The demand is there, says Eman Joharjy.
Just last September, women in Saudi Arabia were allowed into a sports stadium for the first time. Now, a fashion designer in the Kingdom says demand for her fitness-friendly abayas has never been stronger.
Jeddah-based Eman Joharjy told AFP that she made and wore her first sports abaya all the way back in 2007.
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“There was a little bit of rebellion, but I designed it for myself, because it’s practical,” she told the agency. “You zip up and are ready to go.”
Joharjy just wanted to be able to run, which a traditional abaya’s loose hem can make difficult.
Now that she’s making them for sale, Joharjy’s found many other women in Saudi Arabia are keen to try them out.
“There is a big demand… Having them in different colours is empowering,” The National quotes her AFP interview.
In natural, breathable fabrics and the colours of her customers’ favourite soccer teams, Joharjy’s abayas make it easier for Saudi women to exercise.
March saw the Kingdom’s first women’s road race, with over 1,500 women hitting the pavement for a three-kilometre course.
And in the same month, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told a US news station that wearing an abaya or hijab was a woman’s choice.
“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of Sharia: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” Mohammed bin Salman, who was promoted to his current position last year, told CBS in a wide-reaching interview.
“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover.”
Currently, a loose-fitting full-length robe is typically worn by women in the kingdom when in public.
However the royal added that with regard to their dress, “the decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”
Recently, the kingdom has seen many changes under Vision 2030, Mohammed bin Salman’s post-oil economic plan which aims to make Saudi a more modern, tourist-friendly destination.
Last September, a royal decree revealed women will be able to secure driving licences from June 2018, with the news widely celebrated around the globe.
Images: Eman Joharjy/Instagram
