Модный журналист защитил сикхского полицейского, носившего шотландский килт на военном фестивале в Эдинбурге

A FAMED menswear writer has come to the defence of a Sikh police officer who wore Highland dress at the 2026 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo after racist comments online. The Indian news outlet PTC Punjabi reported that Constable Sukhvinder Singh Sunger, of the Vancouver Police Pipe Band, Canada, had made history as the first turban-wearing Sikh drum major to lead a performance at the event in the Scottish capital. It added that Sunger had worn his pipe band’s traditional Royal Stewart tartan kilt along with a specially designed ceremonial dastaar, which was black and tartan. Sunger’s appearance was celebrated on social media, including by the famous menswear writer Derek Guy. “What a tremendous outfit,” the fashion journalist said, sharing images of the police officer at Edinburgh Castle. Although many people joined in praise of the outfit, others expressed racist views about a Sikh man wearing traditionally Scottish dress. One called it “an insult”, another said it was a “mockery”, and another called people celebrating the outfit “traitors”. Guy then made a second post defending the Canadian police officer. “I retweeted this earlier today and received some hostile comments, so I thought I'd share a story,” the journalist wrote. “The photo on the left shows Constable Sukhvinder Singh Sunger, a Canadian Sikh police officer who recently led the Vancouver Police Pipe Band at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The event is held at Edinburgh Castle, and it celebrates military bands from around the world. Thus, for the event, Constable Sunger wore traditional Highland dress with a ceremonial dastar (Sikh turban). I retweeted this earlier today and received some hostile comments, so I thought I'd share a story. The photo on the left shows Constable Sukhvinder Singh Sunger, a Canadian Sikh police officer who recently led the Vancouver Police Pipe Band at the Royal Edinburgh Military… https://t.co/ttgNpdKxzt pic.twitter.com/S4wuCAGdh2 — derek guy (@dieworkwear) September 2, 2026 “I think he looks resplendent for all the reasons I've mentioned in my previous threads: the use of ‘shape and drape’, texture, and the semiotics of clothing. “But some were less enthused about a Canadian man of South Asian descent wearing Scottish clothing. “So I thought I'd share a story about Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, an adventurer and mercenary born in 1785 in what would become modern Wisconsin.” Guy went on: “By his own account, his father was Scottish, and his mother was Anglo-Spanish, although at least one of his contemporaries thought he was Irish. Either way, he would be considered ‘white’ today. “At the age of 24, he travelled to Europe and, shortly after, began exploring Russia and Central Asia. It was in Central Asia, he claims, that he started to adopt the local customs and mores, often presenting himself as Muslim. Although one wonders how easily he was able to blend in, as he stood six feet tall and had a penchant for drinking. READ MORE: Andy Burnham apologises after Scotland blunder in Commons debut as Prime Minister “According to him, he was captured in Afghanistan in 1824, but ended up joining a rebel force, commanding 180 horsemen, and marrying a local woman, with whom he fathered a child near Parwan. His wife and child were later killed after his patron's defeat, which drove him to Punjab. “It was in Punjab, he claims, where he joined the Sikh Army, eventually rising to the level of Colonel. He claims to have been present at Lahore, then the capital of the Sikh Empire, and says he killed 300 men during a fierce clash. “Much of Gardner's life is hard to verify, as many of his fantastical claims come from his much-contested memoir, which has little to no third-party corroboration. However, one thing is certain, if only because we have photographic evidence. Later in life, he had a striking style of self-presentation. In the photo on the right, you can see him in a tartan suit and Sikh turban. His facial hair is long because many Sikhs believe not cutting your hair shows respect for God's perfect creation. “Gardner was a man of American descent, European lineage, and Central/ South Asian cultural identity. He died with the name Gordana Khan. This complex form of diasporic identity goes back to 1785, shortly after the United States declared independence from Britain.” “In my opinion, it goes to show that culture is porous and identities can be complex, not as clear and ‘pure’ as many would like to pretend.”