dual citizenship

Pemba Paradise

Zanzibar Diaspora

Mwanakwerekwe shops ad

ZanzibarNiKwetuStoreBanner

ZNK Patreon

Scrolling news

************ KARIBUNI..................Contact us for any breaking news or for any information at: znzkwetu@gmail.com. You can also fax us at: 1.801.289.7713......................KARIBUNI

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

New trend: Saudi women embrace sports abayas!

Saudi women jog in the streets of Jeddah's historic Al Balad district.

  • The latest fad is an eye-catching ensemble of 'soccer-themed' abayas.
  • Colourful and oozing defiance, a sports-friendly version of the abaya gown was once considered a symbol of cultural rebellion in Saudi Arabia, but it is fast becoming the new normal.
    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 public.


    Some cultural purists vented fury online, 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 Islam.

    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 code.
    "There is a big demand," Joharjy told AFP at her fashion studio in Jeddah.

    "Having them in different colours is empowering."

    Sports abayas envelop a woman's 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 risk.

    The 43-year-old's designs come in colours like pistachio green, beige and white - more tolerable in the Kingdom's scorching heat - and she uses natural fabrics, including French poplin, that do not cling to a sweating body.

    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 2007.

    "There was a little bit of rebellion but I designed it for myself, because it's practical," she said.

    "You zip up and are ready to go."

    'Soccer-themed abayas'

    Joharjy has defied a popular maxim in Saudi Arabia: "If it's not black, it's not an abaya."
    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 headscarves.

    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 players.

    Such fashion trends are gaining momentum amid the Kingdom's liberalisation drive, including a historic royal decree allowing women to drive from June and enter sports stadiums for the first time.
    The government is also seeking to jump-start women's sports and is moving toward compulsory physical education classes for girls, after a ban was lifted in 2014.

    Saudi officials recently announced that women would be able to participate next year in the Riyadh international marathon.

    Women exercising in public were long a target for the Kingdom's austere religious police, which has largely been neutered in recent years.

    And the once-unthinkable idea of doing away with the abaya appears to now be gaining traction.

    "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 month.

    "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 wear."
    Back at Joharjy's studio, a longtime client Marwa Al Hadi walked in wearing one of her designs with magenta sneakers.

    "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 garment.

    Hadi nodded.

    "It is no one's business to stop and question what I'm wearing," she said.

    No comments :

    Post a Comment