USA: Muslim girls design their own basketball uniforms

Finding stylish conservative clothing is one thing, but finding modest athletic wear is nearly impossible.

After struggling to play sports in long skirts, a group of young Muslim girls on a community traveling basketball team in Minnesota designed their own uniforms to wear.

“The girls quickly learned that traditional dress and basketball don’t mix well,” Thul, a volunteer research consultant to the program, told the Associated Press.

With help from the University of Minnesota College of Design, the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, coaches and community members, the girls were able to create and then debut the outfits at a local fashion show.

The uniforms, including one for basketball and one for all sports, are made of bright breathable fabrics, leggings instead of skirts, knee-length tunics, and hijabs with velcro so that the headscarves stay in place.

This is a time when several Muslim women are realizing the lack of stylish clothing options they have to choose from. The Lady Warriors unveiling a new uniform comes after a Kickstarter was held for a waterproof, workout hijab and Uniqlo’s recent collaboration with blogger Hana Tajima featuring modest clothing geared toward Muslim women.