Kareena Kapoor Khan proved she is the OG fashionista. At the age of 44, Kareena believes in staying true to her style rather than falling prey to fancy labels, Botox treatments, and Prada’s gimmick of revamping traditional Indian kohlapuris and presenting them as their own design. Yes, in the most beautiful way, Kareena slammed the Italian label for introducing Khandeshi chappals as luxurious sandals.
Kareena Kapoor Khan slammed Prada
On July 6, 2025, Kareena, who is on vacation at the beach, shared an Instagram story. She posted a glimpse of her traditional leather Kholapuri chappals with a silver strap. She gave out a strong message that she would always stick to her ‘OG Kohlapuris’ rather than buying Prada’s fancy-looking footwear. She wrote:
“Sorry, not Prada. But my OG Kohlapuri.”
Prada and the Kohlapuri chappal controversy
It is worth mentioning that Prada made the Kholapuri chappals go around the world by featuring them as part of Prada’s Men’s Spring Summer 2025 collection, leading to a huge controversy. They slammed the brand for failing to give credit to the traditional Indian craft of making Kohlapuri Chappals or the artisans, who have been associated with the making of it.
Prada later admitted that its collection was inspired by Kohlapuri chappals
Later, the brand accepted that the slippers featured on the runway were indeed inspired by Kohlapuri Chappals. They further added to initiate a conversation with representatives of trade and industry, who are engaged in the 800-year-old tradition of making the slippers.
They even plan to hold a video conference on July 11, 2025, with office-bearers of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture, as well as artisans. The luxury brand, accused of ‘cultural appropriation’, is ready to mend things with a possible collaboration opportunity with Kohlapuri artisans to explore the possibilities of taking the traditional Kohlapuri designs around the world.
Prada dragged to court in India
Not only this, a public interest litigation was filed in the Bombay High Court demanding that the Italian fashion house pay monetary compensation to the artisans of the footwear for copying their design. According to the petitioner, Ganesh Hingmire, Prada accepted that its collection is inspired by Indians. And it surfaced after facing widespread backlash. It is also worth mentioning that the brand has not yet issued any formal apology along with the demages or compensation or a remedy towards the situation. The petition read:
“The Kolhapuri chappal is the cultural symbol of Maharashtra and has special public sentiments attached to it. The brand has privately accepted that its collection is “inspired by Indian artisans”; however, this acknowledgment surfaced only after facing widespread backlash on various social media platforms. This acknowledgment was given to the private entity and not to the applicant, makers of Kolhapuri Chappal, Geographical Indication (GI) Registry, government, or the public at large.”
What do you think about Kareena’s dig on Prada’s for copying Indian Kohlapuris, which they have priced for Rs. 1.2 lakh?
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