Kolhapuri

Chappals
Origin
A young saudagar notices the
bruised a bleeding feet of traders
walking.
He comes up with an idea of making
a chappal that can sustain through
rocky terrain saving wearers from
snakes and acorpions
70 vinchu seeds (devil's claw seeds)
are put in a single chappal and are
oiled with groundnut oil. This gives it
a crackling sound with every step.
This scares the insect around them.
History
According to historic records , Kolhapuri
chappals were conceptualized as early as
the 13th century and was encouraged by
Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur.
The earlier version was much thinner than
it’s contemporaries and was also known
as ‘Kanwali’ or the ‘Chappal with ears’
owing to it’s two side flaps.
The Kanwali model came to the limelight
when it was sent to the ‘J.J & Sons ‘ retail
store in South Mumbai .
They became an instant hit and their
popularity led to increased demand and
the Saudagar family extended their work
by teaching their artistry to others.
History
It is believed that the original
craftsmen were from the Athani
village in Maharashtra.
It was called ‘Pie-taan’ in local
language , along with ‘Kapashi’
,’Pukari’, ‘Bakkalvi’ – reflecting
the various villages and towns in
which the chappals had been
produced .
The term Kolhapuri was
popularized in the 18th century
Geography & Culture:
The mediaeval city of Kolhapur, which is located on
the Panchaganga River's banks in the south-west of
Maharashtra, gets its name from the legend of
Kolhasur, a demon who was killed by Goddess
Mahalakshmi. This wonderful country of magnificent
temples, nestled in the tranquil Sahyadri mountain,
is the religious pride of Maharashtra. This city, also
known as "Dakshin Kashi," is centred around the
Ambabai (Mahalaxmi) Temple; there is a strong
belief that, after worshipping Lord Balaji at Tirupati,
one must pray to the goddess Mahalakshmi in order
to complete the pilgrimage. The town is endowed
with spectacular temples, monuments, forts, lakes,
and gardens, as well as a tremendous
archaeological and ethnic legacy. Kolhapuri
Chappals and jaggery are both famous around the
world.
Shahu Maharaj was a well-known enthusiast of crafts, and
during his reign, they worked diligently to create and refine
new items of daily use. The first significant development
was made in 1920 when the Saudagar family created an
indigenous design that was thinner than the original and
featured two side flaps, giving it the name "Kanwali."
Previously known by names including Kapashi, Paytaan,
Kachkadi, Bakkalnali, and Pukari. This design gained
recognition when JJ & Sons of Bombay, a then-famous
business organisation, saw it and bought 20 pairs of the
new style for sale in Bombay. A rise in demand prompted
the Saudagar family to further investigate patterns and
materials while honing their technique before passing it on
to village craftspeople in order to keep up with the
demand-supply chain. Additional orders from towns like
Calcutta and Madras, as well as from the British Imperial
house, sealed the deal and helped Kolhapur become the
bastion of these chappals.
By 18th century it became very popular as
Kolhapuri and soon after that it was also
designed in adjoining towns and cities of
Maharashtra. The ‘Chamar’ community
currently practises the hereditary trades of
tanning and leatherwork. One of the key areas
in Kolhapur is Subash Nagar, where roughly 15
to 20 artisans work together to manufacture
Kolhapur chappals. This footwear is known in
local language as "Pie-taan".The traditional
designs named after the place where it is
made like, Kachkadi, bakkalnali, and pukari
are noted for their special features like chunky,
rugged appearance and durability. Very much
suited for daily regular use, these footwear are
available in vibrant colors, different sizes and
patterns.
Evolution
&
Contemp-
Changes are made in these footwear based on

orization the culture

Changes based on culture of a particular
region which sometimes even include colorful
folk style. These footwear can pair themselves
with a casual outfit as well as occasional party
wear.
 The latest pattern of Kolhapuris: branded
Khaadis with bright colors ranging from
violet to electric green, silver and golden
colors.
Added to the brilliant colors, they are also
beautified by works like gota kinaari, stone
work and delicate handwork.
All these latest updates have given the
Kolhapuri a modern outlook and versatility.
Some of the famous patterns include
Natural press palte, Char patti gents
natural, Boot natural, Hare ram gents
natural, Puda patent wa moje, Ladies panch
silai kapsi moje, Ladies press palte brown,
Ladies press palte natural and Yellow
natural puda panted wa moje.
PEOPLE STILL PREFER THE TRADITIONAL
KOLHAPURIS WITH MODERNIZATION
Traditional Footwear Though people still prefer
the traditional Kolhapuris with modernization
there are also other young crowd which look for
the latest trend in the Kolhapuri.
The original Kolhapuri's had only certain
specific hues of brown which ranged from a
light tan to deeper reddish browns.
 With updates in the latest trend they
have come up with more brighter and
vibrant shades, nothing is to compete
with the traditional style of Kolhapuri.
traditional style caters to all age groups
like kids, girls, boys, men and women.
In Pakistan, according to the latest
trend the Kolhapuris are designed flat
with fine work of gold and silver, and
also beautiful laces and pan leather
with different shades of brown and
black.
based on the latest trends, Kolhapuri's
can be said that it is the only footwear
which has remained static for ages for
the changes are only maximized on the
embroidery and the intricate work.
Process
Techniques
1. Sewing Machine - sewing machine is used to stitch patta of kolhapuri chappal. It has
a special ability to stitch leather.
2. Aari - a special kind of knife used to cut leather after drafting is done
3. Asthi - a hammer used for beating leather. It is a very heavy tool completely made up
ofiron.
4. Raapi - a tool used to cut required shapes with perfection.
5. Khurpa - a special kind of knife used to cut leather. It comes in bigger sizes than Aari
& raapi.
6. Palagana - a kind of smooth stone used for sharp Raapi. Also it is used as a platform.
7. Design Stamp tool - a certain stamp-like tool used to create design. It doesn't make
holes to leather but creates depth in pattern.
8. Chandani punching tool - a nail-like structure which has a sharp decorative star at the
narrow end. Once the tool loses its sharpness, it has to throw out and get new
9. These handmade leather footwear are tanned by using vegetable dyes
 For making Kolhapuri chappal, the main required material is
tanned leather. For the
tanning process skin of dead animals like cows, bulls, oxen are
used.
Tanned leather is available in two types. One is machine-
made and another is hand-made. Machine-made technique
requires great capital investment. It is not affordable for every
artisan.
Most of the time when artisans decide to use machine-made
leather
instead of naturally tanned leather; they import it from Chennai (a
city famous for
artificially tanned leather). Buying such leather also costs a lot of
money but it gives
very smooth and fine results.
For natural tanned leather everything is done by physical
efforts only. In Kolhapur,
there is a place named Javahar Nagar which is famous for
handmade leather tanning.
The skin is taken out of animals like cows, bulls, oxes and further
process steps are
followed
Design
analysis
Ergonomics
Female workers are involved in stitching and preparation of various
parts during Kolhapuri manufacturing.
The study focuses on the design of footwear stitching station with
objectives of reducing postural stress which improve workers’
productivity’.
From the findings, it was clear that postural load among female workers
was one of the critical aspects while working in the stitching of the
footwear. In this study, RULA analysis was used to investigate postural
load.
To overcome the identified postural load which was maybe the reason
for the development of reported Work-Related Disorder, new design was
proposed.
The assessment of new design reveals that vision, thigh clearances and
RULA score are good at certain adjustment.
The result of new workstation satisfies ergonomics aspects and user
requirement of artisans.
 Elements and Composition

There are no hard materials used in the manufacturing of these chappals. The making of the Kolhapuri
is quite simple where two parallel piece of leather is joined and stitched with thin strings of leather or
thongs, so that it gives us great comfort and is long-lasting.
Material and colour
Kolhapuri Chappals are widely
made out of the hide of ox
buffalos.
Additionally goat leather is used
to make the upper stripes of the
chappal. The tail part of the hide
is used as it is thicker and better
suited for making chappals.
Vinchu tree seeds are kept in
between the 2 layers of the sole
which makes a sound while
walking
Form and Motifs
The form of the kolhapuri
Chappals are a little different from
a normal footwear.
The chappals have two flaps on
either sides which is then attached
to a strap of the footwear.
The chappal has a unique style
where the strap is either punched
using different types of tools on
the leather or it is braided or
twisted.
The motifs used are created using
these tools and it varies in design.
Thodapaekapathi is a type of
design that creates a wave effect
or zigzag pattern.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Durable Low labour productivity due to lack
sustainable of formal training
low capital investment low numbers of organised product
government support
availability of skilled and
S W manufacturers
inadequate market study and
low cost labour market strategy
hand made product niche, slow upgradation of technology

O T THREATS
Increasing labour costs
OPPORTUNITIES
entry of multinationals in
fast changing fashion trends
domestic market
need to go global
stiff competition from other
product diversification
countries
lack of versatile designs
Bibliography
https://issuu.com/swaralikore5878/docs/kolhapuri_chappal_final
https://gaatha.com/kolhapuri-chappal-story/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21681015.2019.1702593
https://issuu.com/swaralikore5878/docs/kolhapuri_chappal_final
https://www.behance.net/gallery/139416833/Dastakari-Craft-Documentation-on-Kolhapuri-Chappals
https://www.indianmirror.com/culture/indian-specialties/kolhapurifootwear.html
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=elements+of+kolhapuri+chapal&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-
in&client=safari