Kolhapuri Leather Craft

The Kolhapuri chappal has been stitched by hand in our region for 800 years. My family are among the traditional makers who tan and stitch entirely by hand.

We use vegetable-tanned buffalo and cowhide, no nails, no synthetic glue — just waxed thread and a leather punch. A true Kolhapuri moulds to your foot and lasts a decade.

The GI tag finally protects our name from factory copies. I stitch each pair myself and put my mark inside the strap.