Nike Unveils New Athletic Hijab, Draws Praise & Criticism [VIDEO]

Nike will soon be selling a performance hijab for Muslim women athletes. The sporting company rolled out its first professional hijab on Tuesday.

Called the “Nike Pro Hijab,” the head cover is comprised of a single-layer pull-on design made from lightweight polyester. It comes in dark, neutral colors, with tiny holes that make it breathable while being opaque — a requirement for hijab-wearing women. It also has an elongated back that is designed to stay tucked in.

Nike states the hijab is already being worn by Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari.

“I was thrilled and a bit emotional to see Nike prototyping a Hijab,” 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.”

The design process took 13 months, and the hijab will come in three colors and two sizes.

“The Nike Pro Hijab has been a year in the making but its impetus 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,” the company stated in a statement to CNBC.

Many have lauded Nike’s efforts to empower Muslim women athletes by providing them with a much-needed garment.

“Nike’s entire campaign and product launch serves to give greater visibility and voice to a burgeoning group of Muslim women, who have long been kept off the court and out of the gym and who are silent no more,” ESPN columnist Kavitha Davidson praised.

Some, however, claim that the company is just using the hijab to tap into a growing global market.

“Muslim women wear a hijab in the name of modesty. But it feels to me that the second Nike added its logo, it instantly turned the hijab into a status symbol,” sports uniform commentator Alex Hider noted. “They have just found a way to turn a religious garment into a designer accessory.”

The announcement of the new garment comes two weeks after a controversial release of a Nike ad that was broadcasted in Middle Eastern countries. It drew criticism for its depiction of Arab women practicing sports in public, while a voiceover asks, “what will they say about you?” It’s a rhetorical question that many young Arab women have to confront when they step out of cultural norms.

The video went viral with million of views, inciting a debate over its message.

View the video below: