Nike launches first ever hijab for female swimmers

It will be available to buy from February 2020

Nike has launched its first ever modest swimwear collection, which includes a hijab that is suitable for wearing in the water.

Following the huge success of the brand’s sportswear hijab, designed for female athletes to wear while playing sports, it is launching the Victory Swim collection on 1 February 2020.

The brand says the collection was inspired by swimmers who found the current options, which don’t provide full coverage, were a “barrier” to enjoying the sport.

(Nike (Nike)

A statement seen by The Independent said: “Existing products were lacking in either coverage or functionality, leaving [athletes] feeling weighed down by baggy garments, battling drag instead of striving toward personal bests.

"Or worrying about whether their hijabs and coverings would remain in place."

Items include a full-coverage swimsuit, a swim tunic top, swim leggings and the hijab, all made from warp-knit fabric, which is lightweight and quick-drying.

It also provides a UPF 40+ for head-to-toe sun protection and the swimsuit and tunic have a built-in sports bra with perforated cups.

(Nike (Nike)

The hijab features an integrated mesh pocket that holds hair in place throughout underwater movement, according to Nike.

Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari, the first in her sport to don the hijab in competition, regularly swims as part of her training programme, and helped test the product.

She said: “It doesn’t weigh you down, and it helped me swim better. It’s so different than any of the swimsuits I’ve ever seen, and I know I can wear this confidently.”

Martha Moore, Nike creative director, said: “We’re excited to inspire more women to see themselves in sport by thinking creatively and designing inclusively.”

The Nike Victory Swim Collection will be available to buy online and in Nike London stores from February.

Muslim women in France have protested against public swimming pools, which banned modest swimwear, by turning up in burkinis - a type of full-coverage suit.

A group of women in Grenoble launched the protest, dubbed "Operation Burkini", in June.