Prada really put their foot in it when they featured India's Kolhapuri chappals in their latest show without any acknowledgement (clearly, collaboration wasn't even on the horizon).
Their decision not only ignored the footwear's heritage but also monetised a craft that's over 800 years old without benefiting its rightful custodians.
Now, Kareena Kapoor has thrown her weight behind Kolhapuri chappals.
Wonder what Prada thinks of that!
Meanwhile, Prada has landed in legal trouble after a public interest litigation was filed in the Bombay high court, accusing Prada of using the GI (geographical-tagged) Kolhapuri chappals without permission.
The GI tag, granted in 2019, protects the chappal's authenticity.
In a June 28 letter addressed to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Prada's head of corporate social responsibility Lorenzo Bertelli wrote, 'We acknowledge that the sandals... are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear with a centuries-old heritage,' reported Reuters. (external link)
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