“Can’t Ban Us.” That’s the powerful statement accompanying the launch collection of Haute Hijab‘s athletic headscarves, a highly-anticipated collection that Melanie Elturk, the CEO of the leading US hijab company, has been working on for more than a year.
Dubbed Haute Hijab Sport, the collection launched online this week — and while the variety of colours and styles of sports hijabs is newsworthy in itself, Haute Hijab aligned the new release with an important campaign:
“Can’t Ban Us is a movement born out of necessity; Muslim athletes have been – and still are – banned from playing sports in hijab. We’re lending our voice to those who have sacrificed, endured, and struggled due to unjust rules,” reads a Haute Hijab newsletter introducing the campaign. “Can’t Ban Us is a commitment for a better tomorrow. We’re declaring point blank, you Can’t. Ban. Us.”
Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, who was banned by FIBA from playing professional basketball, stars in the Haute Hijab campaign, along with cross-country runner Noor Alexandria Abukaram, who ran a record-breaking race only to be disqualified due to her hijab. Having fought back against the prejudice, these young Muslim women have brought about meaningful change in the sporting industry, paving the way for the inclusion of future hijab-wearing Muslim athletes in mainstream athletic activities.
Mainstream retailers may have already begun experimenting with sports hijabs, but Haute Hijab’s versions are truly game-changing, starting with their their groundbreaking textiles. The scarves are crafted from a fabric sourced from coffee-beans, resulting in material that’s fast-drying, odor-resistant, breathable and lightweight.
There are four different designs available. The Criss-Cross sport hijab has a criss-cross, pull-on style, and The FlexFit also has a pull-on style, but with a concealed, adjustable drawstring cord that allows for it to be worn snug, or loose. The Tech Sport Cap is like a bonnet, and can be worn underneath a hood or scarf for extra coverage, and the Tech Scarf Wrap is a slightly-stretchy rectangle scarf that can be tied or wrapped. (Melanie has been modeling the latter in her Instagram stories, and it looks sleek and comfortable, without any sweat marks even after a 2-mile walk!) Each design is available in four colours: smoke, rose or carbon. See them in action in the Haute Hijab Sport campaign video below:
Watch the campaign video below:
Sports hijabs, usually hood-like, minimalist, and monochrome-toned, have been created by leading sportswear retailers like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour, but the stylish colour options, variety of styles and fits, and adjustable elements of Haute Hijab Sport designs truly take this collection to the next level — and we expect no less from Melanie Elturk, who is one of the pioneers of the modest fashion movement that has now gone global.
Read her statement about the launch below:
Featured image sourced from Haute Hijab
