(Nocos 2017)

Though not the focus of this paper, I mention Singh here because he is the most publicly recognized Sikh in Canada at the moment and is understood as being very fashionable in his Sikh expression. In Singh's case, we can come to see how Sikh chic directly impacts the political sphere at the federal level in Canada. It is important to acknowledge that these experiences and events have not had a homogenous response. Making the Khalsa aesthetic fashionable in the 21st century is a religio-politicized response to the broader systemic barriers Khalsa Sikhs have faced in public life. It is merely one strategy in a multi-pronged approach in the politics of recognition and representation for Sikhs in the diaspora, on the one hand, and contributes to a modern mainstreaming of the Khalsa Sikh identity in the diaspora, on the other. These religio-political responses are rooted in an understanding of core Sikh values including *seva* (selfless community service), *sarbat da ballah* (the well-being of others), and *miri piri* (the non-dualism and integration of spirituality and politics in daily life). These core Sikh values have operated as a framework for Sikh engagemen<sup>t</sup> in volunteerism (in and beyond the gurdwara); politics, social activism, and philanthropy, as I suggest, also function as a guide for millennial Sikh entrepreneurs and values-based business (Desjardins and Desjardins 2009; Dusenbery and Tatla 2009; Jakobsh and Walton-Roberts 2016).

#### **3. Sikh Values-Based Fashion Enterprises**

Sikhs of the millennial generation are making innovative social, political, and economic contributions to establishing new modes of religious expression. Numerous second- and third-generation Sikhs are translating their religious and social values into new cultural productions that engage the economic domain, such as the fashion industry. From becoming multi-billion-dollar YouTube sensations (for example, Lilly Singh; See Bhagat 2016) to designing floral printed turbans, young Sikh entrepreneurs are expressing their religious identity, principles, and moral positions in the free market. In establishing new modes of religious expression in the form of innovative solutions to society's most persistent and complex social and environmental problems, young adult Sikhs are striving to create social change at varying scales.

Although seemingly commonplace initiatives, some scholars of religion argue that it is precisely in creating and participating in such socio-economic activities/activism that religious adherents may demonstrate faith as living practice. In other words, actions reflect guiding religious principles that are imbued with personal meaning and that impact their own spiritual lives (Bender 2003; McGuire 2008). While the ways in which millennial Sikhs engage the socio-economic sphere are extensive, the ventures discussed in this paper emerge specifically at the intersection of religion, fashion, design, feminism, and values-based entrepreneurship—or what is also referred to as social entrepreneurship.

Defining values-based business and social entrepreneurship has been a task taken up by both practitioners and researchers. While there is contention in defining these terms, scholars and practitioners alike recognize that these ventures are situated at the cross-sector of the public and private domains, operating within the social economy. In contrast to business entrepreneurship that maintains a bottom-line of financial gain alone, the bottom line of social entrepreneurship is threefold: financial, social, and environmental—where every e ffort is fostered and focused on the social mission of the initiative, and profits are mainly reinvested into the program. What is valued by such enterprises is the socio-political benefit their ventures provide, rather than simply achieving economic stability or profit. Religion is one of many major thematic ideologies that continue to inform values-driven entrepreneurship (Spear 2010, p. 32). In faith-based social entrepreneurship, guiding principles held by religious entrepreneurs motivate and align with the call-to-action and mission that are characteristic of values-based entrepreneurship. Sikh values such as *seva*, *sarbat da ballah*, and *miri pir* (as defined above) function as guiding principles for Sikh entrepreneurship, as noted earlier.

An underlying aspect of the functions of Sikh chic is that young Sikh fashion entrepreneurs believe that it is possible to create shifts in the public perception of Sikhs and broader socio-political change by engaging the (digital) market. The production of the Khalsa Sikh aesthetic in the modern fashion and accessory industry by Sikh entrepreneurs is framed and legitimized by Sikh values, and perhaps is another case through which to critically explore "a Sikh spirit of capitalism" (Mooney 2012, p. 422). McQuilten discusses how creative social enterprises, such as art- and fashion-enterprises, function as means for critical and political engagemen<sup>t</sup> with the socio-economic sphere (McQuilten 2017). She points out that "[o]f equal importance to the economic dimension of social enterprise is that these types of organizations provide, other non-monetary benefits for the artists involved, including the opportunity to make art, a space in which to explore and address issues of cultural identity in a changing global context, as well as skill development and participation in civic life" (McQuilten 2017, p. 71). McQuilten goes on to say that "[t]his generation of artistic and social value links to a range of other cultural movements emerging as counter-hegemonic practices such as the maker movement, ethical consumption, craft and social engaged art." Inclusive of McQuilten's argument, the cases to be discussed in this article also demonstrate the ways fashion enterprises become a means through which religious individuals can engage with the politics of religious and gender identity production,

intrareligious dynamics, and cultural representation while using current technologies and trends of the market. It is imperative for a fashion social enterprise to address complex societal problems within and beyond the fashion industry. That said, Sikh fashion social enterprises may not only address Sikh issues, but may also address broader social, political, economic, and environmental concerns. Sikh values frame the ways in which Sikh fashion entrepreneurs engage contemporary commodity discourses. For example, we can see the intertwining of Khalsa Sikh aesthetics, Sikh environmental justice, and anti-plastic commodity discourse in Turban&Beard selling of plastic-free bamboo kangas. Participating in the free market as social innovators, young Sikhs continue to expand the parameters of what constitutes as *Sikhi* in practice and the role their faith has in social change. Young Sikh social entrepreneurs are not satisfied with the status quo, but rather look for a deeper meaning and creative engagemen<sup>t</sup> within their everyday lives, work, and social contexts.

#### **4. "Feminizing the Khalsa": New Market Segments of Sikh Chic**

It is important to note that gender constructs are subjective, as is Sikh identity, and there is "no single way of being a Sikh. Punjabi Sikhs frequently move between di fferent sub-identities according to their situation in life ... A mona ['clean-shaven'] Sikh of yesterday could be a *keshadhari* ['unshorn'] today and might be an *amridhari* ['those who have performed the Khalsa enthronement ceremony'] tomorrow ... Therefore, to think of the five categories of Sikhs as 'predetermined' or 'fixed' permanently ... might be misleading" (Singh 2018, p. 263). Despite this diversity, it is still the Khalsa Sikh male donning the 5 ks and the turban that functions as the primary and normative identity marker of "being Sikh", centering the lived experiences of Sikh males for reasons stated earlier in this discussion (Jakobsh 2015a). Without question, the authoritative Khalsa Sikh male identity has been largely reproduced in the fashion industry by Sikh male fashion entrepreneurs—by way of visual representation and by name. For example, many of the Sikh fashion entrepreneurs have named their fashion brands with some sort of play on words with the Sikh name Singh (lion), most commonly given to Sikh males (Jakobsh 2014, p. 595). Acknowledging this phenomenon begs the question: how are Sikh women being represented in the Sikh chic industry and by Sikh fashion entrepreneurs?

The limits on the discussions about Sikh chic and the focus on the Khalsa Sikh male aesthetic has more to do with the cases that scholars have focused on in their analysis than what is actually reflected in the market today. While Reddy gives us a strong theoretical foundation to understand Sikh chic, the Sikh chic industry has expanded and grown exponentially into a global, transnational, and digital phenomenon. The commodification of the Khalsa Sikh identity via fashion entrepreneurs has influenced how young Sikhs of all genders purchase, wear, and talk about the 5 ks in the 21st century. As the Sikh chic industry has grown in influence and as young Sikhs continue to participate in the modern economy as fashion entrepreneurs, new niche market segments have formed. So too have new ways of understanding how Sikh identity, values, and commodity discourses intertwine in the free marketplace and how they have become more salient. A discussion about all of the new possible market segments of Sikh chic would be far too extensive to outline in this article. Instead, I will focus on the ways in which young Sikh women in Canada are challenging the mainstream representations of a masculine Sikh identity, by creating fashion designs dedicated to celebrating the Khalsa Sikh female aesthetic, in all of its forms.

In her article "Feminizing the Khalsa: Text, narrative, and image within the virtual realm", Doris Jakobsh discusses the ways in which "a small minority" of Sikh women are responding to the notion that "Sikh women have not 'represented' Sikhs and Sikhism" (Jakobsh 2015a, p. 190). While the Khalsa Sikh identity has been often represented by men, young Sikh women are challenging the mainstream representation of a masculine Sikh identity (Jakobsh 2012, 2015a, 2015b). Drawing from Anastasia Karaflogka and Peter Mandaville, Jakobsh makes the case that the internet easily allows for new spaces to be created in which subjective Sikh discourse about identity can take place (Jakobsh 2015a, p. 191). She examines "the online discourse surrounding the question of Sikh women's identity, particularly with regard to women and turbans" in spaces such as websites, blogs, web archives, and online chat rooms (p. 192). I sugges<sup>t</sup> that the free market is another avenue in which the subjective religious can operate and that the fashion industry is another platform within which we see young Sikh women attempting to "feminize the Khalsa" (Jakobsh 2015a).

One possibility may be due to the new digital marketplace. In a neoliberal context and given the growth of the creative digital/craft gig-economy, several e-commerce platforms for digital stores and retail-point-of-sales systems have developed that help facilitate small businesses and pop-up shops, making it easier for independent artist to sell their products online. A few major examples include Shopify, Etsy, and Square. Such online platforms are marketed to millennials who perhaps may have multiple sources of income or side-hustles, including their own small shop, but still are unable to a fford to open up an in-person store. Whether one is successful or not, it has become much easier to create a low-risk online store. In Canada, for instance, there are several female Sikh fashion entrepreneurs who have created online shops to sell their designs for Sikh women.

The creation of new fashion lines dedicated to the needs of Sikh women who don the 5ks segments the turban market, reaching potentially new audiences, and is perhaps reflective of a growing demand as more Sikh women are wearing turbans. However, it is important to note that while there is a general increase in the number of women wearing turbans in the diaspora, it is still the case in Canada that it is not the norm for Sikh women to wear the turban.

Jakobsh identifies themes in online discourse around Sikh women's identity: seeking legitimacy, the search for historical validation, and meaning-making in the feminization of the turban (Jakobsh 2015a). In the feminization of the Sikh chic market, I sugges<sup>t</sup> that the discourse around Sikh female identity is translated in the marketing of fashion brands and the production of gendered Khalsa attire and ad campaigns. For example, one of the ways Sikh female identity is represented in the marketplace is by the use of the Sikh female name Kaur (princess) for business and/or product names, in contrast to the many Sikh male fashion icons and designers who brand their businesses with a play-on-words of the name Singh (lion), as mentioned earlier. Sikh fashion designed for female turbaned Sikhs contributes to the movement to make Sikh women more visible.

For the three Canadian-based Sikh fashion enterprises that make up the case studies for this discussion, I argue that their designs and fashion enterprises intertwine Sikh values, fashion, and business, while engaging discourses around gender equality and Kaurhood/sisterhood, authenticity and self-determined representation, intersectionality, diversity, and, in some cases, ethical purchasing.

#### **5. Case Studies: Canadian-Based Sikh Female Fashion**

#### *5.1. Kundan Paaras (Instagram: @KundanPaaras)*

Originally based in Toronto, Kundan Paaras is a fashion line designed by Sikh women, for Sikh women, which has become an international brand that is available in London and New York. The Sikh female designers—Laveleen and Gagan Kaur—are almost inseparable best friends—or "two sisters", as they often refer to themselves. Lavleen and Gagan have designed a couture-like brand, all handmade and custom tailored to fit their buyers. They draw inspiration from their ancestral roots in Punjab and their travels, including their residence in Korea. On their website store—which has recently been removed from Shopify (though they still have an active tumblr account: https://kundanpaaras-blog.tumblr.com/)—they state that their designs are inspired from "the majestic royal courts of the Punjab" as well as "contemporary silhouettes of Asia". In total, they have managed to create three di fferent collections, all modeled by young Sikh women who are often their own friends.

On 30 November 2013, they launched their first Fall/Winter collection and hosted a fashion show at the National Ballet School in downtown Toronto, which I attended. Their first collection was modeled only by young Sikh women, some of whom were donning stylized elements of the 5ks and uniquely designed turbans that matched their clothing designs. The mandate of the designers of Kundan Paraas was reflected in their support of other prominent Sikh millennial female artists from the Greater Toronto Area, who collaborated in organizing the event and performed during the fashion show. While none

of these artists wore the turban, they did maintain other elements of the 5 ks, including kesh and their kara. Some of the Sikh female artists who performed included the now-famous spoken-word poet Rupi Kaur; Keerat Kaur, a multi-media artist and singer; and singer Selena Dhillon. While in the audience, I go<sup>t</sup> the impression that, as a collective, this network of young Sikh women was establishing their presence as a new generation of leaders. Each audience member was given a small fashion look book that included a biography listing of each of the Sikh women who helped put the show together, including make-up artists, hair stylists, and the DJ, emphasizing not only the strong network being established in the region, but also how the fashion show functioned as a platform of recognition of the creative entrepreneurial spirit of this network. In another way, the designers of Kundan Paaras maintain a transnational sense of this Kaurhood in that ten percent of the proceeds from ticket sales from the fashion show were donated to widowed women's programming in Punjab.

The central message the designers hope to convey in their designs and shows is that the turban or dastaar is a royal crown. They emphasize that young Sikh women should be proud of their identities and the ways in which they express their individual religiosity, declaring their intentions on their website through statements such as "Sikhi & the Royal Crown: The Dastaar. This is our pulse: Young Sikh women proudly living and thriving, with their Sikhi loudly displayed on their head and body. Kundan Paaras celebrates the Sikh armour and Sikh women in all their righteousness. From their hair on your body, to the dastaar on your head, wear your identity with pride sistas, and remember, you were born a queen." For Lavleen and Gagan Kaur, creating Kundan Paaras is an "exploration of spirituality, politics, travel and the arts".

#### *5.2. Trendy Singh (Instagram: @TrendySingh)*

A collaborative project between a group of friends living in Calgary, Alberta, TrendySingh designs and sells printed turbans online with a signature floral print design. TrendySingh claims to be a social enterprise and is the only company of its sort in the region (Asian Heritage Foundation n.d.). Social enterprises, or values-based business, is a third-way approach to the private–public spheres of society, where generating profit—though necessary to fund such initiatives—comes second to meeting the social needs of citizens (Quarter et al. 2009). Rooted in Sikh values of *seva* (selfless community service) and equality, TrendySingh engages discourses around gender equality, as well as ethical purchasing. For designer and business manager, Jenn Nguyen, starting a fashion social enterprise based on Sikh values is a reflection of her own deep admiration for the Sikh faith, and her Sikh friends. When I spoke with Nguyen in an interview, she said that while she did not grow up in the Sikh faith, the fact that "Sikh" is defined as learner, deeply resonated with her own religious upbringing as a Catholic, and she has invested significant time in learning about the Sikh faith, engaging in Sikh practices, and becoming involved in Sikh institutions as a volunteer.

A significant aspect of TrendySingh's designs is that their printed turbans are presented as gender neutral, carrying the same designs for Kaurs and Singhs. After discussing the ideation process behind the fashion enterprise with Nguyen, she mentioned to me that the initial reason she designed a floral printed turban was because many of her Sikh friends were experiencing discrimination in every day public spaces, such as on their daily bus commute, and that the floral turbans could act as an ice breaker for onlookers, perhaps encouraging strangers to ask questions about the turban (Interview). In an interview with an online culture magazine, Nguyen states, "There are so many misconceptions and racism towards Sikhs, especially after 9/11. People associate them with terrorists and that type of thing ... the turban represents standing up for oppression, and I believe that is universal for everyone" (Vern Magazine 2018).

Nguyen also mentioned that her initial designs were meant for her female Sikh friends who felt their needs were not being met and that their experiences were being underrepresented. Holding degrees in art design, business management, and education, Nguyen did some market research and realized that the contemporary turban fashion market was primarily targeting turbaned Sikh males. Nguyen expressed an understanding that, while not all Sikhs wear turbans, those who do, are mostly Sikh males. However, in marketing the printed turbans, Nguyen wanted to promote gender neutrality. As such, both Sikh men and Sikh women are presented as wearing the turbans on TrendySingh's website (which has since been removed from the internet) and social media profiles. Nguyen made it clear that presenting a more gender-neutral look was more in-line with Sikh egalitarian principles. TrendySingh has also produced a series of instructional videos on how to tie a turban in various ways that reflect current trends and has used Sikh male and female models as the instructors. These videos can be found on YouTube and Instagram. That being said, in the various ways TrendySingh markets itself, it also contributes to the production and circulation of *Sikhi* in the digital marketplace.

As a social enterprise, TrendySingh donates all earnings to pre-existing Sikh services, including Khalsa Aid, Sikh Relief, Nanak Naam, and the World Sikh Organization. In this regard, not only is the production of these printed turbans an act of *seva*, according to Nguyen, the purchasing of them is also an act of *seva*, as customers will be contributing to Sikh social services. For Nguyen, choosing to create a social enterprise is a more ethical approach to engaging the market, and she emphasizes that the priority should be on Sikh values, providing service to the Sikh community, and representing the Sikh community in the best way.

#### *5.3. Jasmin Kaur (Instagram: @Jusmun)*

Unlike Kundan Paaras and TrendySingh, which are both fashion brands, my third case study is a cultural creative by the name of Jasmin Kaur, who resides in British Columbia. A poet, an activist, a community organizer, a model, an illustrator, and a designer, Jasmin Kaur is a Sikh millennial Instagrammer and is a master of the contemporary gig-economy. While Jasmin holds a diverse portfolio, it is her design of a collection of graphic print t-shirts that caught my attention on my perusal of Instagram. Jasmin Kaur sells her t-shirts on RedBubble.com (https://www.redbubble.com/people/jusmun/shop), a website dedicated to selling works of independent artists. A few of her graphic print illustrations depict individual Sikh women wearing colorful turbans. Several of her designs have slogans such as "decolonize your body", "decolonize your femininity", and "the diversity of sisterhood". One of Jasmin Kaur's most circulated illustrations is of three young Sikh women standing together—each with di fferent characteristics, including di fferent skin tones. One is wearing a colorful dastaar, while another has her hair in braids. One of the Sikh women in the illustration is holding a baseball bat, and one is wearing a sports jersey. Above the illustration is the caption "Support your sister".

During an interview with Jasmin Kaur, she said that the inspiration behind her illustrations was to challenge the cliques that have been forming around the way young Sikh women choose to practice their *Sikhi*. The illustration described above reflects the idea that while not all Sikh women may look like her, i.e., wear a turban or keep their *kesh*, nonetheless, they are her Sikh sisters, and they should have each other's backs in a society that does not often support their existence (Interview). Kaur went on to say that her illustrations capture her desire to create spaces where Sikh women feel safe to be who they are, regardless of their identity and how they choose to practice their faith. As the "Support your sisters" image circulates online, via Kaur's Instagram and Twitter accounts, it is now often coupled with a poem of hers:

scream so that one day a hundred years from now another sister will not have to dry her tears wondering where in history she lost her voice (Jasmin Kaur)

In advocating for a Kaurhood through this image, Jasmin Kaur is also capturing the subjective: not all Sikh and not all Kaur experiences are the same. Similar to her co-religionists in this study, Kaur frames her lifestyle, professional activism, and creative pursuits like these graphic t-shirt illustrations, through her own understanding of Sikh feminist values that are rooted in the Sikh notion of *miri piri*. As Jasmin Kaur indicated, if the spiritual and political are intertwined, and Sikhs are required to stand up against injustice and help take care of others, then it is her duty to address the systemic oppressions in society and acknowledge the intersectional realities Sikh women experience. For Jasmin Kaur, the Sikh dastaar represents a long political history of Sikhs challenging corrupt leadership, but that often Sikh women's experiences are ignored both by Sikh men and broader society. According to Kaur, as Sikh women have not been as visible—both in not traditionally wearing the 5 ks, as well as not visible in Sikh institutional leadership roles—the stories and experiences of Sikh women are not often heard or represented.
