The Kolhapuri – From ‘Chappal’ to ‘Stiletto’ an Iconic Indian Success Story
It is kind of impossible to think of Indian footwear without the iconic Kolhapuri chappal flashing across the movie reel of my mind. I don’t know a single Indian woman who doesn’t own a pair of Kolhapuri chappals…
Whether I was a student in Philadelphia, an intern in London, a researcher in Istanbul or an associate in Phnom Penh, if it was summer I could always be seen traipsing about these cities in my staple summer ‘uniform’ - cotton kurti, leggings or jeans, and Kolhapuri chappals.
But it wasn’t until that one summer day in Washington DC that I realized my ‘comfy desi’ look was in fact quite ‘global chic’. On my way to lunch that day I glanced into the window of a trendy little boutique and stopped short when I saw a pair of…
… good old desi ‘Kolhapuri chappals’.
What on earth… Or rather, how on earth did they get here?
Kolhapuri chappals are a quintessential Indian footwear - handcrafted leather sandals.
They come from a small town called Kolhapur known for not much else but this type of leather handcrafted footwear. Apparently, for several generations past most families in Kolhapur are or have been traditionally involved in the making of these sandals.
They’ve been made in pretty much the exact same way since, some believe, the 13th century!
Hundreds of years ago, before we had the ‘chai’ and the ‘sari-blouse’ we had kolhapuri chappals. It started off with royals wearing them and then the wealthy… which trickled down to the masses. Over the centuries, the chappal has come to adorn and protect Indian feet across all divides.
They’re absolutely fabulous, of course. Flat t-strap open sandals with a toe ring, traditionally made out of tanned leather. There are several variations and designs including woven and braided leather.
Worn by men and women, the rich and the poor, the fashionable and the fashion-blind - Kolhapuri ‘chappals’ are ubiquitous across India.
You will see them in the north and the south, in the slums and high rises, in colleges and at weddings, in movies on the silver screen and IRL (that’s ‘in real life’ I recently learned).
You can hardly walk into a shoe store in India without tripping over a pair…
The Kolhapuri’s journey: From a street market in Mumbai to a trendy boutique in the US capital
The Kolhapuri chappal is as strong an icon of India as the sari, the Taj Mahal, the chicken tikka masala. It has every right to sail across oceans and proclaim its style statement at the world’s feet.
My great uncle loves to tell the story of how he would travel for hours on unpaved roads to get to the tiny town where two brothers handcrafted the highest quality chappals he had ever seen./
He engaged them to exclusively craft Kolhapuris for Regal Shoes – back in the ‘60s when Regal was a single store in Mumbai. Every month the brothers would come to Mumbai with cartloads of the chappals, which they sold to Regal for Rs 10 a pair, and we sold to the world for Rs 12.
Kolhapuris sold like hotcakes back then.
There are many more stories – of how we custom-made Kolhapuris for Lata Mangeshkar. Or later of Amitabh Bachchan who would come to the store and pretty much always buy those - before he became a star and didn’t do his own shoe shopping anymore!
Celebrities, politicians, businessmen…. Bombayites from all walks of life would come to Regal Shoes walk out with or in a pair of Kolhapuri chappals.
Today as well, Regal Shoes is doing our part in pushing for its popularity – both among men and women. The newest line of the kolhapuri sandals we have created are made with premium super soft leather and lots of footbed padding, so they are as comfortable as the softest shoes of other styles.
They are as stylish as any other style – in cool colors, with heels, even our best selling kolhapuri stilettos that are worn by brides and models alike.
Wearing a pair of Kolhapuris is like carrying with you a loving, protective piece of your culture. It holds upon its soles the history of our nation, the skill of our craftsmen leaves behind a footprint of our culture.
And I guess at this point I must ask you: Are you walking the path to this revival as well.
It’s as easy as online shopping. So get yourself a pair ASAP!
Love,
Shoe Diva