Air: endlessly available. Free. But worth so much when marketed by Nike. Back in the day, it was sold in the glass bubble of the much-coveted Air Max. Now, it’s breathability that Nike is keen to promote. Next year will see the introduction of the company’s first professional sports hijab. But do Muslim sportswomen think it will make a difference?
“Definitely,” says Alia Komsany, a professional rower from Oxford, who is pleased that the Pro Hijab is the latest addition to the sportswear range. “In rowing, your body’s moving back and forth, strenuously and at a fast rate – so my hijab slips back. It means I can’t focus. I’ve had a number of mishaps, so this is really important to me. This will help me to perform my best.
“I’ve had to try loads of different options – including putting my hijab in a turban style, which is completely impractical. It’s hard to find something that’s both stylish and breathable.”
Shireen Ahmed, a minor league football player from Toronto, Canada, and a sports activist, seems less impressed.
“I’m always happy to see positive representation of Muslim women in sport, but Nike wasn’t the first to do this. It is the most influential brand in the world to do it, but it’s not Nike that is elevating Muslim women in sport – it’s the athletes themselves who are doing that.”
But Ahmed also remembers a time when it was almost impossible to get a sports hijab.
“There’s a huge market for it,” she says. “Nike collaborated on its design with the weightlifter Amna Al-Haddad, which is incredibly important. It will fly off the shelves, not because it’s better, but because we’re a consumer society and Muslim women fall into those categories too.”
Is she holding out for something else, then? “I’m an Adidas fan,” she says. “So that’s something I’d go for – I’d love a hijab that could match my trainers.”
