KOLHAPURI CHAPPAL CONTROVERSY
In June 2025, Italian fashion giant Prada unveiled men’s sandals at Milan Fashion Week that bore a striking resemblance to traditional Kolhapuri chappals—the centuries old leather footwear handmade in Maharashtra. Initially described merely as “leather sandals,” they sparked a storm of backlash over cultural appropriation and disrespect for GI protected heritage. This highlights a major limitation—GI…
