Nike Announces new Active Wear Item With Nike Pro Hijab

Sports brand Nike has announced a new item of women’s active wear aimed at Muslim athletes.

The active wear, named the “Nike Pro Hijab”, is aimed at female Muslim athletes and is a performance head cover made of “soft, lightweight and stretchy polyester that is both breathable and opaque”.

While it won’t hit stores until early next year, the pull-on product will come in dark, neutral colours and XS/S and M/L sizes.

The Pro Hijab was a year-long collaboration between Nike and top Muslim athletes, such as Amna Al Haddad, a weightlifter, and Zahra Lari, a figure skater, who has already begun wearing the item when she skates.

On the design, Nike said they “…took on board the concerns competing athletes face when wearing a hijab, examining the ways these affected their performance”, with United Arab Emirates weightlifter Amna Al Haddad further commenting that “…the garment’s weight, its likelihood of moving around and its lack of breathability disrupted her focus”.

Al Haddad also said that the item is, “…revolutionary and will change the face of sport for Muslim Arab girls. You have no idea how important this is. It’s going to inspire girls worldwide to follow their passion for sports,

“The one obstacle that’s always there if you’re a hijabi is what are you going to wear on your head?, she continued

“For us, we come up with ideas and ways to be comfortable in what we wear, but to have the number one sport and fitness brand in the world facilitate this process for us is going to change everything”.

Ice-skater Zahra Lari also commented on Nike’s new Pro Hijab active wear, telling CNN Money, “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 work for me”.

The announcement of this product has received positive feedback on Twitter, with some supporters saying, “As a hijab wearing athlete, I'm stoked for 's pro hijab line.

Moreso I love that its approved/featured by ACUTAL hijab wearing athletes”—@Rowaida_Abdel

“Pumped for the Nike hijab”— @MariaAliaa

While the Nike Pro Hijab is the first for the company, they are not the first active wear brand to produce a hijab for female Muslim athletes. Canadian company, ResportOn, also designed an active wear hijab in 2011 and was also designed to improve performance.