Trend Watch: Shemagh Scarves
 Ok, this is a trend I never anticipated. I'm not sure how it is in the rest of the world, but all over England teenagers and those up to their mid-twenties are wearing these 'shemagh scarves' - some call them Palestinian scarves. You'll have noticed that the entire cast of Shipwrecked have them. I've even seen them in the small town where I live, so this is clearly a trend which is reaching far and wide. Generally neck-wear of any kind is fashionable this year, which i'm happy about for practical reasons - a little bit of material round the neck goes a long way to keeping you warm during spring. I'm actually considering buying one of these in hot pink (as it's one of the major colours of the season and will add a bit of girly-funk to a plain outfit)...what do you think? Please warn me now if you think it's hideous! Urban Outfitters stock a full range online:~ coloured are £18 (green, pink, purple or yellow), whilst plain white is £15. Alternatively this eBay seller has a massive variety, each priced at only £7.99. Plus they ship worldwide and have rare colours like red and blue. |
posted by bglam at 10:25 AM
Comments on "Trend Watch: Shemagh Scarves"
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post a commentthese are about as popular as skinny jeans- maybe its just where i live but EVERYONE wears these!! and i guess thats not such a good thing
It's definitely a trend over here in Wales too, all the sixth formers seem to be accessorising their outfits with them! But their very nice if you can pull them off, I say go for it!
They're called Palestinian scarves cos thats really what they are! I guess you could say they are for Palestine what tartan is for Scotland, its like a national print, but traditionally comes in white & black/red. Just fyi! :D
^ thanks for the info Shirin. It's really interesting how these kind of trends start - I bet people in Arab countries would think we were all mad - all the youngsters wearing these as a fashion item when to them it's just normal.
Thanks for the other comments also; interesting to hear that these are huge in other parts of the country, not just where I live.
ahh! dont get one. they look like rag tag washcloths.
^ haha!! You really think so? Ah i'm still undecided!
here in germany the punk people love them. i think they use it like a symbol. one year everyone have wears them and you have seen it on every second person. i dont like them. because they reminded me ( and i think its not only me in germany) on rats, stinky people, bad music and a bad, childisch attitude. yes, i really dont like them :)
Pretty much a no then hey guys!!!
Well, I haven't bought one yet - I'm still deciding. It's really interesting to hear from each of you in different areas of the world about what trends are happening where you are - keep the comments coming...its fascinating!
I just found your blog, it's very cute, but I wanted to let you know ab scarves. At my university, there was a discussion about them. They are actually called kaffiyehs and are a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. So, wearing it just for vanity is very rude unless that actually follows your politics. I know Urban Outfitters erroneously marketed them as peace scarves also. Please don't wear it just for the sake of fashion, regardless of how cute and boho they might seem..
Hi Caroline - that is a very interesting comment you have just made so thanks for taking the time to write.I haven't bought one and have decided against as there are just sooo many people wearing them and I don't generally like to follow the crowd. I'm glad I didn't now after hearing what you say.
They are actually called kaffiyehs and are a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
That's true but I think it's acceptable to wear them if you are in support of the Palestinian people/ you are wearing it as a fashion purpose but are aware of what it represents. I don't think you can say it is very rude to wear something and therefore no one should, just because of a discussion held at your university. In fact, it would be interesting to know what the Palestinian people feel about us wearing the scarves.
I know you went against the trend, b glam, but totally change your mind! I have one in lilac and it makes me feel fashionable, even though I'm not. Jokes :P And it's also a popular and valuable piece of the SAS soldiers equipment.
Which is something you always wanted to know, I'm sure.
i dont know if this has been said but they were originally by westerners as a sign of solidarity to the Palestinian people in their struggle against israel.
Urban Outfitters did pull there stock of it earlier year as they were worried bout those political connotations
i have two of these myself n i think they're great only trouble is i dnt have a clue how to fasten them :S can anyone help?
YOur all fucking idiots,do any of you know the history behind these and what they symbolise?your wearing them for fashion and you have no idea what theyre worn for.i suggest you all go and do some research on them.
swifty
i dont think people really care what the background of their scarf is really
wearing them is for fashion
you fucking idiot.
kids have just adopted it, like the whole camoflauge crap the last time, its a phase where kids no nothing yet again, it serves a purpose, and not a fashion one
...The Shemagh, like many other items that represent a people, politcal statment OR are used as military gear, has become a new fashion trend whether we like it or not. This particular item represent and is used for many different things. Not everyone who wears one will take the time to see what it's about, most don't care..they just think they look good. What this new trend will do as the others have done in the past, is bring some awarness to something that most are not familiar with, and should maybe learn something about. I'm American and have had one and worn it on occasion for the past 10 years. I've even taken it to the extent of not just a neck scarf, but as a head wrap showing only my eyes with jeans and a T-shirt. I'm aware of what it represent etc...(btw, it looked good) Relax everyone, it's all part of the tools in bringing cultural awarness. Sometimes that's not comfortable...especially this item in this period of western culture, but ultimately it will be for the good. One
Get over it! Its fashionable!
They will be outta fashion soon, so jst build a bridge and walk!
okay - nice kiddies, wearing the keffiyeh, palestinian symbol, representing the murder of thousands. How nice of you.
Hi everyone:)
Shemags/Keffiyehs became associated with Palestinians and war because of the context that they appear in in the media. They have a wider distribution manly in the eastern part of the middle east. plane white/white+red are common in Arabian gulf states and Jordan. Black and white in Palestine. They are part of human culture that the whole world have the right to celebrate and participate in!! just like Kimonos or any other cultural and fashionable items. My only reservation is on the cheap quality ones that indeed look like "rag tag washcloths". The authentic ones have a much nicer fabric and beautiful embroidery.
BTW, many celebes have been spotted wearing the. Sarah Jessica parker did wear a shemag top in season 5 of SATC !!! not mention their influence on many high end designers.
I started that trend, well i've worn one for years as a scarf. Well before any teens or celebs started wearing them. Its getting decidedly uncool tho. need a new unique scarf clearly
I live in Sydney, Australia and there is definately a trend here with it....alot of people are wearing it in my uni this winter...i reckon they look good and feel good 100% COTTON ONES...its also good that they're marketing them as peace scarves....we need some peace in the world we live in today.
if wearing the keffiyeh, palestinian symbol, represts the murder of thousands...... then why dont we just wear them to remember those thousands...
My Dad gave me a real shemagh when he was peace keeping in some counrty and i love it. They are really popular over here in New Zealand. Well in my town they are.
I would just like to point out that these are not Palestinian but are general wear across the middle-east. In fact, the red and white ones are considered a Saudi pattern. They are called keffiyas or shemaghs. They are often worn over the head with an agal (like a ring of rope) holding it in place on top. (Spellings differ as obviously it would normally be written in arabic.)
These have actually been a fashion item with a certain kind of public school-type hippy for well over a decade and I've found it really interesting how they've exploded in to the mainstream over the last year. Guess it's similar to everything military becoming cool after the first Gulf war. Interesting.
I'm saudi and men in my country wear those shomaghs on their head but in red & white sometimes white & white color. in all gulf countries men wear them and in palestine they wear them in black + white color. nowadays saudi girls wear colored ones as scarfs..just like ppl in all over the world. the weird thing is that they dont sell fashionable colors in my country. only traditional ones. but i think they look really good and funky on girls more then men in here.
They look really super but in the US, you can't wear one without getting on the no-fly list...so I guess it won't catch on too quickly over there, people really need to lighten a bit, though...It doesn't nessasarily stand for much else that a fashion statement, but its a risk you take I figure, but you wont see me walking around with one on
this was REALLY popular last year in Toronto, not so much this year though, i wore mine a few times without knowing the history of it till recently, but i'm still gonna wear it just because it's such nicely designed, i'm not supporting anything politically, is that so vain? just as if i'm wearing something with skulls does it make me a nazi or whatever; or if i'm wearing a kimono does it make me japanese? do people have to lable everything?
fashion is fashion :\ why does politics have to be involved in every single thing in our lives !! even fashion :\
Hey everyone, you should know these scarfs are traditionally form palistine and a national palestinion pattern wear them and support Palistine!
just to let you know anonymous yeh they are fashion and nothing to do with politics daa but they are a palestinion fashion and pattern peoploe should know where it come from.
i had no idea this was such a fad! i live in the states and came for christmas vacation to visit my family and i saw about 15 kids in the mall with these scarves and i fell in love. im searching desperately for one now!! urban outfitters is sold out.
I know I'm coming late to this party.
Douglas said:
"...been a fashion item with a certain kind of public school-type hippy for well over a decade"
and the rest Douglas. 20 Years ago when I was at Poly' they were fashionable. Mostly amongst the Socialist Worker Party members. They wore them at that time to show solidarity with the Palestinian people's struggle against the Israeli invaders.
It wasn't just public school types that wore them, after a while it became a 'Student thing' not just for the SWP. For a while they were known as 'Student scarves' or just 'Arab Scarves'. I also had Biker mates that wore them as they sealed the gap between a leather jacket and bike helmet nicely, keeping out cold winds.
I was reminded of mine, as just before Christmas I saw some Emo kids (that's what we call 'em in Wolves') wearing them. Bright white & new. Haha. I thought, I'll dig mine out of the wardrobe, wash it & start wearing it again as the weather has been getting a bit chilly recently.
Yes I've had mine 20 years. During that time it's been a table cloth in one flat, acted as an inadequate blanket when I've passed out at parties, mopped up spilt beer and vomit (mine), been wrapped round my head in a tent at festival sites when it's got cold at night, used to to protect delicate items when moving house. I suspect that this is the real towel that Douglas Adams was referring to in 'Hitchhikers' :)*
No matter what the political implications of this scarf, it's a bloody practical garment.
Which probably makes it rubbish as a 'fashion item' :)
Oh yeah I found this site because I was looking for a 'How to' tie it round your head like an Arab & thought I should chime in with a tale from the past :)
*Speaking of Hitchhikers, it's kept me warm at the side of a number of Motorways.
i've just bought one of these scarves for my hubby, i wasnt sure which color to go for, but then decided to go for a black and white as i've seen loadsa cool guys wearing them, i bought mine from www.desertdress.com they got some awsome pictures and deliverd it proper fast. my husband loved it and i need to buy some more for my brother and father as gifts
i just ordered a shemagh scarf from www.desertdress.com which was recommended by a friend for my hubby, he loved it and im ordering some more now.
i think it may have been touched on once, but i think the point that no one really gets is the racism that goes with cultural APPROPRIATION. even if you wear them in solidarity with palestinians (even though it's not just a palestinian but traditionally worn by arab men), because you're basically saying... we're with you so we're going to appropriate your scarf, even though we have no idea what it's like to struggle daily like you do. and then make fashionable and the cycle of colonialism goes on. because stupid "westerners" appropriate everything they lay their grubby greedy eyes on. they whitewash it and destroy it's meaning!
btw, i'm not white, i'm peruvian and i hate how everyone loves how "ethnic" i am and tokenize me and "appreciate" my culture. westerns don't know how to appreciate, they only take and destroy. they go to other countries and patent traditional herbs, patterns, techniques, everything... wearing keffiyeh is another form of colonization, because you're taking something that isn't yours and applying your own meaning to it...
think about it.
Hey i think that these scarves are the coolest so you should totally get one!!!!!!
hey everyone !
i think that yeah sure to some people it matters thebackground history of it, but if your just wearing it as a fashion statement..i say by all means wear it, i do and i love them, i read the background on them, and it said that they are worn to protect people from direct sunlight, also that its a national symbol or something along those lines..i dont see a problem with wearing them, their not offensive to anyone because alot of people [as a fashion statement or not] wear them..if they were so offensive they would be banned in schools etc. So enjoy them =) even if they go "out of style"..im still wearing them!!
everyone is so fucking negative!! It's just a fashion statement, so deal with it! Who cares if it's a scarf that has to do with politics! Everything in fashion can do with politics!
Just deal with it and quit being stupid ass babies and crying about it!!!
You guys make me sick!!
SHUUUUTUPPPPPPP!!!
GOOD POINT, WHY SHOULD FASHION WORRY ABOUT POLOTICS.
I'M OFF TO GET A KKK HAT RIGHT NOW. NOT AT ALL BECAUSE I'M RACIST JUST I LIKE THEIR LONG POINTYNESS.
at the end of the day, its a scarf.
i bought one today :)
because they are fashionable
so yeah i dont think there's much need for delving into their history that much.
not like your wearing a swastika or anything
These scarves are used by the inhabitants of the middle east to keep wind and sand off the face and neck. They're designed to be worn in a balaclava fashion. I have to admit though they look pretty good in these new colours.
These are Palestinian Support Scarves! They are support for PEACE and an end to the ridiculous war. Too many people are being killed on both sides. Palestinians deserve to live on their land. These are not anti-jew scarves like some people think. Its about peace and justice for Palestine.
For all you political crusaders talking about Palestine etc- I fully acknowledge that certain shemagh colour schemes are affiliated with nations/political movements ( red/white= Jordan, black/white=Palestine,green/white=Lebanon) but non-Muslims have been wearing these scarfs in desert climates since SAS operations in North Africa during WW2 as protection against the sand, sun and wind. I have worn my shemagh in Morocco, Libya, Egypt and Oman and all I have ever received is positive feedback from the locals, including the Berber (Arab tribe)- as it shows to them a willingness to embrace their dress codes etc. Cant someone wear a bloody scarf in the desert without it being taken as some wordly political statement??- the muslims I met obviously thought one could. If your wearing it down the local co-op then its probably a different matter.
Great for keeping flying hot brass out of your shirt!
lawyer101 - Good on ya', mate!
heyy ppl... i was just reading the commentsd and just to tell you.. i'm a palestinian myself and well i no im suppose tyo be proud ppl all around the world now no all about our "palestinian scarf" and these are popular... but in my oppinion, it kinda hurts me from the inside because now there is nothing left fro the palestinians to be known for... the scarves were like the only thing we were known for but now other countries have them so it seems we have nothing left anymore. theres war in palestine so the jews took our land and now the scarves.
I'm not trying to be rude... but if you really like it then buy it... im not stopping any of the ppl buying it but it reallyyyyy HURTS me from the inside.
From: Palestinian anomynouse
here is the deal, i am Palestinian, and these scarves symbolize us, and Arabs in general.
so when you wear them with NO IDEA what they stand for, and you be rude when we tell you what they DO stand for, then yeah, it pretty much pisses us off.
BUT,, we have ABSOLUTELY no problem with you wearing it to express your support for Palestinians.
im not saying you have to support us, but if you dont, and you wear it, then you're probably gonna get dirty looks, i would give you those looks too.
one more thing, it freakin' pisses us off when jews wear the ones with the david star on them. that is copying, and its VERY disrespectful.
The more people who wear them the less they will mean. It's part of the conspiracy to democratise everthing :)
The lot of you are being ridiculous. These scarves are for little more than keeping the sand out of your eyes. They do have a political purpose NOW, but their original design was strictly logistical. And really, what political statement can you make if it's in hot pink? And yet no one gets up in arms when we turn the American flag into a bikini, or turn valuable historical symbols into earrings. All you're saying by wearing this scarf is that you're wearing a scarf. Is it somehow politically incorrect to wear a pashmina? That trend originated in the Indian tradition... so women all over the world are somehow being politically incorrect. Fashion draws influence from everywhere.
The Shemagh is a scarf, the swastika is a symbol of peace, The Boy scouts used it before WW2, and the U.S.Army Air Corps had it on a squadron of thier aircraft. When the world bowed down to Hitler and allowed him to bastardize the symbol through their respecting his power by letting it remain an "evil" symbol this long after his death. Shame on us all.
The Shemaugh, in whatever color or meaning has been around for centuries, people, although probably not in hot pink. Like many pieces of clothing, some in the civilian markets find their way into the militaries of the world, and vice versa. The Ghillie suit, originally developed by turkey hunters in the U.S. of A,s southeastern states, is now used by snipers from many countries. Preventing people from wearing whatever they want is a form of censorship, people! Live in fear! The sky is falling!
Sometimes, clothing is just clothing.
i live in cape town, south africa, and everyone has them here too!
Peruvian girl, just to let you know, you are a RACIST, and ought to be ashamed of yourself.
"westerns don't know how to appreciate, they only take and destroy."
What a horrible sweeping generalization. Grow up, sweetheart.
I love them!
I have an original one! (My dad is arabic) and it soo much cuter then the real one..i always wear it out haha he think its kool how they came in fashion.
Mine is vintaage! you cant beat that =)
I have a shemaug too! However, it is for wargaming purposes. I also wear it normally, like on the streets and stuff and sometimes people stare at it, although it is terrorist.
I just bought one, and was looking up a good way to tie it when I stumbled across this thread... I don't understand why politics has to be tied in with fashion. I mean, mine is blue and white with houndstooth print, and I don't think that has any Palestinian connotations... But either way, it's clothing, and clothing shouldn't have any links with politics and how people feel about them. it's FASHION. really, though.
Rachel Ray has now had her Dunkin Donuts advert pulled for wearing one of these scarves!!! Apparently the company have had complaints that it would appear she is supporting terrorists by wearing it. Check out the article here...http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jkFdO9qpFScDDhvQFAZUmcr3NCbQD90VDRK80
Rachel Ray has now had her Dunkin Donuts advert pulled for wearing one of these scarves!!! Apparently the company have had complaints that it would appear she is supporting terrorists by wearing it. Check out the article here...http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jkFdO9qpFScDDhvQFAZUmcr3NCbQD90VDRK80
You've just gotta love all the self indulgent righteous comments about a bloody scarf!
My mates and I have been wearing these since the early 80's as they not only keep sand out but on a motorbike rain and flies hurt at 100mph!
Fair play to the Arabs - they invented a useful piece of clothing but this is a bit like saying a wearing a bikini is anti-nuke (for the youngsters the US bombed Bikini atol after evicting the resident tribe). Get a life, not everything has a meaning...
These are on many miltary surplus stores lists, sportmansguide.com, brigadeqm.com, etc., patterns used by coallition forces.
I don't think this is a really big deal. It's just a piece of clothing. Its like people who wear bandannas but don't realize they're wearing a gang symbol. Not everything has to have a meaning attached to it. If every group of people on the planet stake a claim to an article of clothing and put a meaning to it we will have nothing to wear so I find this whole scarf controversy pretty ridiculous.
they don't represent Palestine you idiot its a shemagh,kuffiyah,yashmagh etc its a traditional male head scarf. now a certain pattern (cage like pattern represents Palestine because its from Palestine)the ones everybody's wearing mostly come from India you can tell from the pattern on them thats as far as the black and white and red and white ones go the pink and yellow and all that other ugly crap idk
These have been a trend for black kids in DC for over a decade. Old news.
i dont go out alot
these days cuz of work lately .
BUT TODAY!
i went out and i saw
SOOOOO MANY PPL WEARING
SCARVES, BOTH GENDER D:
This fashion trend has reached far and wide. There has been numerous comments regarding the spiritual significance of the scarf. Whether spiritual or not, the scarf is both a fashion and a necessity for all.
I just brought the shit and I gonna rock this shit like a mo'fucka
it looks good on me so hey....
Im not fallin back cos of some history statement that I read here
mine its completely different color from the ones mentioned here...so Im cool...I call it fashion....
yo its called a shemagh man im a muslim dude. im not gettho punk or anything i got my own style you know its kool to wear black nd white shemagh. thats because it matches a lot like i wear a white shirt black pantz a lil baggy not to much though and a pair of black/white puma suedes it lookz pretty kool u know. but i wear my shemagh totally different i wear it old skool on my head thas what it was made for. its for blocking the sun from ur head lol but it lookz raw ight im from chicago Il im tha only guy that wearz it cuz itz my style!!!!!!!!!!!!!