The state’s Leather Industries Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italian fashion brand Prada to take the heritage of Indian traditional leather goods especially Kolhapuri slippers to the global market. As a result, traditional Kolhapuri craftsmanship will now be supported by Prada, opening long-awaited international opportunities. The special collection is set to be available worldwide from February 2026 across 40 Prada stores and on Prada’s official website.

Traditional Kolhapuri chappals are made in eight districts of Maharashtra (Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Solapur) and Karnataka (Belgaum, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Bijapur). They received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2019. A few months earlier, controversy arose when Prada displayed Kolhapuri-style slipper

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