It seems more and more lately, well-respected fashion houses are finding themselves in hot water.
You would think in 2019 that they would know better than to design anything that even remotely looks like cultural appropriation.
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But no, here we are again and this one is blatant.
This isn’t the first time Gucci has been caught in the middle of controversy.
Just this February, the brand had to pull a black balaclava sweater from their site for the resemblance to blackface .
People were quick to call the brand out and left many questioning who was approving their designs.
The mouth area on the sweater was red and looked suspiciously similar to the way white people in racist minstrel shows would portray black people.
Following the incident, Gucci apologized and released a statement saying, “We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld, respected, and at the forefront of every decision we make.”
Now the designer label appears to have upset another cultural group.
Sikhs are people who practice Sikhism which is a religion that was started in the Punjab region of India back in the 15th Century.
Sikhs typically wear Daastars or turbans as they’re also called.
In the Sikh religion, turbans are holy and are believed to represent honour, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety
And THIS is what Gucci was parading down their runways.
Gucci had these gentrified turbans front and center at their fashion show last year.
People immediately called out the brand for not using a Sikh or Indian model to wear their clearly “inspired” design.
Clearly Gucci didn’t get the memo because they still attempted to sell the turban.
On the Nordstrom site, its described as, “a gorgeously crafted turban is ready to turn heads while keeping you in comfort as well as trademark style.”
The “Indy Full Head Wrap” also rings in at a staggering $790 .
Now people have had enough with the brand.
The brand is being called out left right and center for its poor design choice.
“Dear @gucci, the Sikh Truban is not a hot new accessory for white models but an article of faith for practising Sikhs. Your models have used Turbans as ‘hats’ whereas practising Sikhs tie them neatly fold-by-fold. Using fake Sikhs/Turbans is worse than selling fake Gucci products.,” said Sikh philanthropist Harjinder Singh Kukreja.
Even the Sikh Coalition spoke out about the “Indy” turban.
“The turban is not just an accessory to monetize; it’s a religious article of faith that millions of Sikhs view as sacred,” the @sikh_coalition tweeted. “Many find this cultural appropriation inappropriate since those wearing the turban just for fashion will not appreciate its deep religious significance.”
Another tweeted and urged followers not to spend their money on “fake n fancy turbans.”
In response to the backlash, Nordstrom has since apologized.
The American retailer has been reponding to followers on Twitter about the incident and have since listed the turban as sold out on their site.
So far there’s still no word from Gucci about the matter.
Hopefully, they can find a way to correct this with the Sikh community and do better next time.
