Prada admits its £600 sandals were ‘inspired by' £10 Indian staple

Times

5 days ago

The Italian luxury brand Prada has responded to a backlash over its failure to acknowledge the origin of a new line in men's sandals by conceding that it was inspired by a traditional Indian design.
The open-toe men's footwear, which featured in a recent catwalk collection in Milan, were labelled simply as 'leather sandals'.
With prices starting from £600, however, the design provoked uproar in India, where very similar sandals have been famous since the 13th century, fashioned by craftsmen in the dusty bylanes of Kolhapur in Maharashtra and often sold for less than £10.
The traditional sandals, made of buffalo hide, are bought in their millions by Indians who regard them both as heritage items and objects of everyday use.
The similarity with Prada's latest design prompted Lalit Gandhi, president of the Maharashtra chamber of commerce, to complain to the Italian fashion house.
• The 'wonderbra' for men, and nine other new menswear trends
'It has come to public attention that the collection includes footwear designs that bear a close resemblance to Kolhapuri sandals, a traditional handcrafted leather sandal that has been awarded 'geographical indication' status by the government of India in 2019,' Gandhi said.
Comments by Indians on X were less measured. 'Shame on you Prada for not having the decency to give credit to Kolhapuri artists. At a price of $844 and up, this is a shameless cash grab.'
Prada responded: 'We acknowledge that the sandals … are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage.'
The braided, handcrafted sandals are sold all over India. To begin with, they can feel hard and uncomfortable but soon the leather softens and wearers say the comfort is matched by longevity — they last for years.
Their other distinctive feature is that they are worn by Indians of all classes, even the poor, as they are affordable and so versatile they can be worn with jeans or a lavish traditional wedding outfit.
• Super-soft suede drawstring chinos? Welcome to the new business uniform
Gandhi also urged Prada to explore possibilities for 'collaboration or fair compensation that could benefit the artisans involved'.
This echoes recent efforts by Indian designers to help traditional craftsmen to update their designs to give them a more contemporary look and use colours more suited to today's sensibilities. The goal is to help such artisans fetch a higher price for their handmade goods and lift them out of poverty.
Prada replied to Gandhi's suggestion for collaboration by saying it was open to a 'dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisans'.
For some Indians, the failure to give credit to local artistry reeked of cavalier insouciance, if not brazen cultural appropriation.
It revived memories of an earlier row over the distinctive 'paisley' motif that was named after the Scottish town of Paisley, while the actual design — a teardrop shape with a bent tip — derives from Kashmir.
• The best new clothes, shoes and accessories for summer 2025
Shawls with this motif, originally handwoven in Kashmir, were exported to Europe as a fashion accessory in the 19th century, inspiring enthusiastic patrons such as Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's first wife. To make it more affordable, Europeans began copying the design using mechanised looms. Paisley became a centre of production and gradually all shawls bearing the Indian motif came to be known as Paisley shawls.