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Trendy Scarves - the Keffiyeh and the Pashmina

Making a Statement With the Scarf You Wear

Dec 19, 2008 Clea (Hariklia) Simos

Everyone under the age of 20 has wrapped a scarf around them all four seasons this year. This hot trend has stirred up a lot of controversy, about which scarf you wear.

Hot pink, purple, blue, green, yellow; name a color and it has probably been fashionably tied around the neck of someone this year, including various celebrities (most notably Kanye West and Rachel Ray).

The scarves these two very different public figures wore are not the $400 Hermès silk scarves seen in the pages of high fashion magazines; rather they have been seen on people like former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat (not your typical fashion trend setter). The Keffiyeh, which both Kanye West and Rachel Ray wore, is a scarf traditionally worn by Arab men for ceremonial purposes and to protect themselves from the harsh dessert conditions.

The Scarf Controversy

Whether they realize it or not, a Westerner who wears a traditional looking Keffiyeh is making a statement. Donning one of these scarves can convey that you support Palestine in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In other instances it has been referred to as a anti-war symbol. It's dichotic symbolism has made retailers like the very trendy Urban Outfitters yank it from its stores.

When Rachel Ray wore a Keffiyeh-style scarf in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial, the trendy accessory garnered attention again, resulting in debate as to whether it was appropriate for Westerners to wear.

Before buying into this trend, consumers may want to take into consideration the statement they are making when wearing this hot accessory. For this reason Facebook groups like "Take off that Keffiyeh until you can tell me what it means" and "Palestinian scarf: Understand it or Don't Bother Wearing It!" have spawned on the social networking site.

Knowing the Difference Between the Hot Trend and the Hot Controversy

However, not all scarves this season are making a political statement; some are just a paying homage to the trend of layering seen on the runways this year. Spotting the difference is fairly simple. A Keffiyeh is traditionally a large square cotton scarf that has a checker pattern on it and sometimes has a fringe around the edges. Some stores sell them in a large variety of colours, the most popular being red or black. Many of the scarves being worn by teens this year are not Keffiyehs, but large pashminas wrapped around their necks. These say more about their hipster status than their political ideologies.

Whether consumers decide to accessorise themselves with yards of fabric or not is up to them. If they do decide to wear a scarf, one thing is for sure: they certainly will still be making a fashion statement... politically charged or not.

The copyright of the article Trendy Scarves - the Keffiyeh and the Pashmina in Children's & Teen Fashion is owned by Clea (Hariklia) Simos. Permission to republish Trendy Scarves - the Keffiyeh and the Pashmina in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.