Why Indian footwear artisans are upset with the luxury Italian label

West Indian town Kolhapur found itself in an unexpected global spotlight because thousands of local craftsmen, who make handicrafts of handicrafts of handicrafts, had plagiarized their designs without credit, providing a collective attack on Prada.

The 58 -year -old Sadashiv Sanake’s rhythmic hitting the rhythmic workshop in his dim lighting workshop witnesses the harsh torment behind the iconic kolhapuri leather sandals.

“I learned the craft as a child,” he says to the BBC. One-day starts to make “eight to 10 pairs” of these sandals, this retail sales $ 8-10

Almost 5,000 craftsmen in Kolhapur are still in a profession – a summer industry that struggles to compete to compete in a mechanized world, caught in the funk of gloomy working conditions and low wages.

When the Italian luxury brand Prada published a new series of shoes with a striking similarity to Kolhapuri sandals – but no surprise she did not mention the design origins – local craftsmen were armed.

The reaction was fast. Social media was overflowing with cultural allowance charges and asked Prada to make a statement that accepted the roots of sandals.

Now local politicians and industrial associations have thrown their weight behind the craftsmen who wanted to better recognize craft and cultural heritage.

Mr. Sanake was unaware of Prada’s show until the BBC showed her a video. When he said that sandals could be retail for hundreds of pounds in luxury markets, he mocked. “Is there gold in them?” he asked.

Prada did not announce the price tag, but according to other sandals website, it sells retail between £ 600 to £ 1,000 in the UK.

The oldest records of Kolhapur sandals dates back to the 12th century.

“These sandals were initially known as Chamar, also known as Chamar,” He said.

Chamar is a vile term used to describe Dalits (known as formerly untouchable), which works with animal secrets.

“But at the beginning of the 20th century, the ruler of Kolhapur, Chhahatrapati Shahu Maharaj, at the beginning of the 20th century, developed crafts when he gave this community a royal protection.” He said.

According to Maharashtra Trade, Industry and Agriculture Chamber of Industry and Agriculture (Maccı), a leading industrial trade group, approximately 100,000 craftsmen are trading with an industry of over $ 200 million.

However, most of them continue to work on non -organized installations under gloomy conditions.

“I have never been trained. I earn about 4-5 dollars a day depending on all of these and number of orders.” He said.

Women like him play a critical role, especially in manually engraving fine patterns, but are not compensated for long hours of labor.

So Sunita’s children do not want to continue craft.

A short distance away from the workshop, Kolhapur’s famous Chappal Gully, or Sandal Lane, a cluster of accumulated showcase, is struggling to survive.

“The skin has become very expensive and increased our costs, An Anil Doipode, one of the first sellers who opened a shop here, said.

Traditionally, the craftsmen were hiding cows and buffaloes to make these sandals. However, since 2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) came to power, there are a few reports that break the massacre of cow, sometimes with physical violence. The cow is considered sacred by Hindus.

In 2015, the state of Maharashtra banned the massacre of cows and the sale and consumption of beef, and forced the craftsmen to rely on the leathers from neighboring states and increased production costs.

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

“Customers want cheaper sandals and they can’t always say the difference.” He said.

Industry experts say that discussions emphasize that a better institutional framework is needed to protect the rights of craftsmen.

In 2019, the Indian government gave Kolhapuri Sandals the geographical concern (GI), a sign of originality that maintains its name and design in India and prevents the unauthorized use of foreigners.

However, globally, there is no binding law that stops other countries or brands from aesthetic imitation.

Aishwarya Sandeep, a Mumbai -based defender, says India’s Signed Trips (aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Convention on the World Trade Organization within the scope of the Convention.

However, the system is cumbersome, expensive and often lack of applicability both in India and abroad.

McCia President Lalit Gandhi said that his organization plans to paten Kolhapuri Sandal design, hoping to create a legal precedent for future cases.

But some say that real change can only be when India begins to see the traditional heritage of India in a different light.

“This is about this ethical recognition. “The more we are proud of our culture, the less exploited we will be.”

Of course, this was not accused of making a global fashion brand Indian crafts for the first time.

Many big labels contained embroidery in collaboration with Indian fabrics and very few artists. Since, “Chikankari (a sensitive hand-ambroid style from the north-north-north city of Lucknow), ikat (a cloth painting technique), mirror work; all were used over and over again. Craftsmen remain invisible while making profit from their inspiration.”

However, Mr. Gandhi says Prada’s confirmation of Kolhapuri sandals may also be useful for craftsmen.

“Under the labels, value [of Kolhapuri sandals] He will increase manifold, “he says. But we want some of this profit to be transferred to the craftsmen for good. “

Rohit Balkrishna Gavali, a boat seller in Kolhapur, accepts Gavali – he has already begun to see the difference.

“The design used by Prada was not very popular, but now people want this, Dubai, the United States and Qatar with customers”.

“Sometimes discussions can help,” he adds. “But it would be nice for those who keep this tradition alive and bring better prices.”

It is unlikely that the problem will die soon.

For now, a defense was made in a Supreme Court that demanded compensation for Prada’s wages and compensation between the luxury label and artisan associations.

Prada, BBC said in a statement with McCIA on this issue, he said.

His chief Mr. Gandhi said that a meeting between the two sides would take place next week.

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