Nike on Tuesday announced a spring '18 launch for the Nike Pro Hijab, the company’s "first foray into high-performance headgear for Muslim women athletes," according to Chuck Schilken of the L.A. TIMES. The brand said in a statement, "The Nike Pro Hijab may have been more than a year in the making, but its impetus can be traced much further back, to an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport." Nike’s hijab will be made from "lightweight polyester mesh material and will have an elongated back to help keep the neck covered during athletic activity." Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari has been testing prototypes of the product for more than a year and is part of Nike’s ad campaign for the hijab. She said, "I’ve tried so many different hijabs for performance, and with how fast I spin on the ice and in training, so few of them actually work for me." Nike+ Run Club coach Manal Rostom, an Egyptian woman who also runs the "Surviving Hijab" Facebook group, said, "For a brand like Nike to come out and say that these people exist and are inclusive of hijabis is a big deal" (L.A. TIMES, 3/8). THE DRUM's Tony Connelly reported while Nike is the first of the "major" global sports brands to launch a headscarf line, "smaller sports brands have already created Islamic clothing." Last year, Danish brand Hummel partnered with the Afghan Football Federation to "integrate hijabs into the women’s kits." The U17 Women’s World Cup in October in Jordan "marked the first time Muslim players were allowed to wear headscarves" while competing in a FIFA event. FIFA "formally lifted its ban on head coverings" in '14 (THE DRUM, 3/8).
TEAR-JERKER: In London, Caroline Leaper reported the hijab will be available in three initial colors -- black, grey and obsidian -- and was unveiled in Nike’s Swoosh video, "What Will They Say About You?" Rostom described how "she cried when she first saw the product." She said, "I cried when they showed it to me. I cried when I tried it on for the first time" (TELEGRAPH, 3/8).
WELCOME DEVELOPMENT: In Abu Dhabi, Afshan Ahmed reported for hijabi athletes, "Nike just did it." The sports brand "has ticked all the boxes for fitness enthusiasts." As of Wednesday morning, "amid the online buzz, the garment even launched its own Instagram account." Emirati athlete Iman Al Omrani, who is the founder of fitness studio Curvalicious, said that creating a functional hijab for women in different sports has been "long overdue." Omrani: "But if you have a big sports brand like Nike that is willing to look into it, that’s excellent." Social media users around the world "have lauded the brand’s effort to accept diversity."
WELL-TIMED: In London, Shireen Ahmed reported two days before Int'l Women’s Day, Nike unveiled its Pro Hijab and "took a leap into modest sportswear." The Pro Hijab is a collaboration between Muslim athletes in the Middle East -- and "the timing of Nike highlighting diversity in sport is impeccable." In an era when "xenophobia seems to ring out as a norm, highlighting the intensity and passion of veiled Muslim athletes speaks volumes." But the modest sportswear industry "is not a new one, and although the move is exciting," it is "hardly groundbreaking." Smaller companies, "often spearheaded by women, have designed and sold sport hijabs for decades." Capsters started in '01 and has been selling sports hijabs all over the world. A scarf design from Canadian company ResportOn was one of the reasons that the Int'l Taekwon-Do Federation allowed Muslim women to compete in recognized tournaments. Muslim women "are creating and designing their own hijabs from crowdsourcing and fundraising." This includes smaller companies like Asiya, which "came out of a brilliant Somali community in Minneapolis," and Sukoon Active, which raised $25,000, easily exceeding its $10,000 goal on Kickstarter (
GUARDIAN, 3/8).
'HIJAB CHIC': In London, Roula Khalaf reported Muslims in Europe and the U.S. say that "these are the worst of times." It is "therefore all the more surprising that one particular symbol of Islam is being openly celebrated in a consumer industry." That symbol "is the veil; the industry is fashion." Welcome to "hijab chic, as some refer to young Muslim fashion lovers who want to dress in style and shed the guilt." Brands "have started to take notice," from Nike advertisements to H&M campaigns and Dolce & Gabbana’s collection of abayas -- the full-length garment worn by many women in the Middle East -- so-called "modest fashion" is coming of age (FINANCIAL TIMES, 3/8).
