Italian luxury group Prada, which was in the news recently for displaying ethnic sandals resembling Kolhapuri footwear on the runway in Milan, is looking to turn the controversy to its advantage.

After tendering an apology and acknowledging that the footwear worn by models at the show indeed resembled the famous Kolhapuri sandals, the brand has announced now that it seeks to partner with ‘artisanal footwear’ makers in India.

Indian artisans expressed discontent over the incident, and were silenced by Prada’s statement of apology soon after. Prada has now announced that talks are on with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, hopefully leading to future collaborations with Kolhapuri sandal-makers. Figures show that there are over 3,000 such artisans in Kolhapur.

The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce disclosed that Prada wanted to first launch a limited-edition ‘Made in India’ as a part of the collaboration.

With no retail stores in India, Prada’s products have thus far been made available for only the wealthy abroad. – editor@nrifocus.com