Nike Pro Hijab

Nike continues to prove how it is a progressive company inclusive of all religions, genders, and ideologies. Two weeks after releasing a timely “Equality” ad, the company announced a new line of clothing for a religion they previously hadn’t designed a ton of special clothing for.

In recent years, Muslim athletes have complained about wearing traditional head scarves during competitions. As a result, Nike decided to come up with a solution in the form of the “Nike Pro Hijab.”

According to CNN, the “Pro Hijab” is a “single-layer pull-on design made from lightweight polyester.” There are tiny holes in the fabric to make it “breathable” while not large enough to go against Muslim customs.  It took 13 months for Nike to design and perfect the product.

While the announcement is being made by Nike now, the product won’t be available for purchase for another year until the spring of 2018. Despite the fact that it won’t be able for purchase for a year by the typical consumer, one athlete is already wearing it in competitions.

“I was thrilled and a bit emotional to see Nike prototyping a Hijab,” Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari said in a statement. “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.”

This news is also timely not just because of the equality ad released in the United States, but also another controversial equality ad Nike released in the Middle East a couple of weeks ago.

The ad was controversial because of the rhetorical question asked in the ad “what will they say about you?” CNN describes this rhetorical question as one “many young Arab women face if they step out of cultural and traditional norms.” This was a question demonstrated by the five female athletes shown in the ad.

With the announcement of the “Pro Hijab,” Nike is following up on their ad by making it easier for Muslim women to perform their best without having to worry about breaking their religious customs.

Naturally after the announcement of the “Pro Hijab” came out, people took to Twitter to profess their support of the release:

[CNN]

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.