Nike is launching a new line just for hijabi athletes

Hijab-wearing Muslim women know the struggle of finding modest work out clothes all too well. But, sportswear giant Nike is finally making our lives much easier. 

The brand has just announced plans to launch Nike Pro Hijab, a sportswear collection that caters to modest and hijab-wearing women. This comes soon after the company released a viral video campaign featuring Middle Eastern female athletes.

Nike Pro Hijab, the first collection of its kind in the global sportswear industry, is set to hit the stores in Spring 2018. 

The new garments have been tested by elite hijab-wearing Nike athletes.

The initiative falls in line with Nike's efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. 

"The Nike Pro Hijab was designed as a direct result of our athletes telling us they needed this product to perform better, and we hope that it will help athletes around the world do just that," a Nike spokeswoman told Al Arabiya.

From the amateur gym-goers to A-list Olympic athletes, hijab-wearing women have asserted themselves in the sports world, so Nike took note. 

"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 sport," Nike wrote in a statement.

"This movement first permeated international consciousness in 2012, when a hijabi runner took the global stage in London," the statement adds, referring to Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar, who competed in the 800 meter race at the 2012 London Olympics.

Nike has already made some strides in incorporating the female Muslim community in its business. It has sponsored several Muslim sportswomen, such as Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad. A Nike store poster in Dubai even featured a hijabi runner. 

In the lead-up to the pro-hijab line, Nike released a video campaign titled "What will they say about you?" The ad celebrates the achievements of female Middle Eastern athletes, who have broken through social barriers.

The series includes Tunisian Olympic fencing bronze medalist Ines Boubakri, the first Emirati parkour trainer Amal and Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari.

Hijabi women have proven that it is high time they be recognized in the sports world, as they have made their way to the biggest international stadiums. They have fought the clothing restrictions enforced by international sports federations and succeeded in pressuring several federations to alter their dress code. 

The 2016 Rio Olympic Games saw a number of athletes competing while wearing the hijab, from Egyptian beach volleyball player Doaa El Ghobashy to American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad – who actually won a bronze medal. 

"For a brand like Nike to come out and say that these people exist and are inclusive of hijabis is a big deal," Egyptian athlete Manal Rostom told Al Arabiya. 

"It not just about making a product available for Muslim and Arab women but it is also giving a chance to those women who are putting off the idea of wearing the veil completely in order to compete."

Fashion brands Dolce & Gabbana and DKNY have created products specifically for customers seeking modest attire. Similarly, Marks and Spencer's 2016 Spring and Summer collection featured a burkini, which quickly sold out.

Last month, Debenhams announced that it will become the first major department store in the UK to sell hijabs. The chain store is set to introduce a section exclusively for modest wear.