From Prada’s Kolhapuri sandals to ‘Scandinavian scarves,’ the West is getting as desi core as it gets

Prada's Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection has created a lot of buzz online thanks to its futuristic silhouettes and pastel hues. But that isn’t half of what has caught online frenzy. For Indian fashion enthusiasts, the sandals sported by the models sparked quite the conversation at just one glance. Prada’s latest collection featured sandals identical to the good old Kolhapuri sandals, worn by everyone from our grandfathers to young fashion students. 

Prada’s bigwigs, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, introduced a collection that felt like it was straight from a sci-fi wardrobe that had many of the luxury label's followers, but the fans of South Asian fashion quickly pointed out that the brand featured Kohlapuri sandals without ever giving a nod to them. The design of these sandals was sharply similar to that of Kohlapuri sandals, including the little toe ring and the thin strap of Kohlapuri's. 

The West has turned to South Asian fashion before for inspiration as well and forgotten to give credit where it's due; 2025 is full of fashion knock-offs from the subcontinent. For example, one of the most prominent of them is Bohemian chic, which takes inspiration from several South Asian fashion staples, such as dupattas, renaming them as 'Sacndivanina scarfs' or claiming Bali Embroidery as 'Ibiza core'. These trends, while widely received, have been criticised due to worries of cultural appropriation. 

South Asian fashion has had a prominent influence on the West's fashion before in several ways, some of which have slipped so comfortably into everyday fashion that most have forgotten where these styles hail from. Pashmina shawls and bandanas are the best examples of these that have become a style staple in the West but have a rich cultural connection to the Indian soil. Keep scrolling to read about Kohlapuri chappals and three other South Asian fashion garments with significant history, symbolism, and cultural memory that have been adopted by the West. 

1. Kohlapuri Chappals

Prada's latest menswear collection features Kohlapuri sandals. The Kolhapuris are handmade, sun-dried sandals crafted by artisans across eight districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, who continue to stitch legacy into every pair. Kohlapuris are no less significant than other footwear, but thanks to Prada's latest collection, Kohlapuri has become the buzzword of the internet – the bright side of the colonisation of couture!

2. Dupattas 

The go-to wedding guest dresses earlier this year featured Scandi scarves that were being worn around European women's necks or being placed loosely around their arms. Sounds familiar? These Sacndi scarves are nothing but dupattas that have been a feature of South Asian fashion and worn by Indian, Pakistani and other South Asian women for thousands of years. Women in South Asia pair dupattas with salwar kameez as stylish traditional attire but also as a sign of respect and dignity.

Since then, these dupatta dresses have left the world of fashion in many disputes, as many fashion creators have accused brands like Acne Studio and Reformation of renaming dupattas as scarf dresses without crediting them, many labels and creators have also faced backlash from South Asian creators on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. But the style has been adapted by the West as more and more people are stepping out in scarf-styled dresses. these dresses have also been featured on the red carpet by the likes of Bella Hadid and Scarlett Johansson.  

3. Bandhani 

The intricate, tie-dyed bandhani patterns that hail from the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh made their way to Europe and quietly morphed into 'bandanas'. These pieces of headgear that were fast accepted by the Europeans were a part of Indian crafts, but the Indian artisans behind them neither got the credit nor the fruit for their hard work as these headgear were being replicated by fast-fashion brands in the West. Later the Bandana style became so popular that what was once a headgear became a trendy style of flimsy top that every fashionista was spotting; the bandana's heritage and inspiration from Bandhani were lost along the way. 

4. Pashmina 

Pashmina shawls are handcrafted Kashmiri shawls that are a product of months of labour and generations of expertise that were one of the first pieces of garments that fell victim to cultural appropriation. The Western world of fashion fell in love with these fine wool textile shawls made from the undercoat of the Changthangi goat. These shawls are expensive to make; as a result, some capitalist minds started  indiscriminately describing any lightweight scarf, diluting its connection to Kashmir and its artisans. Counterfeit pashmina has harmed the livelihoods of traditional Kashmiri artisans and devalued the craft.