Nike Creates The “Pro Hijab” For Muslim Female Athletes

Just in time for International Women’s Day, Nike becomes the first major sports company to make a professional hijab for Muslim women.

Called the "Nike Pro Hijab," the pull-on hijab will come in three neutral colors (black, grey and obsidian) and is made of light stretchy fabric that includes tiny holes for breathability and an elongated back so it will not come untucked. The design process took 13 months and will be on sale for Nike’s spring 2018 season.

The sport’s apparel company said that they began developing the hijab after some Muslim athletes complained about wearing a traditional head scarf during competition.

Muslim athletes, including Zahra Lari, a figure skater from the United Arab Emirates, worked alongside Nike on the design and she’s happy with the result.
In a statement to CNN, Lari Said, “I was thrilled and a bit emotional to see Nike prototyping a Hijab. I’ve tried so many different hijabs for performance…and so few of them actually worked 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.”

Although Muslim women have been involved in sports for centuries, they are still underrepresented in the athletic realm due to cultural or familial pressures, the lack of suitable facilities and programs and bans of the hijab.

While most Muslim women wear the hijab for religious reasons, there are other Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab as an expression of their cultural identity.

Egyptian runner and mountaineer Manal Rostom told Al Arabiya English, “It’s not just about making a product available for Muslim and Arab women but it is also giving a chance to those women who are putting off the idea of wearing the veil completely in order to compete.”

When it comes to the significance, Rostom expressed, “It means the world to have the leading sport brand in the world come up with a product like this."