Comments on: Raising awareness or a turban commodified?

By: Gori Kuri

Gori Kuri — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:35:21 +0000

If you have watched the background of a program or sitcom that is set in any of our major metropolitan cities, you will invariably see sikhs. Is it not wise for Kenneth Cole (A Popular Brand with my Husband and his Brothers) to acknowledge a significant part of their client base? It is a fashion add and for this reason it is first and foremost chosen to be pleasing to the eye. His is just another beautiful face chosen to promote an attractive product.

I’m pleased that perhaps this will encourage people will stop to question, who are sikhs. I have to admit I had no clue until I fell in love with one. : )

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Sikhs as Superheroes

The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Sikhs as Superheroes — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:16:59 +0000

[...] at TLH, we’re all about addressing images that misrepresent Sikhs but, for me, this petition is creating more divisions within our [...]

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Bollywood’s “Heroes” - More Sikh Characters on the Big Screen

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:14:41 +0000

[...] You can also read about our discussion about the movie “Singh is Kinng” here and about the commodification of the Sikh identity, with the introduction of the Kenneth Cole ad featuring a Sikh model, here. [...]

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Enlightened by Vogue India

The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Enlightened by Vogue India — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:17:52 +0000

[...] TLH we’ve have lengthy discussions about the potential commodification of religious symbols and also about problematic media representation of groups of people. So, I thought that [...]

By: Mewa Singh

Mewa Singh — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:07:23 +0000

Sounds like the Washington Times' religious editorial blogger shares some of your hesitations Reema.

Even if it's just about building a brand, Kenneth Cole is borrowing symbols that are far more complex than a fashion centerfold. And where does it stop? If you use a turbaned Sikh to shock and captivate today, do you employ women in hijabs and men wearing yarmulkehs tomorrow? Religious clothing makes a statement, as we've seen from the granny-style dresses worn by fundamentalist Mormon women who were part of the west Texas compound raided last month by police and child welfare investigators. Is there a point at which such clothing, worn for modesty or to express devotion to God, should not be used as a fashion statement, no matter how noble its objectives? I draw the line at who is doing the modeling. If the model - as was Mr. Caberwal, part of that religion, I've no problem with them wearing distinctive dress. But should that clothing become an accoutrement on a secular wearer, then no, it should not be used for fashion. [link]

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Celebrating Triviality

The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Celebrating Triviality — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:55:10 +0000

[...] Annual SCORE Capitol Hill Dinner.” To my knowledge, we were the first internet source to blog about Sandeep Singh Caberwal’s modeling of Kenneth Cole merchandise. So let me first state, [...]

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Turban: Just Part Of The School “Uniform”?

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:51:34 +0000

[...] of us have taken part in discussions on how the turban is being commodified and a target for hatred. Understandably there is a strong religious argument for why a turban [...]

By: The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Metrosexual Murdabad!

The Langar Hall » Blog Archive » Metrosexual Murdabad! — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:11:48 +0000

[...] men (turbaned or non-turbaned) used to grow some facial hair. But now I find most Punjabi Sikh men (turbaned or non-turbaned) as part of the metrosexual wave. So on this brainless Friday I ask the guys where [...]

By: John Galt

John Galt — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:31:58 +0000

I think this advertising campaign is an interesting one. However, as someone who came to know Sandeep Caberwal personally in college, I can attest that he’s one of the most wretched, duplicitous people I’ve ever met. Somewhere, he’s probably laughing that he fooled all of you into thinking that he actually lives the philosophies that he discusses in this ad. Things are not always as they appear, my friends. I applaud Kenneth Cole for the thinking that created this ad, but in my opinion, they should have done more research and picked a different vessel.

By: Amrik

Amrik — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:35:47 +0000

I understand why you have these reservations, Harbeer pa ji, but my only problem with that is that we will take these reservations to the next step and eventually consider this “marketing of Sikhi” to be something negative. Firstly, I don’t, at all, think that this is a scheme to make money (except in the fact that Cole puts his name on the ads) in every sense of the word. Think of it this way, we’re making the Sikh dastaar into something fashionable – something more acceptable in our current lifestyle and situation. Right now we are attacked left and right for wearing this piece of cloth which, once formed into a turban on our head, becomes a part of our body. It’s easy to say that Kenneth Cole is trying to sell his brand to those eclectic types who like things that are just plain “different.” I’m going to go ahead and say that this is purely Cole’s way of promoting the tolerance of diversity, as he has done in the past with AIDS awareness and other positive work to make this world a better place (as much as he can do with seasons of pinstripe pants and slim-fitting sport coats).

I know Kenneth Cole and his daughter personally. I don’t think he’s selling Sikhi. I think he’s selling his own personality and he’s doing charity work. I don’t mean for that to sound degrading, but he’s helping us out, little by little.

Whether you trust corporations or not, the purpose of this advertising campaign is for the betterment of America and its intellectual capacity, not Kenneth Cole’s CitiBank account.

Amrik