02-07-2025
Prada accused of cultural appropriation after copying India's Kolhapuri sandals
Published July 2nd, 2025 - 09:01 GMT
ALBAWABA - Prada, an Italian luxury fashion house, is under fire and accused of cultural appropriation after revealing its latest collections of sandals at Milan Fashion Week.
The story began once Prada models took over the red carpet at Milan Fashion Week last week, wearing open-toe leather sandals that are part of the Indian culture; however, the Italian brand failed to mention the sandals' origin, and it only labelled them as "leather sandals".
Kolhapuri sandals are an Indian ethnic footwear, and India's Harish Kurade, whose family has been producing those types of sandals for over 100 years, said that despite the Prada move, he is happy.
India accuses Prada of cultural appropriation over sandalsOpen-toe Prada footwear showcased at Milan Men's Fashion Week was described as "leather sandals."
But those flat leather sandals sparked controversy among Indians, who noted that the design had been stolen from… — DW Asia (@dw_hotspotasia) July 2, 2025
"They [Prada] stole and replicated our crafty work, but we are really happy," said Kurade, according to Al Jazeera. He added: "Today, the world's eyes are on our Kolhapuri 'chappals' [Hindi for sandals]."
It is worth mentioning that the sandal is named after India's Kolhapur city in Maharashtra state. Did Prada apologize?
PRADA is selling Kolhapuri chappals for ₹1.2 lakh — a design stolen from the Chamar community of India, who've handcrafted them for generations. No credit. No acknowledgment. Just pure cultural theft dressed in luxury branding. Shameful. #CulturalTheft #Kolhapuri — The Dalit Voice (@ambedkariteIND) June 25, 2025
Following the massive backlash, the Italian brand "Prada" made a clear statement that its new sandal designs "are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage".
Prada made an official statement to India's Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce to clarify that the new sandals it showcased at the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection are inspired by the Indian "Kolhapuri sandals".
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