Prada Group Visiting Maharashtra Next Week : Lalit Gandhi, President MACCIA
Prada Group to work on ‘Made In India’ Campaign
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MACCIA) and global fashion house Prada successfully concluded a virtual meeting chaired by MACCIA President Mr. Lalit Gandhi. The session focused on cultural recognition, ethical sourcing, and collaboration with Maharashtra’s artisan community—particularly the Kolhapuri chappal industry, which inspired elements of Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 men’s collection.
Prada was represented by five senior officials from its Milan headquarters: Mr Lorenzo Bertelli (Prada Group head of Corporate Social Responsibility),Christopher Bugg Global director of communications Of Prada group , Lorenzo Bertelli , & Chief Business Development Officer Roberto Massardi , Francesca Secondari ,valentina Isme Piccato.
MACCIA presented six agenda points rooted in cultural respect, co-branded development, and fair trade principles. Prada showed alignment on all key issues and expressed clear interest in long-term engagement with artisan stakeholders.
A standout commitment from Prada was the deployment of its technical expert team to Maharashtra next week. Their visit will focus on identifying transparent, ESG-compliant, and sustainable local supply chain partners for Kolhapuri chappal and other local artisan products manufacturers. MACCIA will facilitate this initiative by connecting them with reputed artisan clusters and compliant manufacturers.
Prada also expressed intent to launch a limited-edition “Made in India” Kolhapuri-inspired collection in partnership with local artisans. The capsule collection will comply with GI-tag requirements and highlight Maharashtra’s cultural heritage across global markets. This step marks a significant win for community recognition and inclusion in global design platforms.
To support this, the Prada team showcased successful global examples of their prior “Made in” campaigns—featuring Made in Peru, Made in Japan, and Made in Scotland product lines. They also presented their early vision for a Made in India–Kolhapuri collection, reinforcing their commitment to honoring craft origins while building meaningful global stories around them.
MACCIA further proposed collaboration on heritage crafts such as Paithani weaving, Himroo textiles, Bichwas/Payal (anklets), and regional embroidery work. Prada responded positively and agreed to explore these crafts for potential integration into future collections. The dialogue reflected genuine openness to cultural storytelling through design.
Both parties also discussed launching structured knowledge exchange and training programs between Indian and Italian artisans. Prada expressed interest in supporting artisan skill development, design innovation, and sustainability-led production models through cross-border collaboration and residencies.
President Lalit Gandhi remarked, “This partnership can become a model for global fashion to work respectfully with traditional communities. We appreciate Prada’s sincerity and look forward to building on this foundation.”
Representing Maharashtra in the meeting were senior members and stakeholders across the chamber and artisan sector, including Mr. Dilip Gupta (Regional Vice President, Western Maharashtra), Ms. Sangeeta Patil (Regional Vice President, North Maharashtra), Ms. Dhanashri Hardas (Chairperson, German Women Entrepreneurship Committee), Ms. Neha Gupta (International Fashion Business Exchange Council), Mr. Sanjay Shete (President, Kolhapur Chamber of Commerce), Mr. Shivajirao Pawar (President, Kolhapur District Footwear Association), Mr. Ganesh Gavali, Mr. Rohit Doiphode, Mr. Rajan Satpute (Footwear Manufacturers and Dealers), Mr. Vikas Achha, Adv. Ishan Patakar, and Adv. Rahul Hingmire (Governing Council Members)