Decathlon had aimed to follow the lead of other brands like Uniqlo, H&M and Nike and surf the wave of 'Islamic fashion'. It planned a French release of it running hijab for Muslim women who wanted to exercise while concealing their hair and neck. The 'Kalenji' hijab is available for sale at Decathlon outlets in countries such as Morocco.
On Tuesday, February 26, the brand declared it aimed to sell the sports hijab in France and then faced vitriolic reactions from the political sphere, on social networks and from customers. Decathlon says it received "more than 500 emails and calls" in the morning, and the brand abandoned its plans a few hours later.
"We are taking the decision this Tuesday evening not to market this product in France at this time," said Decathlon United's external communications manager, Xavier Rivoireon on French radio station RTL on Tuesday evening.
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