Footwear, especially those sky-high heels happen to be one of the classiest fashion statements at the moment, but once you are over with those heels, you absolutely love flat sandals because they are the ultimate form of comfort footwear we have known. Ever since human hands learnt the art of making foot works, one of the southern districts of Maharashtra aced the game of manufacturing Kolhapuri flat sandals, yeah you guessed it, these are the ‘Kolhapuri Chappals’
Source: www.mumbailanes.wordpress.com
Kolhapuri Chappals are hand crafted leather samples which are known best for their durability. In ancient times, these were made of pure buffalo leather and would weigh up to a whooping 2.01 kg because of the thick leather that could withstand the high temperatures and rocky geographic features of that land. Now, these are manufactured with the help of artificial leather, making an eco-friendly mark in their way. Though the leather is artificial, there is no compromising on the quality of these sandals; they are as strong and durable as they used to be.
Source: The Hindu
Historically speaking, these originated in the 13th Century. The design is simple, open toed, T-strap style and it is still preserved that way. There is very little variation in the design of these sandals, though, variety of colours are available. Traditionally these were dyed with natural colours and belonged to red and brown tones only, but with new inventions and re-inventions all the basic colours are available. The fact that these are so soft, comfortable and colorful that it holds a special place in the minds of these fashion-driven youngsters. Not only women, men absolutely love wearing them on their traditional attires during the elaborative wedding functions too.
Source: www.mensxp.com
These were introduced in the metropolitan cities by the artists that first recognized them in Kolhapur and to help these artisans earn a better livelihood they were called to Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra to boost their production. It is said that these were sent to Mumbai, noticed by J.J. and Sons, a prominent footwear retailer that still operates in the Prarthana Samaj neighborhood in South Mumbai. This was back in 1920s and the style and demand of this footwear still prevails. Try them yourself and you will see the difference in the comfort level.
Source: www.sweettouch.com
These beautiful type of footwear are coming soon on loveknits.org. To order and dorne these, traditional yet modern and handcrafted pieces log on to www.loveknits.org or mail us on jma@loveknits.org