MUMBAI — Italian luxury house Prada will roll out a limited-edition line of Prada Made in India sandals crafted with Kolhapuri artisans in Maharashtra and Karnataka in a February 2026 global launch under a new artisan deal with state-run leather corporations LIDCOM and LIDKAR. The project is pitched as a way to transform months of backlash over cultural appropriation into a long-term partnership that shares profits, visibility and training with India’s traditional sandal makers, Dec. 11, 2025.
The collection — capped at around 2,000 pairs of Prada Made in India sandals — will be produced in India and sold for about 800 euros ($930) each, Prada executive Lorenzo Bertelli told Reuters, with the sandals set to reach roughly 40 Prada stores worldwide and the brand’s e-commerce channel from February 2026. The company says it will blend Indian handcrafting techniques with its own industrial know-how to position Kolhapuri-inspired footwear firmly in the luxury segment.
Under the memorandum of understanding, Sant Rohidas Leather Industries and Charmakar Development Corporation (LIDCOM) in Maharashtra and Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram Leather Industries Development Corporation (LIDKAR) in Karnataka will coordinate artisan clusters, quality control and export logistics for the line. LIDKAR, a state-run body established in 1976 to uplift scheduled caste leather workers, has for years run training and self-employment schemes around leather footwear and goods.
What the Prada Made in India sandals deal promises
Beyond the headline-friendly price tag, the Prada Made in India sandals collaboration is built around a three-year skills and exchange program that Bertelli says will cost “several million euros.” The plan includes in-India workshops on design, finishing and quality, plus short stints for select artisans at the Prada Academy in Italy, with both sides insisting artisans will be “fairly remunerated” and publicly credited on product storytelling.
The tie-up also leans on an existing legal framework. Kolhapuri chappals received a Geographical Indication tag in 2019, jointly held by LIDCOM and LIDKAR, which formally links the craft to specific regions in Maharashtra and Karnataka and gives local makers a tool to fight copycats. A 2025 note from India’s Ministry of Textiles framed the GI system as central to reviving Kolhapuri artisans and protecting their designs in global markets.
For state officials, the moment is an overdue validation. LIDCOM managing director Prerna Deshbhratar has argued that once a luxury brand like Prada endorses the craft, a “domino effect” could boost demand for Kolhapuris and draw younger workers into a trade long associated with marginalised communities and low incomes. Artisans in Kolhapur and Athani say orders from a global player could stabilise earnings that have historically swung with festival seasons and tourist traffic.
Backlash that forced a rethink
The collaboration follows a bruising public row that erupted after Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 menswear show in Milan, where models walked in toe-ring leather sandals that closely resembled Kolhapuri chappals but were described only as “leather flat sandals.” In June, The Guardian detailed how Indian business leaders and artisans accused Prada of cashing in on a GI-tagged design without credit or compensation, sparking a broader debate about fashion’s extractive relationship with traditional craft.
The anger extended far beyond footwear. An Economic Times commentary framed the episode as part of a long history of Western brands “looting” Indian aesthetics while enjoying structural advantages in capital, branding and distribution. Social media hashtags like #KolhapuriChappals and #PradaApologise kept the story in circulation for weeks, eventually pushing the company into talks with artisan groups and state agencies.
That sustained scrutiny is part of a wider conversation in India about who benefits when local aesthetics go global. Critics note that Kolhapuri sandals can sell for as little as $12 in India, compared with hundreds of dollars for runway versions, and say that without binding agreements, GI tags and collaborations risk becoming mere marketing. For now, the LIDCOM–LIDKAR deal offers at least a formal channel for royalties, training and narrative control to remain closer to the craft’s origins.
What this means for India’s luxury moment
Even as it celebrates Indian artisanship, Prada is signalling caution on bricks-and-mortar expansion in the country. Bertelli has said the group, which opened its first beauty store in Delhi this year, has no immediate plans for fashion boutiques or factories in India, even as consultants peg the country’s luxury market at about $7 billion in 2024 with rapid growth ahead.
If the collaboration delivers on its promises, the Prada Made in India sandals line could become a test case for how global luxury brands work with GI-tagged heritage crafts — and for whether Indian artisans can finally claim a fair share of the value their designs generate. For many Kolhapuri makers, the real verdict will be written not on runways but in workshop wages, order books and whether the next generation chooses to stay in the trade.
