It's not often we see fashion design working to empower a community—clothing is usually about the individual. For this reason, among many other important ones, ASIYA's line of culturally appropriate activewear instantly caught our eye. Through the sleek design of their athletic hijabs, ASIYA aims to encourage Muslim women of all ages to participate in team sports and lead more active lifestyles with confidence.

According to ASIYA, the participation rate of Muslim girls in sports is extremely low—about half that of their peers, to be exact. Part of this problem is due to the culturally appropriate clothing Muslim women wear on a daily basis. Hijabs and modest garments are usually too bulky to wear in active environments, and they're different than what girls with other cultural backgrounds wear during games. Many Muslim women opt out of participating in sports for these very reasons. 

ASIYA's Kickstarter video shows before and after videos of young women playing basketball without and with ASIYA's athletic hijabs:

Athletic hijabs already exist, but ASIYA's sleek, form fitting design is what sets them apart. They're more subtle than competing versions and feature a built-in headband to tightly hold hair in place—something all female (and even some male!) athletes struggle with during games. The hijabs come in three styles—Lite, Sport and Fit—to accommodate every athlete.

"ASIYA honors and encourages Muslim women of all ages—young girls, tweens, teens, mature women—to experience a new level of confidence, cultural integrity, comfort, and health."

ASIYA is further proving that design has the potential to offer beneficial solutions to everyone's particular needs. We're excited to see where ASIYA's first athletic hijab line takes them.

ASIYA has already been funded on Kickstarter, but there's still a few hours left to contribute to the powerful campaign. Learn more and contribute here.