Just in time for International Women’s Day, Nike has announced that it will introduce a professional sports hijab, available in stores next year.
Nike’s is the first hijab offered for Muslim female athletes by a company of its scale, and has reportedly been in development for a year.
According to the BBC, the sportswear company began working on a hijab after receiving feedback from sportswomen in need of hijabs with lighter fabric and breathability.
Zahra Lari, the United Arab Emirates’ first international figure skater, posted an Instagram photo of herself Tuesday modeling the new garb.
“Can’t believe this is finally here!” Lari wrote, and said she was “super super excited.” Lari is the first in her sport to compete in a hijab.
CBS reported that Nike said in a statement that 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 the sport.”
Happy international women’s day to all you beautiful and strong women out there ❤️❤️
A post shared by Zahra Lari (@zahralari) on
