# Fashion And Sikhism



## kds1980 (Jul 16, 2010)

After reading thread of Harleen kaur I want ask can fashion and sikhism go hand by hand.On one hand we ask youngsters not to cut their hair On the other hand we show them people which associated with fashion industry.Now we all know that to follow latest fashion  or to be part of that industry  you have to cut your hair.So It is clear we are creating confusion in the mind of youngsters what to do?

Here are options

1)Stop promoting uncut hairs

2)Stop promoting fashion industry

Because these two are contradictory


----------



## badshah (Jul 16, 2010)

Kanwardeep Singh said:


> After reading thread of Harleen kaur I want ask can fashion and sikhism go hand by hand.On one hand we ask youngsters not to cut their hair On the other hand we show them people which associated with fashion industry.Now we all know that to follow latest fashion or to be part of that industry you have to cut your hair.So It is clear we are creating confusion in the mind of youngsters what to do?
> 
> Here are options
> 
> ...


 

You make it sound like the majority of Sikhs have kept their hair in the first place.... what planet you on?


----------



## kds1980 (Jul 16, 2010)

badshah said:


> You make it sound like the majority of Sikhs have kept their hair in the first place.... what planet you on?



In urban India majority do have but I do think in next 20-30 years they will vanish.

I am not saying majority do keep hair but sikhism aggressively promote uncut hair.BTW majority of sikhs drink too so we should also stop promoting non usage of alchohol? right


----------



## badshah (Jul 16, 2010)

Kanwardeep Singh said:


> In urban India majority do have but I do think in next 20-30 years they will vanish.
> 
> I am not saying majority do keep hair but sikhism aggressively promote uncut hair.BTW majority of sikhs drink too so we should also stop promoting non usage of alchohol? right


 
THB you are going  to waste your energy on things that you cannot control... we have Gurudwaras to deal with these problems..... but to your initial question..... I say this to you...... you obviously have an image of the prefect Sikh in your head..... so if you think you can appeal to people then you should become that role model.  If we can all become that role model that we picture in our heads to be that great SIkh then thats how you address the problem.


----------



## spnadmin (Jul 16, 2010)

Kanwardeep Singh said:


> After reading thread of Harleen kaur I want ask can fashion and sikhism go hand by hand.On one hand we ask youngsters not to cut their hair On the other hand we show them people which associated with fashion industry.Now we all know that to follow latest fashion  or to be part of that industry  you have to cut your hair.So It is clear we are creating confusion in the mind of youngsters what to do?
> 
> Here are options
> 
> ...



Kanwardeeo Singh ji]

I am not sure who is "promoting"  anything. Who are you  referring to as promoting both uncut hair and the fashion industry?


That is the real world. A kid turns on the TV, takes a trip to the city center, goes to a movie, sees the  pics in the bedroom of a friend on the wall, buys DVD's, goes to the Indian market and sees newspapers and mags behind the counter. And they see cut hair, fashion, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, family planning products, nail polish. How are you going to prevent youngsters from seeing things that contradict the message that one person or another wants to send about Sikhis? And I have noticed that the messages what Sikhism is  tend to be contradictory themselves. :happykaur::happykaur:

This is life. Contradiction. The only way to learn how to think before acting, make choices based  upon values, is by having some things to think about and some values to reflect upon. If you protect kids from contradictions they do not learn how to think, and one of two things happens. Either they act like they were brought up in a plastic bubble and are afraid of life. Or they become fools, compulsive users of drugs, sex and alcohol.

Life is confusing. Life promotes confusion.  Putting people in a straight-jacket only manages to confuse them more. The Taliban tried to keep people from being confused. Did it work?


----------



## stacia (Aug 15, 2010)

Hiding things from kids or vehemently forbidding them something never turns out well.  Educate them, respect them, guide them by example and give them some degree of free will ..... Kids are generally intelligent little creatures and with mutual respect and all the information can usually be relied upon to make good choices.


----------



## Tejwant Singh (Aug 16, 2010)

stacia said:


> Hiding things from kids or vehemently forbidding them something never turns out well.  Educate them, respect them, guide them by example and give them some degree of free will ..... Kids are generally intelligent little creatures and with mutual respect and all the information can usually be relied upon to make good choices.


Narayanjot ji and Stacia ji,

Guru Fateh.

Very well said and I want to thank both of you for that as I have a 20 year old daughter and a 15 year old son, but I call myself a blessed dad.

Thanks & regards

Tejwant Singh


----------



## Tejwant Singh (Aug 16, 2010)

Kanwardeep Singh said:


> After reading thread of Harleen kaur I want ask can fashion and sikhism go hand by hand.On one hand we ask youngsters not to cut their hair On the other hand we show them people which associated with fashion industry.Now we all know that to follow latest fashion  or to be part of that industry  you have to cut your hair.So It is clear we are creating confusion in the mind of youngsters what to do?
> 
> Here are options
> 
> ...




Kanwardeep Singh ji,

Guru Fateh.

I have been in the Fashion industry since the age of 16 when I moved to London and all my family in the UK, USA and Canada are in the same Fashion Industry. Fashion industry gives jobs to millions of people  in India and helps in billions of dollars in exports.

I take issue with number 2 of yours and  also take it with a grain of salt because it shows very parochial thinking on your part. I will tell you why.

Both of my kids and all  my nephews and nieces are keshadhari Sikhs and some of  them are also Amritdharis. My Son Trimaan has been the only visible Sikh in Henderson, NV since 1998 when we moved here. He is in high school and wears a dastaar quite proudly, shall I say. We do not even find keshadhari kids in our 2 Gurdwaras here.

All the boys have their beards open. One of my nephews worked for GAP  corporate for 2 years in San Francisco with his beard wide open  and always carried his kirpan with him. He got promoted 4 times during this  period. He was making 75k a year.

He resigned from Gap and joined his dad because he wanted go to Japan for Gap but they told him there were people who had worked their many years longer than him who would get the preference. He was also told that he was the  only one who had gotten promoted so fast in the company.

So, I would like to say that, you should stop blaming the fast changes happening in India and abroad but  teach your kids,nieces and nephews how to adapt to them but you have to adapt before you can guide them.

Both my kids are very fashion conscious because of my  own back ground but they know what to wear to look elegant.

Lastly, I would  like to say that, you must have seen the  picture of my nieces' reception and Anand karaj. The  picture of the Anand Karaj of Haroop and Simar shows that his beard is open  and his and his dad's clothing company have $30 million in annual sales. And both are Amritdhari. Haroop works for Accenture as a Project Managerand travels around the USA, lives in the  hotels during the week and come back home on the weekends.

The beauty of Sikhi is  to adapt to the environment rather than creating a talibanic purdha in our minds.

That is what the word Sikh means.


Regards

Tejwant Singh


----------



## stacia (Aug 16, 2010)

That was very well said.  And, WOW, your family has done well in their industry, congratulations.  
Keeping an open mind, adapting, growing...it's the only way to survive in a rapidly changing world.  Being "fashion conscious" doesn't mean that one has to adopt all of the latest trends but rather that they find a way to modify and personalise the elements that they find appealing.  Most people wouldn't wear runway fashion on the street in the same manner that they are showcased by the designer...that is art, wearing it is real life and they are modified.  We need to allow our children to see the ways of the world and discuss with them why some things are appropriate for us and our lifestyle (whatever that may be) and some things are not.  Fashion is only one aspect.
As the mother of a 16 year old boy and a 13 year old daughter, I have issues with the world of advertising every day...I have done my best to teach my children that just because magazines and television promote something in a certain way doesn' mean that it HAS to be done, worn, revealed, whatever in that exact manner.   Body image is a huge issue with teenagers, boys and girls.....the media makes these kids think they all have to be a size 0, as parents it's our job to teach them that they are just fine as long as they are healthy and active, that beauty is on the inside.  Adaptation and personal expression are key to making fashion work for you.


----------



## spnadmin (Aug 16, 2010)

Tejwant Singh ji 

Sikhs embrace the whole world and out of sometimes bitter necessity Sikhs have lived on many horizons and done it with enormous talent. In deed some Sikhs have even conquered worlds within worlds, just like your family, just like Manmohan Singh Duggal has done. 

*Mac Duggal debuts his Spring 2011 Collection*

                                                                             July 19, 2010                                by       Inderveer Rehal                                    





*

Mac  Duggal, an Indian Born Sikh, Chicago-based fashion designer, debuts his  Spring 2011 Collection on the Oxygen Channel on the show "Jersey  Couture"*

  MAC DUGGAL, an Indian Born Sikh, Chicago-based fashion designer, debuts  his Spring 2011 Collection on the Oxygen Channel on the show "Jersey  Couture"....... Watch "Jersey Couture" Tuesday, July 20th at 10E/9C. Mac Duggal's celebrity styling has catapulted him into the high end  fashion scene after having a string of stars wear his most dramatic  creations on the red carpet and music scene. He recently scored major  reviews for his impressive gowns that took the stage at Donald Trump's  Miss USA pageant on NBC, including the highest evening gown winner.


 His designs have become a staple on the pageant circuit including,  Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, Miss World and more. The styling  even caught the eyes of NBC owned, Oxygen network producers; therefore  he is featured in the upcoming reality show, Jersey Couture, Tuesday,  July 20th on Oxygen 10E/9C.


 Duggal, who is an Indian born designer that has been part of the  Chicago fashion scene for 25 years, also has designed and developed  lines for ready to wear Department stores such as Nordstroms, Neiman  Marcus, Macys, Saks, Dillards and more.

http://www.sikhnet.com/news/mac-duggal-debuts-his-spring-2011-collection


----------



## badshah (Aug 16, 2010)

Tejwant Singh said:


> Kanwardeep Singh ji,
> 
> Guru Fateh.
> 
> ...


 
Good stuff Singh..... see you push Sikhs in the right direction but many of our own Sikhs promote their values in the opposite direction...... like a mona friend of mine was talking to me and saying how people with turbans cannot get jobs as stockbrokers because goray do not like them..... so our own people have reservations for a Sikh way of life and lean towards Westernized beliefs and assimulation.

I think that if you keep a Singh appearance then we should all try and make great achievements so that our actions can convert the non-belivers back into believers....


----------



## spnadmin (Aug 16, 2010)

These are the pics of Tej ji's family weddings. Tej if you see this give us the captions.


----------



## ugsbay (Aug 16, 2010)

SSA.
Beautiful pictures, Tejwant Ji you surely are blessed with a Lovely family. Thankyou Narayanjot Ji for sharing the pictures. Talking about Fashion my first job when i left school was in a High Street Menswear Shop called "Top Man". I loved working there but i had to leave after a year due to family circumstances. Well done again Tejwant Ji.


----------



## Tejwant Singh (Aug 16, 2010)

Narayanjot Kaur said:


> These are the pics of Tej ji's family weddings. Tej if you see this give us the captions.
> 
> Pic 1 is of Maneep and Sandeep
> Pic 2 is of Haroop and Simar
> ...


 
Narayanjot ji,

Guru Fateh.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

1. Picture on the left is of Haroop and Simar. Haroop works for Accenture and Simar works in the fahion industry.

2. Picture on the right is of Manmeet and Sandeep. Manmeet is on her 4th year of medical residency and is specialising in breast cancer and Sandeep is a Vice-President at Barclays Bank.


Regards

Tejwant Singh


----------



## kds1980 (Aug 17, 2010)

Tejwant Singh ji

When I started this thread we were discussing harleen kaur nottay so my main point was
with modelling. Its obvious that models earn there bread and butter from fashion designers
and are part of fashion industry.Its obvious that a sikh can design clothes or work in clothes factory.But what about walking on ramp ? can we say a sikh model man or woman could walk on ramp without cutting his/her hair?No one today can deny the fact that hairstyles are also very much part of today's fashion and one of the main  reason among sikhs to cut there hair


----------



## Tejwant Singh (Aug 17, 2010)

Kanwardeep Singh said:


> Tejwant Singh ji
> 
> When I started this thread we were discussing harleen kaur nottay so my main point was
> with modelling. Its obvious that models earn there bread and butter from fashion designers
> and are part of fashion industry.Its obvious that a sikh can design clothes or work in clothes factory.But what about walking on ramp ? can we say a sikh model man or woman could walk on ramp without cutting his/her hair?No one today can deny the fact that hairstyles are also very much part of today's fashion and one of the main  reason among sikhs to cut there hair




Kanwardeep ji,

Guru Fateh.

Now you are changing the tune which is OK but read your initial post  specifically said to boycott Fashion Industry and my response was based on that. 

Below is your post whatever its premise may have been but it shows clearly what you said:



> Here are options
> 
> 1)Stop promoting uncut hairs
> 
> ...



Regards

Tejwant Singh


----------



## kds1980 (Aug 17, 2010)

Tejwant Singh said:


> Kanwardeep ji,
> 
> Guru Fateh.
> 
> ...




Tejwant singh ji

I am not changing tune perhaps I should think twice before starting thread
and naming them.You can check when this thread is started .That was the time when harleen kaur's discussion was at its peak.


----------

