The “Pro Hijab” by Nike Is A New Beginning For Muslim Athletes
Nike turns to the Middle East and produces a new product called the Pro Hijab, that allows comfort to many Muslim Athletes
The brand Nike is known to be a very popular sport wear attire when it comes to athletics. They are known for their lightweight work out clothes, running shoes and other accessories such as socks and hats. One aspect that has caught the the company of Nike’s attention however, are the athletic women who live or are from the Middle Eastern. As many already know, Muslims wear this scarf like head piece that covers their hair and neck known as the “hijab” for their religious beliefs and purposes. Nike announced that they will be releasing a new attire known as the “Pro-Hijab in spring 2018, which will allow comfort and movement for Muslim athletes.
The Pro Hijab is expected to be made in a light weight, stretchy mesh polyester material that will come in the colors of gray, black and obsidian. It is set to be cost $35 which is a reasonable and affordable price considering the price of other Nike products. The design process of the Pro Hijab took about 13 months to create and is now being tested worn by the Emirati figure skater, Zahra Lari.
Zahra Lari comments from CNN.com, “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. 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.”
With a new and improved Hijab, female Muslim athletes will have a better and more comfortable head piece that will not distract them while working out or competing. The Pro Hijab is a great solution to that problem however, it would mostly benefit towards the Muslim culture and not necessarily everybody else. Many people who are not Muslim would view the Hijab as a swim cap perhaps, but it could be useful to some people who are not Muslim by keeping their hair from getting in their face.
Their are currently 1.6 billion of Muslims out of 7.1 billion of people in the world and essentially about half of Muslim race are female. Not all female Muslims work out however, but it is a courtesy of Nike to focus on specific athletic issues even if it is dealing with one culture. Before the making of the Pro Hijab, female Muslim athletes struggled with finding comfortable and breathable head gear. Many would say that the hijabs are mostly made out of cotton which allowed no shift to the head and was very uncomfortable. There are companies in the Netherlands and Botswana that focus on sport hijabs, but none has conquered more efficiently than Nike.
Nike’s new product of the Pro Hijab is just the beginning to many other cultures to come. Who knows what Nike will have in store for the future of athletic wear. All we know is that female Muslim athletes will now be able to concentrate and work out more effectively with the comfort of the Pro Hijab.