Nike’s new piece of sporting apparel is inspired and designed by hijab-wearing athletes around the world. The “Nike Pro Hijab” is set to release in 2018 and will make a huge difference.
Nike is making its 1st hijab for athletes, which is a big deal
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Nike
The hijab, made of lightweight polyester, was designed alongside hijab-wearing athletes who have found traditional hijabs difficult to compete in. Zahra Lari, a figure skater from the United Arab Emirites, worked alongside Nike on the design and is extremely happy with the end result, according to a statement to CNN.
“I was thrilled and a bit emotional to see Nike prototyping a Hijab,” Lari said in a statement. “I’ve tried so many different hijabs for performance, and ... so few of them actually work for me. But once I put it on and took it for a spin on the ice, I was blown away by the fit and the light weight.”
Manal Rostom, an Egyptian marathon runner and mountain climber stars in Nike’s campaign along with Lari. She told Vogue about the importance of not just the new hijab, but the Nike Women’s movement as a whole.
“There are a lot of ... women and girls who are breaking barriers. For me growing up, though, I never had these women to look up to. I had to break these barriers for myself.”
This isn’t the world’s first sports hijab to enter the apparel market, but it’s the first from Nike — and that’s important. An American company of Nike’s stature in the marketplace tends to be a trendsetter, and when they make strides towards inclusiveness it reverberates through the industry.
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