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American Eagle Features Hijab in Fall Collection

An American teen retailer has released a denim hijab as part of its fall collection, and forming s part of the companyโ€™s recent fashion-for-all campaign, a decision which has sparked mixed responses.

โ€œThank you American Eagle for encouraging young America to follow their passions, express their individuality and pursue their unique paths,โ€ Halima Aden, a Somali-American model who signed with IMG Models earlier this year, posted on her Instagram account, along with a video from the fall denim campaign.

The move also suggests some positive u-turn for American Eagle, which in 2008 denied a 17-year-old a job because she wore a black head scarf to the interview. The company claimed it violated its โ€œlook policy.โ€

The campaign styles hijab to look fresh and fun, paired with a denim button-down shirt, olive jacket and navy floral frock layered over pants.

However, the approach has drawn some condemnations  on social media.

โ€œSupporting the Muslim Hijab is supporting the enslavement of women โ€ฆโ€ one tweet said in protest. โ€œWill Nike provide male guardians so that hijabis can go out for a job?โ€ echoed another.

This release comes on the heels of Nikeโ€™s announcement earlier this year that it plans to make available next spring a โ€œPro Hijab,โ€  designed in black with signature Nike โ€œswooshโ€ logo.

It has been designed in collaboration with Muslim athletes and will be made from a dark, breathable polyester fabric. American Eagle and Nike have shown their respective hijabs on actual Muslim models.

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying oneโ€™s affiliations.