Chic can be local, it must go global, too

When models strut down the Prada Spring/Summer 2026 runway in Kolhapuri chappals - rebranded as 'leather flat sandals' and priced at a cool ₹1.2 lakh a pair - it kicks up the usual storm over cultural appropriation, or 'theft', as some call it. While the outrage over 'stealing our art' is understandable, the question is: what's stopping us from turning handicrafts into high fashion through savvy marketing? India is a treasure trove of traditional art, ready to be monetised. Consumers are willing to pay more for fashion - if they're told why it's fashionable. Creativity in the business is as much about shaping the narrative as it is about aesthetic identity. Instead of a chappal, choli or dupatta being inserted into a Western canvas, the chic can be mainstreamed in its native habitat - for global consumption.

To scale in value, Indian handicrafts must plug into the high-fashion distribution network. This calls for closer interaction between European labels and Indian artisans. The higher value delivered by the Veblen effect - where demand increases with price - may not be shared equally, but some of it will accrue to workmanship. A lehenga crafted to meet quality standards acceptable to international buyers benefits the entire value chain. Handicrafts can reinvent themselves through production methods that add value. High fashion, in turn, lowers the cost of creative inspiration.

This model marks an improvement over the existing global supply chain, where design is retained in consuming economies and production is outsourced. As a result, designers and producers lose some skin in the game. But as more production markets evolve into fashion consumption markets, aesthetic choices shift accordingly. Instead of functioning as a two-way street - with ideas flowing in one direction and products in the other - the fashion industry could operate more effectively as clusters. These clusters need not be located only where the clients are; they can also form around skills. It's about finding greater efficiency in design, production and distribution.