
. Gupta has criticised Prada for not giving the due credit to the original artisans. Her remarks soon went viral on social media calling for the recognition and preservation of India's textile heritage.
What Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta said on Prada Kolahpuris controversy
Gupta shared a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) in which she criticised Prada. '500 rupee chappal sold for 1 lakh, without any credit! This is why I am obsessed with wearing and talking about handlooms. Every child knows who Prada and Gucci are, but very few in a room know a Himroo, Sambalpuri or Narayanpet. Our textile heritage and craftsmanship is for us to preserve, brand and benefit from. As for Prada... Remember that till the lion learns to write, all stories will always glorify the hunter.' wrote Gupta.
She emphasised the critical need for Indians to proactively "preserve, brand, and benefit from" their own cultural wealth.
Billionaire Harsh Goenka also criticised Prada
Apart from Radhika Gupta, billionaire Harsh Goenka also called out Prada for selling Kholapuris at such a high price tag. 'Prada is selling products looking like Kolhapuri chappals for over ₹1 lakh. Our artisans make the same by hand for ₹400. They lose, while global brands cash in on our culture. Sad!,' wrote Goenka in a post shared on X.
What is the Prada Kolahpuris controversy
The
Prada Kolahpuris controversy
started after the luxury fashion brand launched its Spring/Summer 2026 men's collection. The summer collection consisted of open-toe, braided leather sandals that bore a striking resemblance to Kolhapuris. For those unaware, Kolhapuris are a GI tagged handcrafted footwear from Maharashtra and Karnataka.
After the backlash, the luxury fashion brand has reportedly scheduled a virtual meeting with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) for July 11. This meeting aims to explore potential collaborations, including co-branded collections and skill development initiatives.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Flexport CEO calls out India's ‘useless paperwork', criticises bureaucratic hurdles
Synopsis Petersen's comment came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 1, marking eight years of GST. In his post, Modi highlighted how GST has reduced the compliance burden and improved ease of doing business, especially for small and medium enterprises.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Mumbai businessman accused in bank fraud and money laundering case denied bail
Mumbai: Observing that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) collected sufficient material to prima facie conclude that the applicant was actively involved in the offence of money laundering, a special PMLA court on Friday rejected the bail plea of businessman Vijay Gupta. He is accused in a Rs 764.44 crore fraud involving the State Bank of India (SBI). Gupta, founder of the Vindhyavasini Group of Companies, which operates in steel manufacturing, real estate development, and infrastructure services, remains in judicial custody. The ED strongly opposed the bail, submitting that Gupta is a "habitual economic offender" actively involved in money laundering. Given the gravity and seriousness of the offences, the court concluded that Gupta is not entitled to bail. While the defence claimed that the accused was in jail for over 12 months, the court noted that he was arrested in the money laundering case only in March this year. The court said that the period of custody in the predicate offence cannot be considered since the offence under section PMLA is a different and distinct offence. The ED's case stems from six FIRs registered by the CBI and EOW, Mumbai, against six companies of the Vindhyavasini Group. It is submitted that these companies, promoted and managed by Gupta, are accused of defrauding the SBI's Eastern Express Highway Branch in Thane of approximately Rs 764.44 crores. According to the ED, the accused used 57 shell entities and 117 bank accounts for the placement, integration, and layering of the proceeds of crime. The ED detailed a systematic scheme of fraud, including the submission of fabricated and inflated Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), Technical Economic Viability (TEV) reports, and highly inflated valuation reports of mortgaged properties to secure maximum loan sanctions from SBI. It was further alleged that the accused colluded with Vishwas Kadam, a then relationship manager for Medium Enterprises (RMME) at SBI, Thane branch, and loan consultant Vijay Patil, to process and approve loans based on these forged documents. The ED claims Gupta paid a bribe of Rs 59 lakh to Vishwas Kadam. It was further submitted that there was a diversion of approximately Rs 164 crore from cash credit limit accounts of group companies to Gupta's personal accounts and shell entities owned by him and his brothers, Ajay Gupta and Sanjay Gupta. These funds were allegedly routed multiple times for unauthorised purposes. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The ED also submitted that around Rs 42.77 crore were withdrawn in cash from August 2010 to July 2013 from the bank accounts of the Vindhyavasini Group, shell entities, and personal accounts of family members. Allegations include the purchase of flats in Borivali and Kandivali using illicit funds, with one flat reportedly purchased in the name of his children's caretaker. It was also alleged that Gupta siphoned off a significant portion of Rs 13.20 crore received as compensation from NHAI for land acquisition, some of which was already mortgaged with SBI. Gupta's lawyer argued that he was falsely implicated and that the case was lodged with ulterior motives. It was also contended that the transactions are civil in nature, with recovery proceedings already initiated by SBI pending before civil courts. It was also submitted that sufficient collateral was provided to the bank, and the remaining dues of Rs 321 crores (out of a total loan of Rs 805 crores, with Rs 486 crores already recovered) could be covered by auctioning mortgaged properties, including the Solaris Building at Powai, valued at approximately Rs 400 crore in 2013. The defence highlighted Gupta's incarceration of over 12 months and the unlikelihood of a speedy trial given hundreds of witnesses and over fifty thousand pages of documentary evidence.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Ex-Jet Airways CEO shares pics of garbage-filled Gurugram streets, then jeers: 'Want to build Disneyland in Haryana?'
Aviation industry veteran and former Jet Airways CEO, Sanjiv Kapoor, has sharply criticised civic authorities in Gurugram, highlighting the poor state of sanitation and infrastructure in the city. His social media post has once again sparked public anger over the neglect of basic civic duties. On Saturday, Kapoor shared photos on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, showing piles of rubbish strewn along a roadside in Sector 44, Gurugram. Several cows could be seen standing or resting amidst the garbage. The images, clicked from inside a car, also included a screenshot from Google Maps to confirm the location. Kapoor wrote, 'Months later, worse than ever before. Shame on you, @MunCorpGurugram @DC_Gurugram @cmohry — no respect for the land, for tax-paying citizens, and not even for the cows! And you want to build a Disneyland in Haryana? Ludicrous!' Kapoor has also been in the news recently for defending Air India following the fatal crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad this June, which claimed more than 260 lives. Responding to social media calls for banning the airline, he wrote, 'Amazing! Tens, even hundreds of thousands are killed in road & rail accidents each year in India - 2,000+ a year on Mumbai's suburban rail alone — and people don't bat an eyelid. Air India has had a stellar safety record for decades. One tragedy and people lose all sense of perspective.' He further pointed out the global safety record of the aircraft, saying, 'Maybe because until the tragedy of AI-171, the Boeing 787 had flown over 5 million flights since its launch without a crash or fatality? Air turnbacks and minor tech glitches occur several times a day across all aircraft types. Flying remains the safest form of transportation.'
