Keffiyeh Scarf

[LUMANAcom]

I was looking through the models street style and noticed a lot of models that were wearing the kahfiyah, I was wondering if this is a major trend recently. As I live in Palestine, I see them everywhere anyway but thought it was interesting to see so many on the models. Who else here is wearing the scarf?

All pics were taken from the models street style thread.








Please merge this thread if there is one that is already started about it, I couldnt find anything.

[Meg]

I saw a LOT of people wearing those around last year and I've seen them in a couple of second hand sort of shops in the East End.

[The_Ida]

They have been around for years in Denmark. Even my bf's mom has one.

[tifa]

I find the revival of 'cool kids' wearing these totally depressing.

[Nyx]

They are on every teenager in Helsinki. I think they're beautiful per se, but I do find it a bit ridiculous that the kids wear as a vague allusion to something dangerous and rebellious with probably no idea whatsoever about its origins.

[The_Ida]

Originally Posted by Louna

They are on every teenager in Helsinki. I think they're beautiful per se, but I do find it a bit ridiculous that the kids wear as a vague allusion to something dangerous and rebellious with probably no idea whatsoever about its origins.

Pardon me? You know, Arafat didn't invent the kahfiyah scarf. Jeez...

My mom used to wear them because she wanted to show sympathy to Palestine, what's wrong with that? The kahfiyah is mostly worn by left-wing kids. Making political statements via your clothes is verrry trendy in DK these days.

[Diorling]

They're EVERYWHERE in NYC. I mean EVERYWHERE.

Right now it's a trend because it is visually appealing, the political commentary is lost on the girls who wear it with leggings and a Speedy...

[The_Ida]

Originally Posted by Diorling

They're EVERYWHERE in NYC. I mean EVERYWHERE.

Right now it's a trend because it is visually appealing, the political commentary is lost on the girls who wear it with leggings and a Speedy...

That's kinda ironic

[UNiQFashionista]

Louna: why would it hint to something dangerous? its a headscarf men usually wear all around the middle east- its gorgeous- i always wear my red one..

[kanita]

EVERYBODY here in Holland is wearing them, I mean everybody, they are selling for 4 euros a piece here.

[The_Ida]

Originally Posted by UNiQFashionista

Louna: why would it hint to something dangerous? its a headscarf men usually wear all around the middle east- its gorgeous- i always wear my red one..

I found an article on villagevoice.com that might explain a few things:

Checkered Past
Arafat's trademark scarf is now military chic
by Nina Lalli
February 17th, 2005 4:47 PM

Whatever your views of Yasser Arafat's complex political career, that man wore a scarf like no other. To attempt an exact reproduction of his distinctive folding and bunching (intended to mimic the shape of Palestine) would certainly be a loaded fashion statement, but as an accessory, the keffiyeh, a black-and-white or red-and-white checkered cotton scarf, is all the rage.


This observation is nothing new for Westerners: In the '80s, bohemian girls with dangly earrings and long, side-parted hair wore keffiyehs wrapped around their necks (rather than fixed on the head with a band called an agal), hanging in front—white fringe brushing shredded 501s. The scarves seemed to be for sale on almost every city street. These days, it takes a little more effort—a stroll down Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue—to find them (about $5).

Many Americans strictly associate keffiyehs with the Palestinian movement and its late leader, but they are common to Arabs around the world. With the Middle East consistently the focus of world news, the scarves have also caught the eye of the fashion world. A few years ago, they became extremely popular among Tokyo teenagers, who buy them from army-surplus vendors. They often pair the scarves with camouflage, treating them much in the way American rappers and yuppies alike wear army t-shirts and other military gear. In recent months, New Yorkers have also revisited the keffiyeh. Our spies are suddenly spotting it right and left (no, it's not quite on the scale of ponchos, but it's out there), on hip youngsters at parties, art openings, and at clubs.

Most non-Arab New Yorkers wear them in one of three ways. Pro-Palestinian activists usually drape them loosely over their shoulders, as was recently seen at anti-war protests. World-music types bunch them to make a regular, long scarf, as girls did in the '80s. And the hippest kids fold the square in half to make a triangle and gather it around the neck, center point-down over their chests. This is similar to the way U.S. and British troops wear the scarves in Iraq and Afghanistan—to protect the face in sandstorms. (In that context, the keffiyeh is called a shemagh.) It may be no different in spirit from wearing camouflage, but it's certainly more likely to raise eyebrows.

It basically says that the has been around for Allah knows how many years, and that it wasn't Arafat's invention.

[Nyx]

Originally Posted by The_Ida

Pardon me?

My mom used to wear them because she wanted to show sympathy to Palestine, what's wrong with that? The kahfiyah is mostly worn by left-wing kids. Making political statements via your clothes is verrry trendy in DK these days.

Yes, I do know what wearing a kahfiyah can stand for. But I have a strong feeling that the popularity of the scarf is not the result of a strengthening of political awareness about the conflict of Middle East. Of course I may be wrong here, I don't know that many teenagers personally. So, no objections to showing sympathy for Palestinians here

[Nyx]

Originally Posted by UNiQFashionista

Louna: why would it hint to something dangerous? its a headscarf men usually wear all around the middle east- its gorgeous- i always wear my red one..

Right, I didn't realise that this wouldn't perhaps be clear to everyone. Here in Finland the scarf mostly used to be worn by anarchists and other "radical" kids up until recently. So that's just a culture specific association I have with the scarf. Of course in the Middle East or elsewhere it doesn't have any similar meanings, if any at all.

Edited to pardon for the double posts.

[UNiQFashionista]

Louna-i agree that i do think that some kids just find it cool- without knowing the history behind it-i mean in the middle east- u dont and wont c kids wearing it as a fashion statment- its usually only worn by men. for the purpose of traditional dress- and not for any political statement.

[kanita]

Originally Posted by UNiQFashionista

Louna-i agree that i do think that some kids just find it cool- without knowing the history behind it-i mean in the middle east- u dont and wont c kids wearing it as a fashion statment- its usually only worn by men. for the purpose of traditional dress- and not for any political statement.

In the mid-90's alternative students wore them alot, but for them it was an political statement (while the piece of fabric is of none political but of traditional purpoce, to my knowlege)
For the people now, it is just fashion, but I am wondering, who started this trend? it is pretty big, they wear it all over the world.