RIYADH – Colourful and oozing defiance, a sports-friendly version of theabaya gown was once considered a symbol of cultural rebellion inconservative Saudi Arabia, but it is fast becoming the new normal.
Pictures of female athletes running in the garb in the Red Sea city ofJeddah went viral last month, setting off a new debate on sartorialfreedoms for women in a country where the typically all-black,body-shrouding garment is obligatory in public.
Some cultural purists vented fury online, calling it a breach of tradition,but opposition has been largely muted following recent comments frompowerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the abaya any abaya is notmandatory in Islam.
Until a formal edict comes however, designers such as Eman Joharjy arecashing in on the growing popularity of the so-called sports abayas, asmany women push back against traditional attitudes of equating chastitywith dress code.
“There is a big demand,” Joharjy told AFP at her fashion studio in Jeddah.
“Having them in different colours is empowering.”
Akin to a zippered jumpsuit, sports abayas envelop a woman’s body but offergreater mobility for sporting activities, in contrast to the classic baggyversion 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 andwhite more tolerable in the kingdom’s scorching heat — and she usesnatural fabrics, including French poplin, that do not cling to a sweatingbody.
One of the early pioneers of the trend, Joharjy said she was branded asocial outlier and jeered by some as “batman” when she began designing anddonning sports abayas publicly in 2007.
“There was a little bit of rebellion but I designed it for myself, becauseit’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 andembellishments, and they are sometimes worn in the kingdom withbaseball-style caps over headscarves.
The latest fad is an eye-catching ensemble of “soccer-themed abayas” in thecolours of the local teams, a new way for female sporting fans to cheer fortheir favourite players.