The World's First Sikh Supermodel?
The difference a year makes. One year ago, Hoboken-area Sikh entrepreneur Hansdip Bindra made the news [1] as a victim of a bias crime when a fellow bar-goer demanded he remove his turban, and, when he wouldn't, knocked it off for him. Fast forward one year and another Sikh entrepreneur-turned-media darling, Sonny Caberwal, is being hailed for his ability to flaunt yellow, pink and green turbans with panache in campaigns for Kenneth Cole [2] and GQ [3].
News outlets such as the UK Telegraph are a [4]nointing him as "the world's only Sikh professional model." [4] Is he?
I doubt it. The Sikh community is a strong (and apparently fashionable) one, and Sikh models abound within the community if you know where to look [5].
But if you don't, or prefer not to see them, such as the people behind major fashion runways who specialize in one-color-fits-all fashion shows [6], then Sonny Caberwal (now signed to modeling agency BOSS) can seem like a wonder.
Let's hope he's not a one-hit wonder.