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Rising up as a Somali woman in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Muna Mohamed took on an unusual ardour for basketball. Whereas it isn’t uncommon to see East African girls capturing hoops right now, Muna spent a few years as the one woman on the courtroom, holding her personal in opposition to the boys.
Years later, when her household moved to South St. Paul, Muna joined her college’s basketball crew. She pursued her love of the game all the best way to enjoying semi-professional ball with the TC Elite.
In seeking to share that zeal, Muna would go on to educate in her previous neighborhood and work to interrupt the limitations which have usually stored younger Muslim girls out of the sport.
Whereas teaching, Muna noticed that a few of her gamers grew annoyed with their hijabs falling off and interfering with their recreation. This made her recall her personal expertise of feeling as if she had to decide on between correctly observing her religion and enjoying the sport she cherished.
Enjoying highschool basketball, Muna wore lengthy sleeved shirts beneath her jersey and wrapped her hijab in a means that it wouldn’t move an excessive amount of. Nonetheless, it didn’t appear modest sufficient for her beliefs. She additionally remembers referees who singled her out for sporting the hijab, deeming it a security hazard.
“I simply acquired unhappy that the women have been struggling. I noticed myself in them,” she stated. “If I may return and have a look at what I wore, I’d’ve by no means worn it, however I solely did it for the sport of basketball and I want there was somebody there advocating for me.”
Realizing that her gamers have been combating the identical challenge impressed Muna to launch Kalsoni, a modest activewear model that helps Muslim girls really feel assured whereas residing a wholesome life-style. In only a few years, Muna has progressed from selling her model by phrase of mouth and holding popup retailers to now launching her web site and promoting her garments at native retailers reminiscent of REI.
The primary key second got here whereas Muna was pursuing her diploma in Train Science on the College of Minnesota in 2013. She took half in a analysis mission that aimed to create culturally applicable activewear. The GIRLS Neighborhood co-design mission initiated by the College of Minnesota sought the suggestions of 25 native women of East African background. A big a part of the mission’s targets was to incorporate neighborhood enter and empower neighborhood members to discover a answer that match the wants of younger athletes.
The mission culminated in a vogue present the place attire design college students and native tailors created the garments imagined by the younger individuals. The findings have been revealed within the Style Research Journal with pictures of the method.
With cash left over from this system, Muna developed a sports activities uniform in collaboration with Jennifer Weber, co-founder and director of the Cedar Riverside Athletics Enrichment Program. That led in flip to the founding of the Girl Warriors, the neighborhood’s first touring basketball crew and a member of the Beginner Athletic Union.
After ending her bachelor’s diploma, Muna pursued a grasp’s in Kinesiology on the College of Minnesota, persevering with her work within the space of modest activewear in an effort to encourage folks to be extra bodily lively, and more healthy.
“That’s the place my ardour lies,” she stated.
Muna labored as a graduate analysis assistant on one other college examine that launched completely different wholesome methods of residing for East African girls and their daughters. As within the earlier examine, individuals got the chance to design and produce their very own culturally affirming activewear.
Muna and her colleagues concluded that there have been two easy points that prevented native Muslim girls from sustaining a wholesome life-style.
“The highest two limitations to sports activities and bodily exercise was lack of culturally delicate clothes and in addition an absence of culturally delicate programming,” she defined. “Numerous the health areas don’t have culturally inclusive areas, the place there’s an understanding that some girls want an all-woman area.”
Many East African girls undergo from, or are susceptible to, cardiovascular points and hypertension, Muna stated. She believes that residing within the West has exacerbated these points as a result of many individuals stay a extra sedentary life-style than they might have of their native nations.
Muna’s mom usually informed her that individuals in Somalia didn’t should exit of their technique to be wholesome due to their each day exercise degree.
“We’d at all times be strolling or we might at all times be on the transfer, however over here’s a completely different actuality,” she stated.
It was curiosity from neighborhood members that helped flip Muna’s educational analysis right into a enterprise. A number of younger girls have been conscious of those distinctive outfits, however there was nowhere for the typical client to purchase them.
In creating the model for a product marketed to Muslim girls within the East African neighborhood, it was vital to keep up a way of cultural expression. She settled on the Somali phrase kalsoni, which interprets to “confidence,” a sense that Muna stated is essential for any Muslim lady engaged on her bodily health.
“I spotted we shouldn’t run away from our tradition and I wished a phrase that represented what I used to be, who the women have been, and whether or not we’re on the courtroom or off the courtroom, there was a way of confidence,” she stated. That’s very true for Black Muslim girls.
Muna’s private expertise as an athlete and researcher provides her a novel perspective on design. Whereas well-known athletic manufacturers reminiscent of Nike and Lululemon carry their very own variations of modest athleisure put on, Muna believes that they fall wanting what Muslim girls want.
“They usually don’t perceive the kind of hijabs that it’s good to create to cater to all Muslims,” she stated. “That’s why I’ve the completely different versatile hijabs from sports activities shawls to the sports activities hijab for everybody.”
Along with Kalsoni’s pullover sports activities hijab, there is also a sports activities scarf possibility that appears just like the shawls Muslim girls are used to sporting. Each include a scarf that helps maintain the hijabs safe, and are comprised of breathable supplies.
Prospects additionally may also buy loose-fitting tunics of various lengths with zippers on backside of either side to permit for extra mobility. The tunics are available separate colours reminiscent of blue, rose, plum, and grey. There are additionally unisex lengthy sleeve shirts to offer males choices.
In 2019, Muna was a pupil finalist within the MN Cup, an annual startup competitors hosted by the college’s Carlson College of Administration that awards a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} to entrepreneurs. This was the primary time she publicly pitched the enterprise. She went on to take part in lots of enterprise accelerators and incubator packages reminiscent of Goal Accelerator Cohort in 2020 and REI in 2021, the place she was a Embark Program Finalist, recognition that she took as a validation of her concept.
Primarily based on her expertise as a researcher, Muna knew that constructing a product line wouldn’t come shortly. She surveyed potential prospects in regards to the form of materials they most popular and what size of clothes they have been most snug sporting. She knew she must provide a spread of things as a result of everybody’s definition of modesty is completely different.
Sourcing the materials was additionally an arduous course of. After discovering a material retailer within the Twin Cities that bought the supplies she wanted, she took her sketches of her outfits to a Somali mall and paid a tailor to create a prototype. Then it was on to discovering a producer that not solely matched Muna’s wants on value, logistics and portions, but in addition her values.
Her seek for a producing accomplice went world, however she discovered a neighborhood firm that met all her wants.
“Largely I seemed for the tradition, how they handled their staff, their work tradition, and if my missions and my values align with them,” she stated.
She began promoting the Kalsoni model at native pop up retailers beginning in 2020.
Muna held one pop up partnership with Lifetime Health in Fridley after she related with the native supervisor. She defined to him the difficulties that lots of the fitness center’s Muslim purchasers confronted snug garments to work out in.
A number of non-Muslim members had complained about Muslim girls being within the fitness center or pool areas sporting clothes that they felt wasn’t sanitary, or have been so free that they may trigger drowning. Muna made the case that Lifetime ought to accomplice with herto give their many Muslim members the chance to buy clothes they may work out or swim in.
Having relationships with companies reminiscent of REI, Lifetime Health and the Hype, a streetwear retailer positioned in Minneapolis, highlights Muna’s plans to make sure Kalsoni’s success via partnerships with native and nationwide firms. Relationships, she realized, make or break a enterprise.
Kalsoni additionally partnered with Ladies on the Run, a nationwide nonprofit group devoted to boosting confidence in women via bodily exercise and supporting their emotional well being. By means of this partnership, Kalsoni supplied personalized sports activities hijabs for younger Muslims.
Kalsoni launched its web site earlier this yr with a listing of merchandise for direct buy. Gadgets are named after a few of Muna’s friends and the younger girls she as soon as coached who affectionately consult with her as Coach Muna.
Even earlier than promoting her product on-line, she acquired worldwide inquiries on her product.
“I’ve bought to people in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and now getting orders from South Africa and Kenya,” she stated. “It was good to see it validated in Minnesota, however then it was a novel alternative when people have been reaching out to me.”
There are many challenges forward. Generally deadlines aren’t met and targets must be shifted. The street to constructing one thing actually nice, she is aware of, can be lengthy.
