It has only been three months since Gucci had to apologize for his sweater with a face painted black or "blackface". But it seems that the brand has not learned the lesson.
The Italian fashion house made headlines earlier this week for its "Indy Full" turban, which went on sale on the website of the luxury store Nordstrom for a whopping 790 dollars.
The blue turban looked a lot like the ones used by millions of Sikhs around the world, and people from the Sikh community were offended and criticized Gucci and Nordstrom for cultural appropriation, insensitivity and the high price of the product.
Nordstrom finally took the turban off his website and apologized.
"We have decided to stop carrying this product and have it removed from the site," the retailer wrote in response to a complaint on Twitter. "It was never our intention to disrespect this religious and cultural symbol. We sincerely apologize to anyone who has been offended by this. "
Gucci has not yet addressed the issue.
This is the reason why the Sikhs had problems with the Gucci turban.
The Sikhs are attacked for wearing turbans
Turbans are the most visible signs of identity of the Sikh and often make them objects of attacks, discrimination, and harassment fueled by hatred. That Gucci and Nordstrom benefit from the same turban style without understanding their meaning is a flagrant example of cultural appropriation, say some members of the Sikh community.
"When companies like Gucci appropriate articles of faith, like the turban with which they try to generate profits, they do not take into account the discrimination faced by the Sikhs by adhering to the principles of their faith," the Sikh Coalition wrote in a publication Facebook. Thursday.
"Do they attack us and kill us because of our appearance and now corporations make profits with that same appearance?" Wrote Simran Jeet Singh.
The turban is not a fashion accessory
Another point of frustration for the Sikhs is that the Gucci turban was marketed as a fashion accessory, a hat that could simply be put on and taken off with ease and will.
The turban is not just something that the Sikhs drop over their heads before leaving in the morning. It is a symbol of faith and religious tradition considered sacred by the Sikhs. Tying a turban is a meticulous and thoughtful process that involves taking a long piece of cloth and wrapping it carefully, folding it over your uncut hair, another symbol of the Sikh faith.
The Sikh turban is a symbol of equality
Selling a luxury version of the Sikh turban for almost $ 800 is contradictory to everything the garment represents and ignores the history from which it emerged, say some members of the Sikh community.
Although the turban dates back thousands of years and has been used by many cultures in different confessions, the Sikh practice of wearing a turban has its origins in India.
Turbans were historically used by royalty and high officials as a symbol of elite status. And under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who came to power in 1658, only the ruling Islamic class was allowed to wear turbans.
The Sikh leaders, also known as the gurus, rejected the social hierarchies and adopted the turbans as an act of resistance. Under the command of Guru Gobind Singh, followers of the Sikh faith began to wear turbans on their uncut hair to affirm the equality and freedom of all people.
"For the Sikhs, the turban is a crown. It is a sign of equality, that no person is greater than the other. That's why the Sikhs have taken what was traditionally a sign of royalty and have turned it into everyday clothes. It is meant to be cheap and accessible to all, "wrote Jasvir Singh.
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