26 June 2025, 4:01 pm
This is a rage-bait. My blood is boiling. I feel my stomach churn as I watch Prada introduce ‘Kolhapuri Chappals’ as ‘Prada sandals’ in their recent show. I had barely processed the Scandinavian scarf scandal when this news came to light. This fashion giant has messed with my city of Kolhapur and these visuals make me nauseous. My stance brings relevance from my position as an international student in the UK.
Kolhapur has always been so special to me. I do not know why I hate to admit it but I feel overpowered by emotions as I read more about Prada’s theft. They are not just stealing the design, they are also mis-representing the culture and dis-regarding the sheer hardwork of the local artisans who clearly put more effort into their designs.
On one side, I am repelled as I go into more details regarding the history of cultural appropriation, on the other end, news articles like these let me have more faith in my thesis topic. I have spent nights being up, pondering about whether or not my place-branding and narrative-fixing themes make sense.
This is a poignant time-stamp in my FMP journey where I have complete faith in my selected topic. I now know what devil I need to engage with.
P.S. Prada might consider themselves victorious in this regard. I know that they will not acknowledge their fraud. However, I am still concerned because the people at Prada have no idea who this person is:
Credits for the image: Kolasur | Kshetra Puranas and Other stories
This is how you do it Prada.
Gosh, the lack of professionalism in the world just irks me.