Two Muslim junior barristers have launched hijab for court after spotting a gap in the market.
The idea came after regulatory and crime lawyer Karlia Lykourgou and criminal advocate Maryam Mir could not find hijabs at any of the usual court outfitters.
“It came about after I spoke to Maryam, who I have known since university, who said she finds it hard to get a hijab that is right for court,” Lykourgou told Sky News.
“I thought this was crazy, so we decided to design one that would be comfortable for a hijab-wearing barrister but also fit well with the rest of the outfit.”
The new hijab is made of bamboo silk to keep barristers warm during the winter and cold during the summer.
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The hijab, designed by Lykourgou, will come out on sale on March 31 in white and black colors.
Hijab-wearing barristers are exempt from wearing the traditional wig in court, but there isn’t any guidance on what this should look like.
“It can take years for someone to find one that works, it has to tuck inside the collar or suit but also be comfortable,” Lykourgou added.
“There aren’t many hijab-wearing barristers, but in the crown court I have seen white hijabs worn and in the magistrates, I have seen black, so we decided to design both.”
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
In May 2020, Raffia Arshad, 40, became the first hijabi Muslim woman to become a judge in the UK
Arshad was appointed a deputy district judge on the Midlands circuit after spending seventeen years working in law.