Osheaga music festival bans First Nations headdresses

A crowd gathers at the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in front of a mural in Montreal, Que. on June 15, 2013. (Susan Moss / Osheaga / Facebook)

MONTREAL - The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival has banned fans and artists from wearing First Nations Headdresses as "fashion accessories."

In a Facebook posting, the music festival asked attendees to respect the "spiritual and cultural" significance of the headdress.

In recent years, headdresses have become a trend for unknowing fest-goers and celebrities, including Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani and Susan Boyle, all of whom faced criticism for treating the headdress as fashion.

In 2013, clothing chain H&M removed faux headdresses from its Canadian stores after receiving complaints.

Osheaga will be held July 31 to Aug. 2 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal.

Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, the Black Keys, Florence + the Machine and Weezer.