Sports abayas now the craze for Saudi women
News & Trends •
afp25 colourful and oozing defiance a sports-friendly version of the abaya gown was once considered a symbol of cultural rebellion in conservative saudi arabia but it is fast becoming the new normal1 some cultural purists vented fury online calling it a breach of tradition but opposition has been largely muted following recent comments from powerful crown prince mohammed bin salman that the abaya any abaya is not mandatory in islam1 until a formal edict comes however designers such as eman joharjy are cashing in on the growing popularity of the so-called sports abayas as many women push back against traditional attitudes of equating chastity with dress code1 there is a big demand joharjy told afp at her fashion studio in jeddah1 having them in different colours is empowering1 akin to a zippered jumpsuit sports abayas envelop a womans body but offer greater mobility for sporting activities in contrast to the classic baggy version where tripping on the hem of the flowing garment is a common risk1 the 43-year-olds designs come in colours like pistachio green beige and white more tolerable in the kingdoms scorching heat and she uses natural fabrics including french poplin that do not cling to a sweating body1 one of the early pioneers of the trend joharjy said she was branded a social outlier and jeered by some as batman when she began designing and donning sports abayas publicly in 20071 there was a little bit of rebellion but i designed it for myself because its practical she said1 you zip up and are ready to go1 soccer-themed abayas1 joharjy has defied a popular maxim in saudi arabia if its not black its not an abaya1 abayas have evolved over the years with new patterns fabrics and embellishments and they are sometimes worn in the kingdom with baseball-style caps over headscarves1 the latest fad is an eye-catching ensemble of soccer-themed abayas in the colours of the local teams a new way for female sporting fans to cheer for their favourite players1 such fashion trends are gaining momentum amid the kingdoms liberalisation drive including a historic royal decree allowing women to drive from june and enter sports stadiums for the first time1 the government is also seeking to jump-start womens sports and is moving toward compulsory physical education classes for girls after a ban was lifted in 20141 pictures of female athletes running in the garb in the red sea city of jeddah went viral last month setting off a new debate on sartorial freedoms for women in a country where the typically all-black body-shrouding garment is obligatory in public1 women exercising in public were long a target for the kingdoms austere religious police which has largely been neutered in recent years1 and the once-unthinkable idea of doing away with the abaya appears to now be gaining traction1 the laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia that women wear decent respectful clothing like men prince mohammed told cbs television last month1 this however does not particularly specify a black abaya. it is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire to wear1 modest look1 muslim cleric sheikh ahmed bin qassim al-ghamdi added a new wrinkle to the debate when he dismissed the long-held view that black was the only colour for abayas permissible in islam1 the cloak is meant for maintaining a modest look and it does not have to be black the former chief of the religious police in the holy city of mecca told saudi-owned al-arabiya television last month1 but the risk of a social backlash is real in a society steeped in conservatism1 they look like cleaners a tweet said in response to viral images of athletes dressed in sports abayas1 their purpose is not sports. we have all been running in full body veil tweeted another1 back at joharjys studio a longtime client marwa al-hadi walked in wearing one of her designs with magenta sneakers1 abaya is like the indian saree it is part of our identity joharjy told her as they weighed in on the future evolution of the garment1 but at the same time if god did not want women to do sports we would not have muscles or a body1 hadi nodded1 it is no ones business to stop and question what im wearing she said1 saudi officials recently announced that women would be able to participate next year in the riyadh international marathon previously a male-only event1