Not all ideas are unique. In the creative world, it is easy to get “inspired” by someone else’s work. But when your product is merely a copy of an object from another culture, can it even be called yours? And if you seek to profit from it by selling it at several times the price of the original, is it not simply cultural appropriation of the highest order? Art has a provenance; should culture then not have similar protections?
Last week, Italian fashion house Prada faced criticism for picking up the simple Kolhapuri chappals—which symbolise the common man in India—and introducing them as a sandal in its Spring Summer 2026 collection. It’s not the first time luxury brands have picked up elements from a culture and slapped them on clothes and accessories without a second thought.
In 2013, Nike printed a Samoan tattoo pattern on women’s sportswear, leading to an outcry about cultural disrespect. In 2019, the brand was forced to withdraw a range of Air Force 1 sneakers for wrongful representation of designs from Panama’s indigenous Guna tribe. And now Prada has said it was ‘inspired by’ the ubiquitous Kolhapuri—the trademark look of Indian Leftist socialists and the ‘cool’ young people of all ages—and turned it into a Rs 1.2 lakh luxury adornment. These repeated instances give rise to a debate on the intellectual property rights of a culture and its economic exploitation by a different, often dominant one.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘cultural appropriation’ as the “act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture”. This usually involves members of a majority or dominant group adopting cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical manner.
In her research article, Racial Plagiarism and Fashion, American cultural theorist Minh-Ha T Pham explains that “racialized groups’ resources of knowledge, labor and cultural heritage are exploited for the benefit of dominant groups and in ways that maintain dominant socio economic relationships”. Prada’s appropriation of the Kolhapuri is an instance of racial plagiarism.
Economically dominant nations or civilisations ‘borrow’ traditions of ancient civilisations and religions, and turn them into profit–generating machines for the so–called civilised world. As a citizen of India that represents an ancient civilisation, and as a practising lawyer, I would like to initiate discussion on both national and international law governing plagiarism jurisdiction.
Cultural appropriation of haldi doodh
Whenever I injured myself or fell sick as a child, my mom had a magic drink that not only soothed my sore body but my bruised spirit as well. It was haldi doodh, a milk-and-turmeric drink which was as delicious as it was healthy. It is the tonic that I, as the mother of two rambunctious boys, used as an elixir. Imagine my shock, when, during a visit to New York in 2015–16, my host offered me a “magical drink that would take away my tiredness”, and I was served haldi doodh for $12 in a fancy coffee outlet.
For years, turmeric was the “curry ingredient that leaves indelible yellow stains on appliances and fingernails”. Yet suddenly, adding a pinch to milk gave it a Midas touch, turning it into a “Golden Drink”. Instagram influencers couldn’t stop extolling the benefits of consuming Turmeric Latte, and it became the go-to health drink for fit, fair, blonde Western women, replacing the morning cup of coffee. With its origins in ancient Ayurveda wisdom, Turmeric Latte is a prime example of the cultural appropriation of Indian traditions.
My mother’s simple haldi doodh, passed on to her from the many generations of mothers that came before her, is now a multi-million-dollar industry. Had she patented this drink, I could’ve retired comfortably and made adequate financial provision for the next five generations. Here are the numbers for turmeric milk mix, an industry of $201.9 million in 2023, expected to increase to $326.7 million by 2031. The larger turmeric market was valued at $4.3 billion in 2023. You can get turmeric ginger shots in any wellness or health shop in any part of the world, drawing from our use of adrak and haldi in traditional recipes.
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Cultural appropriation of yoga
We recently celebrated the 11th International Day of Yoga, which has finally been attributed to ancient Indian/Hindu culture thanks to the efforts of PM Narendra Modi.
“The theme of this year’s International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga For One Earth, For One Health’. This theme reflects a deep truth: the health of every entity on Earth is interconnected,” he said at Visakhapatnam on 21 June. If not for these efforts, yoga was a classic case of cultural appropriation. It evoked the image of foreigners practising “downward dog” pose in upscale 5th Avenue New York Yoga Studios. Western brands like Lululemon and Alo Yoga commercialise the practice as purely physical fitness, often removing Sanskrit terms, spiritual roots, and Hindu ethos.
An entire industry has sprung up around yoga instructors, apparel, mats and even yoga balms. The estimated size of this market was $107.1 billion in 2023. I have encountered Spanish-speaking yoga instructors in South America who have perfected the art of breathing. They start the class with a namaste and end with chanting “Om”, with some dwelling deep into the idea of the soul, body, and mind connection. Others had no idea or interest in the subject.
I grew up watching Dhirendra Brahmachari on the Black & White TV screen, who was often projected as a political companion of Indira Gandhi. Years later, Baba Ramdev took swadeshi and yoga to another level, making it into a successful business while keeping the spiritual practice alive.
Indians are happy to accept a White person teaching them their own अधो मुख श्वानासन as the ‘mountain’ pose. Other asanas were also renamed to sound ‘cool’: वीरभद्रासन became the warrior pose, भुजन्गासन became the cobra pose, गौमुखासन became the cow pose, and धनुरासन became the bow pose.
Yoga finds mention in the ancient Indian text, the Rig Veda. It was one of the six orthodox schools (darshanas) of Hinduism. This must be clarified to the world, or else there’s every possibility of it becoming another case of cultural appropriation.
“I’m happy that people find healing and spiritual freedom in something from my cultural roots. But I still find myself resentful that I was made to feel shame for my culture, including my yoga practice, and now it is frequently seen as glamorous, trendy, and often has been divorced from its true meaning,” wrote Indian American Yoga Teacher Rina Deshpande.
Recognising the cultural roots of practices and traditions is an important practice in an ethical life.
Also read: Early Harappan burial discovery is changing how we understand Gujarat’s past
Bindi, Ma Kali, and other desecrations
For years, the bindi, a religious symbol marking the Ajna Chakra and at times, symbolic of the sanctity of marriage for Hindu women, was used to culturally intimidate Hindus. A hate gang called the Dotbusters operated in Jersey City in the late 1980s.
“We will go to any extreme to get Indians to move out of Jersey City. If I’m walking down the street and I see a Hindu and the setting is right, I will hit him or her… They are a weak race physically and mentally… We will never be stopped,” read the gang’s manifesto in The Jersey Journal.
Today, celebrities such as Katie Perry, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and others have sported Bindis at Coachella. They’ve made it a cool ‘boho’ accessory without the cultural context and the suffering that brown women had to endure. For culturally sensitive people, it’s not a fashion accessory but a symbol of culture, religion, and spirituality.
Another case of cultural appropriation of ancient Hindu culture is the use of imagery featuring the Hindu deity Kali and the Buddha. In a recent distasteful music video, a Canadian rapper dressed up as the goddess. Pasting images of religious icons on T–shirts would constitute blasphemy in other religions. Yet, the disrespect for Hinduism is rampant.
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Prada and the ubiquitous Kolhapuri chappals
Prada’s Spring Summer 2026 collection has introduced the very Indian Kolhapuri on European ramps—a move I welcome. At the same time, there is a deeper problem here.
“Prada is selling products looking like Kolhapuri chappals for over ₹1 lakh. Our artisans make the same by hand for ₹400. They lose, while global brands cash in on our culture,” wrote Harsh Goenka, perfectly voicing my angst.
It’s perfectly alright for Prada to be “inspired’ by the humble Kolhapuri—robbing cultural heritage and stealing the livelihood of the poor artisanal cobbler from Maharashtra—without crediting the artisan or the community as the source of inspiration. But if the proverbial sandal was on the other foot, Prada would go after the poor cobbler and bankrupt him, alleging him to be a counterfeiter who had stolen Prada’s design.
This is not the first time design houses have been ‘inspired’ by Indian/Hindu cultural artefacts. Gucci’s sari gown for Alia Bhatt, South American brand Rapsodia copying the work of Anupamaa Dayal, and the Dior sharara worn by Chiara King, are some examples. And who can forget the controversy when Dior copied block printing designs from People Tree? The designs had been handcrafted for over 15 years by Rajasthani block printers.
International brands bring global attention to Indian handlooms and arts, which I appreciate. However, the question remains: who profits from this elite fashion’s appropriation of heritage?
There needs to be a larger debate on intellectual property, cultural credit, and economic justice, especially in the context of ancient Hindu religious symbols, philosophies, and principles of dharma and wellness. The government should consider enacting policies that prevent the economic plundering of Indian culture by foreign conglomerates. After all, is Prada’s appropriation of the Kolhapuri not similar to the colonial–era plundering of Indian art and relics?
Meenakashi Lekhi is a BJP leader, lawyer and social activist. Her X handle is @M_Lekhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)