Mumbai, June 29 -- Days after an open-toe sandal design by Prada sparked a furore among Indian artisans and politicians, the luxury fashion house acknowledged the ancient Indian roots of the design in a statement that suggested they were open for a "dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisans". Images from Prada's fashion show in Milan last weekend showed models wearing leather sandals with a braided design that resembled handmade Kolhapuri slippers with designs dating back to the 12th century. A wave of criticism in the media and from lawmakers followed over the Italian brand's lack of public acknowledgement of the Indian sandal design, which is named after Kolhapur, a city in Maharashtra. Lorenzo Bertelli, son of Prada's owners, responded to the sandal scandal in a letter to a trade group on Friday recognising their Indian heritage."We acknowledge that the sandals... are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage," Bertelli, Prada's head of corporate social responsibility, wrote in the letter to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce. The sandals are at an early stage of design and it is not certain they will be commercialised, but Prada is open to a "dialogue for meaningful exchange with local Indian artisans" and will arrange follow-up meetings, he wrote.The GI-tagged footwear, a symbol of Indian craft that goes back centuries was appropriated by the Italian luxury label which featured it in Spring/Summer 2026 show, is sold between Rs.400 to Rs.4,000, and Prada sells its similar footwear for over Rs.1 lakh. "We welcome response from Prada which admitted that the design showcase by them was inspired by Kolhapuri chappal and readiness to recognise value of specialised craftspeople by meaningful exchange with local artists and MACCIA," Lalit Gandhi, MACCIA president, said....