Before Prada Wore Kolhapuris...

Indian designers and Kolhapur's artisans had started sexing the chappals up long before Prada

- Devina Sengupta & Soumya Gupta

The mood in room number 46 of the Bombay High Court, a vaulted, brightly lit affair, was rather dark on July 16. Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, who made up a two-judge bench of the court, were handling public interest litigation (PIL) filings that morning. And their patience seemed to be wearing thin. After summarily dealing with two PILs, they turned to a third one. "What is this? Kolhapuri chappals? You want an injunction in a PIL?" asked one of the judges, grilling advocate Ganesh Hingmire, who had filed the petition.

The case had been filed after Italian luxury fashion house Prada had showcased a pair of "toe-ring" sandals on a Milanese runway in its Men's Spring/Summer 2026 collection last month. At the receiving end was an array of respondents: Prada S.p.A; its India arm; the Maharashtra government's department for social justice; and Lidcom, a public sector undertaking to promote the state's leather industry and support its artisans.

Hingmire, a Pune-based expert on geographical indicators and intellectual property rights, wanted the high court to stop the sale of Kolhapuri sandals abroad. He also wanted an apology from Prada for violating the geographical indication tag protecting the chappals.

Hingmire, along with a battery of lawyers, pointed to the history of western brands exploiting Indian heritage. "The community is suffering from this cultural appropriation," he argued. "These foreign companies like Prada will just continue this cultural appropriation with a word of appreciation."

Across from Hingmire was celebrated senior advocate Ravi Kadam, who was representing Prada. The latter's defense was short and biting; he asked why Hingmire had filed a PIL at all, given that he did not own the rights of the Kolhapuri chappal. Besides, he said, Prada had never claimed the shoes on its runway were Kolhapuris.