As many hijab-wearing women are working at health care facilities, I wanted to make sure they have a comfortable option for wearing a mask while keeping their hair covered
22-year-old Halima Aden is making history.
- She first was noted for competing for the title of Miss Minnesota USA in a burkini.
- She was the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
- Aden is currently doing her part to help healthcare workers of all faiths get access to proper personal protective equipment (PPE) as they continue to work amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Halima Aden is a Somali-American model who recently partnered with Allure and fashion tech start-up, Anywear to help design a line of hijabs and turbans, along with matching face coverings, for frontline/healthcare workers. Aden’s work is part of Anywear’s Banding Together Project, which was formed to create cloth-based protective gear that can help healthcare workers avoid discomfort, abrasions, bruises, and marks left by other types of PPE.
Aden was a healthcare worker, and she shared why it was important to her to be involved in the project:
“Having worked in a hospital, even several months into my modeling career, it was important for me to support this project,” “As many hijab-wearing women are working at healthcare facilities, I wanted to make sure they have a comfortable option for wearing a mask while keeping their hair covered.”
Aden said on the project’s website.
It is important to note that every time you purchase one of Aden’s designs (or, TBH, any design from the Banding Together Project), Anywear will match with a donation of an adjustable headband, hijab set, or medical cap to a healthcare worker in need. Plus, all proceeds from The Banding Together Project will be used to cover the costs of labor, materials, manufacturing, and distribution of products for donation to hospital workers.
“This is giving people the tools to feel comfortable and do their job to the best of their ability,” Aden told Vogue of her partnership with Anywear. “There are so many hijabi women working in healthcare, and their comfort is as important as anyone else’s in the workforce.”
