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(Photo: Vivienne Balla)

One Woman’s Plan to Take the New Nike Hijab Up Everest

The performance head scarf will be worn by Muslim athletes around the world, but it's also an essential piece of gear for one mountaineer

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Nike's hijab aims to reach a regularly overlooked demographic, outfitting Muslims with a lightweight and sweat-wicking headpiece.
(Photo: Vivienne Balla)

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Over the course of the next couple years, hopes to become the first Egyptian woman to climb the Seven Summits. The 37-year-old budding mountaineer, who currently lives in Dubai, is a veteran long-distance runner and was the first Egyptian hijabi to run China鈥檚 Great Wall Marathon back in 2016. She learned about mountain climbing in 2007 after seeing social media posts from Egyptian mountaineer 聽and went on to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa鈥檚 highest point, in 2012. Rostom has also summited Russia鈥檚 , the tallest mountain in Europe, and led a team to Everest Base Camp. This year, she made an attempt at Aconcagua but was turned around by a storm.

Rostom has done most of her training and climbing while wearing a cotton-blend hijab. But cotton isn鈥檛 ideal for hot or cold climates, so Rostom was excited to see Nike debut a new athletic hijab this month that will go on sale to consumers in early 2018. The is made from a high-performance synthetic and marketed at the growing number of professional athletes from Islamic cultures. Rostom, a Nike+ Run Club coach who was featured in a recent Nike in the Middle East, was part of the testing team for the new hijab.

鈥淭he one obstacle that鈥檚 always there if you鈥檙e a hijabi is, 鈥榃hat are you going to wear on your head?鈥欌 Rostom says. 鈥淭o have the number one sport-and-fitness brand in the world facilitate this for us is a real gift. It鈥檚 going to change everything.鈥

(Courtesy of Manal Rostom/Instagram)

While smaller Muslim brands have created athletic hijabs in the past, . To develop the Pro, Nike designers met with elite female Muslim athletes from around the world鈥攊ncluding Rostom, Olympic weightlifter , and figure skater , both from the United Arab Emirates鈥攁t Nike鈥檚 global headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The athletes tested prototypes and gave feedback, urging designers for a fabric that is soft, breathable, and unobtrusive. 鈥淚 told them it has to be light and cover our head and neck fully,鈥 says Rostom. 鈥淚t has to absorb sweat, look good, and preferably come in color options.鈥

The result is a pullover headpiece made from Nike鈥檚 high-performance, single-layer Nike Pro mesh, a lightweight polyester built for wicking sweat and stretching during activity. It comes in three dark colors: black, vast grey,聽and obsidian.

Rostom first got involved with Nike after emailing the brand in 2014 to ask why the company never featured hijabi athletes in its imagery. It was a surprise when she got a response from the head of Nike running coaches in the Middle East asking her to take part in a photo shoot. The . 鈥淚 just want to inspire the younger generation perhaps struggling with the same dilemma of wanting to embrace religion and at the same time fit in,鈥 Rostom says. 鈥淭his goes beyond being a new product that Nike is selling鈥攊t鈥檚 going to empower all women to embrace hijab and who they are.鈥

The move by Nike to create performance gear for women in the Muslim community has been widely welcomed. Sameena Usman, government relations coordinator for the San Francisco chapter of the , says the move signals a broader culture acceptance.

鈥淔or a company like Nike to recognize that need and be able to provide that for a big market of people is a positive, and also a lucrative, step,鈥 Usman says. 鈥淔or a Muslim woman, to see a major brand recognize them as being a valued part of our global community and of the sports community, it sends a message of inclusiveness.鈥

Going forward, Rostom wants to redeem herself on Aconcagua and is planning another summit bid in December. A summit bid on Everest should follow within the next couple years. Rostom knows her pursuits are a bit of an anomaly for someone from the Middle East, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped her.

鈥淭he thing about mountain climbing is that it鈥檚 a risky sport, and we don鈥檛 grow up in an environment supporting a sport like that,鈥 Rostom says. But 鈥淚 have gone from being told to completely forget about this whole 鈥榤ountain climbing thing鈥 to my family supporting my dream of becoming the first Egyptian woman to climb Everest one day.鈥

Lead Photo: Vivienne Balla

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