Kit & Gear

Modesty Sportswear Styling Part 2: How to Dress for Training

In Part 2 of our Modesty sportswear styling series, Nike athlete Intisar Abdul-Kader and fashion designer Saleha Bagas explain how best to choose modest gym wear and sportswear.

In Part 1, we explained what modesty fashion means and shared our top 4 Inspirational Looks.

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MEET THE ATHLETE

Intisar Abdul-Kader is a Nike community runner and works as a mental health professional for the National Health Service (NHS). Her favourite hobby is long distance running and she is currently training for the New York Marathon in November 2022.

She is a huge advocate of making sports more accessible to everybody and wants to see more Muslim, Black, Hijab wearing females taking up running and lacing up at start lines!

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MEET THE STYLIST

Saleha Bargas is a fashion designer and founder of SALEHABAGAS.

Her aim is to help those wanting to dress modestly and look good whilst being covered, whether that is due to beliefs, personal choice or simply because that’s their style of dressing.

Here are Intisar and Saleha's top tips on how to make modest gym wear and sportswear stylish;

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1. MODEST FITNESS TOPS AND JACKETS

Women’s tops can be extremely difficult to shop when taking ‘modesty’ into consideration. This is due to the majority of gym wear or sports performance tops on the market being short in the body and having a fitted design. It’s hard to find women’s tops which cover the front and rear suitably for a modest look.

ADVICE AND NEEDS:

• Size up in women’s tops which helps create more length in the body. This will help keep the front and rear covered better.

• Higher neck lines that allow the hijab to be tucked underneath.

• Velcro fastenings on wrists to help keep jackets secure and in place.

• Men’s jackets are seen as a good option due to the longer body length on them, this helps keep the front and rear covered for a modest look. This also allows Intisar to feel comfortable and at ease when running.

• Men’s tops are also an option due to a less fitted design and longer length, however the neck / collar design can be too loose which doesn’t allow the Hijab to be tucked in stay into place securely.

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2. HIJAB FOR WORKING OUT

Hijabs are the key to most looks for both Intisar and Saleha. From conversations, it became extremely clear that they style everyday outfits around their Hijabs. With this in mind, it's crucial that brands are focusing on women's needs when building ranges. No woman should feel restricted when training or have to say 'no' to something that makes them feel empowered, positive and healthy!

ADVICE AND NEEDS:

• Intisar styles her everyday outfits from her Hijab down. However, for sports performance she’s unable to do this due to such limitations on the market. The majority of sports performance Hijabs are usually black, meaning Intisar is unable to ‘stand out’ and style herself around the Hijab.

• Intisar usually wears kids Hijabs when ‘fast’ running, due to the tightness of them. She says that women’s Hijabs can sometimes be loose meaning they are much more prone to slipping.

• To be able to have the option to buy Hijabs with adjustable tightening's.

• To be able to have colour options in Hijabs – When analysing the market the main colour noticeable is black.

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3. MODEST FITNESS LEGGINGS AND TROUSERS

Intisar spoke at length about how she struggles to find the “right” bottoms when running. Her go-to are women's running trousers, however she mentions how hard these are to find in the market. Wearing women's running trousers are a great alternative for females who aren’t as confident in wearing a pair of skin tight leggings.

ADVICE AND NEEDS:

• Long length leggings help cover up the ankles as much as possible, outfitted with a pair of long running socks.

• Thicker leggings which are ‘squat’ friendly and not opaque.

• Leggings that have no mesh panels on them and are high waisted.

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REFLECTION

Learnings from in depth conversations with Intisar and Saleha is that women do not always choose to dress modestly due to religious reasons, a large proportion dress this way due to body confidence, safety or health reasons.

We live in an extremely judgemental society which is obsessed with appearance, and it’s down to us to make a difference and change this.

It's time we took 'modesty' seriously and allow women from different walks of life to be able to feel positive when shopping for modest gym wear and sports performance clothing.

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