When the lanky white model walked onto the runway at a Gucci fashion show last year, people immediately zeroed in on one part of his ensemble: A bright blue turban.
It was styled nearly identically to the traditional headwear of Sikhs, who follow a faith with roots in South Asia, and outrage abounded. The Italian luxury brand was widely panned for not showing the look on “a brown model” and failing to grasp the turban’s significance.
“As a Sikh, I see this as a huge sign of disrespect and disregard toward Sikhism,” one person tweeted at the time.
But the initial backlash apparently had little effect, as keen-eyed social media users discovered this week that Gucci’s “Indy Full Turban” — described as a “gorgeously crafted turban” that is “ready to turn heads while keeping you in comfort as well as trademark style” — was being sold by Nordstrom for a reported price of nearly $800. The revelation has since prompted Sikhs and other critics to come after Gucci again, accusing the brand of trivializing an article of faith whose wearers often face discrimination and are attacked for expressing their religious identity.
By late Wednesday, the turban’s listing on Nordstrom’s website was marked as sold out and its $790 price tag was no longer visible. The department store and Gucci did not respond to requests for comment.
This is beyond aggravating. Did someone at @gucci even bother to figure out what a dastaar (turban) means to Sikhs? Did it cross your minds to consider the history behind our identity? My people are discriminated against, even killed, for wearing a turban. pic.twitter.com/G62edSmjhf
— Aasees Kaur (@SouthernSikh) May 14, 2019