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'Do they have gold in them?': The Indian artisans up in arms over Prada's sandals

 

The earliest records of Kolhapur sandals date back to the 12th Century.

 The Western Indian town of Kolhapur has found itself in an unlikely global spotlight, as thousands of local artisans who hand-craft traditional leather footwear are mounting a collective attack on luxury fashion label Prada for plagiarising their designs without credit.

 The rhythmic pounding of the hammer in 58-year-old Sadashiv Sanake's dimly lit workshop bears witness to the hard grind behind handcrafting the iconic Kolhapuri leather sandals.

 "I learnt the craft as a child," he tells the BBC.  A day's toil goes into making just "eight to 10 pairs" of these sandals he says, that retail at a modest $8-10

 Barely 5,000 artisans in Kolhapur are still in the profession – a cottage industry that struggles to compete in a mechanised world, caught in the funk of dismal working conditions and low wages.

 Therefore, it should come as no surprise that local artisans were up in arms when Italian luxury brand Prada introduced a new line of footwear that bore a striking resemblance to the Kolhapuri sandals but did not mention the design origins.


Prada's leather footwear at the Milan Fashion Week sparked a major controversy

 The backlash was swift.  Social media was flooded with accusations of cultural appropriation, prompting Prada to issue a statement acknowledging the sandals' roots.

 Now, the artisans who want to improve the craft's recognition and its cultural legacy have the support of local politicians and industry organizations. Mr Sanake was not aware of Prada's show until the BBC showed him a video of it.  When told that that the sandals could retail for hundreds of pounds in luxury markets, he scoffed.  "Do they contain any gold?" he asked.

 Prada hasn't said how much it will cost, but its other sandals cost between £600 and £1,000 in the UK, according to its website.

Women try on Kolhapuri sandals at a store in Kolhapur

 The earliest records of Kolhapur sandals date back to the 12th Century.

 "These sandals were originally crafted by members of the marginalised Charmakar (cobbler) community, also known as chamars," said Kavita Gagrani, a history professor at the New College in Kolhapur.

 Chamar is a pejorative caste term used to describe Dalits (formerly known as untouchables) who work with animal hides.

 "But in the early 20th Century, the craft flourished when the then ruler of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj granted royal patronage to this community," Ms Gagrani said.

 Today, nearly 100,000 artisans across India are engaged in the trade with an industry worth over $200m, according to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA), a prominent industry trade group.

 Yet, most of them continue to work in unorganised setups under dismal conditions.

 "I was never educated.  This is all I know, and I earn about $4-5 a day, depending on the number of orders," said 60-year-old Sunita Satpute.

 Women like her play a critical role, particularly in engraving fine patterns by hand, but are not compensated fairly for their long hours of labour, she said.

 Sunita's children don't want to carry on with the craft because of this. A short distance away from her workshop lies Kolhapur's famous chappal gully, or sandal lane, a cluster of storefronts - many of them struggling to stay afloat.

 One of the first sellers to open a shop in this area, Anil Doipode, stated, "Leather has become very expensive and has pushed up our costs." These sandals were traditionally made by artisans using cow and buffalo hide. But since 2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, there have been several reports of vigilantes - self-appointed protesters or activists - cracking down on alleged cow slaughter, sometimes with physical violence.  The cow is considered sacred by Hindus.

 In 2015, Maharashtra state banned the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef, forcing artisans to rely on buffalo leather sourced from neighbouring states, pushing up their production costs.

 Traditional sellers are also struggling to compete with synthetic copies flooding the market.

 "Customers want cheaper sandals and can't always tell the difference," said Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a second-generation Kolhapuri sandal seller.


Women artisans engrave fine patterns in the leather sandals by hand
 Industry experts say the controversy highlights the need for a better institutional framework to protect the rights of artisans.
 In 2019, the Indian government had awarded Kolhapuri sandals the Geographical Indication (GI) - a mark of authenticity which protects its name and design within India, preventing unauthorised use by outsiders.
 However, there is no globally binding law that prevents other nations or brands from imitating an aesthetic look. According to Mumbai-based advocate Aishwarya Sandeep, India could bring the matter up at the World Trade Organization in accordance with the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement, to which it has signed. But the system is cumbersome, expensive and often lacks enforceability, both in India and abroad, she adds.
 The president of MCCIA, Lalit Gandhi, claims that his organization intends to patent the Kolhapuri sandal design in the hope of setting a precedent for future cases. But some say real change can only happen when India starts seeing its traditional heritage in a different light.
 "It's about recognizing morality. India must push for royalty-sharing and co-branding," says Ritu Beri, a renowned designer.  "The more we take pride in our culture, the less we will be exploited."
Kolhapur is home to thousands of artisans who have been making these sandals for generations
 Of course, this isn't the first time a global fashion brand has been accused of appropriating Indian handicrafts.
 Many big labels have featured Indian fabrics and embroidery work with little to no artist collaboration.  "Take Chikankari (a delicate hand-embroidery style from the northern Indian city of Lucknow), Ikat (a cloth-dyeing technique), mirror work; they've all been used repeatedly.  The artisans remain invisible while brands profit from their inspiration," Ms Beri says.
 However, according to Mr. Gandhi, the endorsement of Kolhapuri sandals by Prada may also be beneficial to artisans. "Under their label, the value [of Kolhapuri sandals] is going to increase manifold," he says.  "However, we would like a portion of that profit to be distributed to artisans for their improvement." Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a sandal-seller in Kolhapur, agrees - he has already begun to see the difference.
 According to him, "The design Prada used wasn't even very popular, but now people are asking for it, with clients from Dubai, the United States, and Qatar" placing orders. He adds, "Sometimes, controversy can help." "But it would be nice if it also brought respect and better prices for those keeping this tradition alive."
 The issue is unlikely to die down soon.
 For the time being, a plea has been filed in a high court, demanding that Prada collaborate with associations of artisans under court supervision and pay damages and compensation to artisans. In a statement to BBC, Prada said that it is talking to the MCCIA about this. Mr Gandhi, its chief, says a meeting between the two sides is going to take place next week.

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