Nike has announced the release of the Nike Pro Hijab, making them the first company to create a performance hijab for Muslim athletes. The news comes weeks after Nike launched a new ad campaign for female athletes in the Middle East titled, “What will they say about you?”
The Nike Pro Hijab will debut in Spring 2018, but has been in development for more than a year as Nike has had female Muslim athletes test it to create something that fills a significant need for them.
“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. This movement first permeated international consciousness in 2012, when a hijabi runner took the global stage in London.”
Saudi Arabia’s Sarah Attar is the athlete noted by Nike’s statement, after she ran in the heats round of the 800m in London while wearing a hijab. The real impetus for the creation of the Nike Pro Hijab came from a visit to Nike’s headquarters from Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad, who explained she only had one hijab that she found suitable for competition.
“From there, we worked with Amna and a variety of other athletes to see what they needed and wanted in a performance hijab. What we heard was that women were looking for a lightweight and breathable solution that would stay in place without concern of shifting.”
Nike designed the Pro Hijab to provide comfort and cooling for athletes that compete outdoors in the heat of the Middle East, while also remaining in place while competing. After a number of wear tests were conducted, Nike has found the right formula and will release the product next year.
