When Prada prices our heritage |
When luxury Italian fashion house Prada showcased sandals resembling Kolhapuri chappals in its Spring/Summer 2026 men’s collection—selling them as luxury items without acknowledging their Indian origin or the artisans behind them—it triggered a swift backlash in India, including legal notices, social media outrage, and a public interest case. Although Prada denied violating Geographical Indication (GI) rules, it later explored working with Indian artisans.
The controversy sparked a debate over foreign brands using India’s heritage and GI products, but it reveals a bigger issue: While Indian designs inspire global luxury markets, India rarely captures the premium value they generate.
GIs are meant to prevent precisely this. A GI certifies that a product originates in a specific place and derives its distinctive qualities, reputation, or characteristics from that geography. Climate, soil, traditional knowledge, and local craftsmanship all play a role.
GIs cover agricultural products, food items, natural goods, and manufactured products. In theory, they protect authenticity and ensure that value accrues to local producers. In practice, India’s GI system remains under-leveraged.
India today has around 650 registered GI products, a sharp increase........