"Made in India Is Not Enough. It’s Time for Designed in India."
For decades, Indian craftsmanship has quietly powered the visual vocabulary of global luxury. The beadwork on a couture gown in Paris. The embroidery on a £3,000 rug in London. The fine cotton of a $200 white shirt in New York.
What do they have in common? Often, they're made in South Asia. From bustling factories in Bangladesh to artisan clusters in Jaipur and craft villages in Sindh, South Asian labor and tradition have sat behind the scenes, content to be the engine, never the badge.
Until now.
When Prada launched a pair of leather sandals as part of its 2025 collection — priced at over ₹80,000 and bearing a striking resemblance to the Kolhapuri chappals handcrafted in India for over eight centuries — something shifted. Instead of quiet acceptance or even pride in being “noticed,” Indian creators, policymakers, and everyday consumers responded with a public demand for recognition.
From Attribution to Asset: Why IP Matters in Brand Ecosystems
The Kolhapuri story is not new. What’s new is the response and that response marks a shift in how emerging markets view their role in the global value chain.
India continues to contribute to the backend of countless industries — from textiles to technology. We've built the code, processed the claims, designed the frameworks, and shaped the narratives, but rarely have we owned the story.
It often shows up when offshore GCC teams build IP, but their names never make it to pitch decks. When strategy decks are co-developed, but only one firm gets the byline. It is fueled further when the only differential is cost and not the ideation and thinking.
The Prada incident is a visible artifact of a deeper pattern: value flows to the front of the value chain. Those who control narrative, attribution, and customer experience earn the margins, recognition, and influence.
The Moment That Changed the Mood
At first glance, it was just another luxury adaptation of traditional design. But timing, platforms, and sentiment aligned to make it a cultural flashpoint.
Between May 17 and July 1, over 23,000 posts across X, Instagram, and Threads used terms like “Kolhapuri,” “Prada sandals,” and “cultural appropriation.”
Sentiment analysis showed 60% negative posts in India, peaking between June 22–25, while global audiences showed 40% curiosity, especially across diaspora accounts.
Influencers like Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss AMC, and content creators like Masoom Minawala voiced concerns, not just about design plagiarism, but about the systemic erasure of origin.
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce (MACCIA) filed a formal complaint. Indian newsrooms ran editorials. Global fashion outlets picked it up. And finally, Prada responded — publicly acknowledging the “inspiration” behind the sandals and expressing willingness to engage with Indian artisans.
The underlying shift? Emerging markets are no longer satisfied being operational enablers. They want to be co-creators, IP owners, and category definers.
From handcrafted chappals to complex cloud solutions, ownership and attribution are now central to how value is created and captured. This isn't just about fashion — it's about the future of ecosystems, co-creation, and reputation.
The backlash to Prada wasn’t just noise but it was signal. A signal that backend excellence is no longer enough. That silent contribution is not the strategy. Marketing must move beyond amplification and into advocacy.
Because in the boardroom and on the world stage, narrative equity is the new brand moat.