The 10th season of Fashion Forward drew in the industries finest to Dubai Design District for four days of shows, music, film, talks, and exhibitions, as well as some surprising reveals on the runway such as Nike’s upcoming activewear, the Pro Hijab.
The innovative piece made its debut as part of the runway show of Mashael Al Rajhi, a Saudi Arabian designer known for bringing together urban, streetwear, and high-end fashion. Al Rajhi’s models strutted the catwalk in street smart and striking, free-flowing outfits with intricate trims, the lightweight hijab, and Nike Air Force 1 sneakers.
Earlier this year, Nike announced its plan to cater for Muslim female athletes by unveiling its activewear hijab. The product has been in development since then, and has been tested by athletes such as UAE-based weightlifter Amna Al Haddad and Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari.
Al Haddad said in an Emirates Woman article that she believed the Pro Hijab would “encourage a new generation of athletes to pursue sports professionally.” In a statement on its website, Nike explained that the impetus behind the Nike Pro Hijab “can be traced much further back to Nike’s founding mission, to serve athletes, with the signature addendum: If you have a body, you’re an athlete.”
Last summer, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first Muslim American woman to compete for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, taking home a bronze medal. And after FIFA formally lifted a ban on head coverings in 2014, female Muslim players wore headscarves during a U-17 Women’s World Cup event in Jordan last October.
According to an article in the Guardian, the pull-on Nike hijab will be available for purchase in 2018 and “is made of light, stretchy fabric that includes tiny holes for breathability and an elongated back so it will not come untucked.”
