What Prada did to the GI law and Kolhapuris

The leather sandals seen on the ramp for the Prada Men Spring Summer 2026 collection have recently been in the eye of a storm. While Prada has now acknowledged that the products were inspired by the traditional Kolhapuri chappals (a registered Geographical Indication since 2019) has any law been broken here? To unpack the controversy, one must first understand what a GI registration really means.

- Shwetasree Majumder

A geographical indication is a tag given to a product (natural or man made) that originates in a particular place and has a particular set of characteristics. Kolhapuri chappals are identified in the registration as a species of open Indian footwear made of bag tanned leather with vegetable dyes, produced using traditional techniques and tools. According to the registration, these products use buffalo hide, cow hide, calf skins of buff and cow treated with lime (slaked) and tanned using vegetable tanning material (Babulbark and myrobalan nuts), and sisal fibre for stitching. They also involve the use of hand tools for unhairing, fleshing, beaming and scrubbing.

The GI law merely serves as a badge of origin and authenticity for a craft or product that comes from a particular region. For example, tea that is not grown in Darjeeling under a specific set of circumstances cannot be called Darjeeling tea. However, if tea grown elsewhere mimics the taste and aroma of a perfect cup of first flush from Darjeeling without using the word on its product packaging or promotion, the law will let you drink your tea (or spill it), without interfering.