PRADA delegation meets Kolhapuri chappal artisans in Athani, promises cooperation

A delegation from PRADA, the European fashion house that faced allegations of copying the design of the Kolhapuri Chappal, visited Athani in Belagavi district recently and interacted with artisans.

The team led by Gautam Mehra, PRADA’s Indian representative, visited the houses of some artisans and spoke to them. It also visited the Kolhapuri Chappal cluster in Athani and documented the working styles of the artisans and took pictures of their portfolio.

“They told us that they are willing to work with the government and cooperate with the artisans. They offered to train batches of five to 10 artisans in their design centres in India,” Shivaraj Soudagar, cluster coordinator, told The Hindu.

“We asked the officers to give us some orders so that we could access a bigger market and get better prices for our product. They agreed to consider our demand,” Mr. Soudagar said.

Another round of meeting between artisans, LIDKAR officers, and PRADA designers has been scheduled in Bengaluru this week.

ZP CEO Rahul Shinde said that the district administration had planned a series of actions for the Athani artisans.

“We want to organise a series of workshops for artisans, in association with agencies like EXIM bank and National Institute of Design. They will not only be aimed at training them in understanding market trends, but also in new designs and use of diverse materials. We will also train them in using e-commerce portals for boosting their sales, standard methods and processes of packing and logistics management. Another set of resource persons will provide soft skills training, and consumer relations. We will also tie up with legal experts to help our artisans better understand the implications of the Geographical Indication and other laws,” Mr Shinde said.

MP for Chikkodi Priyanka Jarkiholi said that she would urge the State government and LIDKAR to work with PRADA and find a solution in which the artisans get assured orders and remunerative wages. She said she would speak to LIDKAR officers and artisans in Karnataka and Maharashtra to find a common solution.