At a recent home match in Riyadh, Nora Al-Shaikh introduced a new design perspective to football culture, as Saudi women appeared in custom modest fanwear created specifically for Al-Nassr FC. The piece, a refined dress that integrates club identity into a contemporary silhouette, signals a broader shift in how sportswear engages with cultural context and representation.
Reframing football fashion through lived experience
The design emerged from direct observation rather than trend forecasting. While attending matches, Al-Shaikh noticed a clear gap in how women expressed their fandom compared to men. Consequently, the project developed as both a design response and a cultural statement rooted in participation.
“I was at one of the Al-Nassr games and noticed there were many women in the stands – passionate, engaged, and fully part of the atmosphere. Then I looked around and something really stood out to me: The men had fanwear jerseys, but the women didn’t,” she says.
“It wasn’t that women weren’t present, they were very much there but there was no real consideration for how they might want to express that presence. Many were adapting what existed layering, modifying, or compromising but nothing felt intentionally designed for them. That’s when it clicked for me: the issue wasn’t participation, it was representation. Women were already part of the culture; the design just hadn’t caught up yet.”
As a result, the garment prioritizes both functionality and identity. It reinterprets traditional jersey elements through a modest, wearable form aligned with contemporary Saudi fashion. At the same time, it avoids direct replication, instead translating visual cues into a more adaptable design language.
Balancing identity, materiality, and audience diversity
Rather than positioning the piece as a commercial product, Al-Shaikh frames it as an exploratory design intervention. Therefore, the dress remains non-retail, allowing space for dialogue around inclusivity and authorship in sportswear.
“I know so many women who are passionate supporters both within my circle and beyond,” Al-Shaikh says. “Having been in the stands myself, and seeing that gap firsthand, I felt a real pull to do something about it. It wasn’t just an idea, it felt like a responsibility to create something that reflects how these women show up, in a way that feels true to them and their support for the team.”
“I felt so personally connected to the idea. The intention was to create something meaningful for these women that acknowledges their presence and honors their fandom. Where it goes from here is something I’m leaving open,” she says. “For now, it’s about starting a conversation and allowing it to take shape naturally.”
Importantly, the design acknowledges diversity within its audience. Instead of assuming a single mode of dress, it reflects varied expressions of identity while maintaining a cohesive connection to the club.
“The starting point for me was always the women themselves. I approached the design with the understanding that Saudi women aren’t a single, uniform group. There are different ways of dressing, different preferences, and different ways of expressing identity. From there, it was about creating something that feels natural to how they already show up, while still carrying a strong sense of team identity,” she says.
“I drew from Nassr’s jersey elements and color palette, reinterpreting them into a silhouette that feels more aligned with how I envisioned this piece; something that reflects the spirit of the game, but in a new and considered form.”
Collaboration and future design direction
The project also extends into industry collaboration, as Al-Shaikh partnered with Adidas to realize the concept at scale. This partnership highlights how global sportswear brands are increasingly engaging with localized design narratives.
“As soon as I recognized the gap, the next natural step was to find a sportswear partner that was closely connected to Al-Nassr and could help bring this vision to life. That’s what led me to Adidas. From the beginning, they were incredibly supportive of the idea. What stood out to me was how aligned they were with the intention behind it; they understood that this wasn’t about creating a product, but about making Saudi women fans feel supported and represented,” she says. “Having that kind of partnership made it possible to translate a very personal idea into something tangible, while also giving it the platform to be seen and understood more globally.”
The dress debuted during a match between Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli Saudi on April 29, marking a visible moment for design-led representation in stadium environments.
“It means so much to me that (women) finally have something they can wear that expresses their fandom. More than anything, it’s about seeing them feel represented in a space they already belong to. These are women who have always been part of the atmosphere, the energy, and the culture of the game, and now there’s something that reflects that,” Al-Shaikh says. “To witness that in such a visible moment, in a stadium filled with that energy, makes it very personal. It feels like a small but meaningful shift, where women are not just present but seen.”
Looking ahead, the project points toward a broader industry reconsideration of inclusivity in sportswear design.
“Women are present, engaged, and deeply connected to the game, and that should be reflected in how they’re considered from the very beginning of the design process. It’s not about adapting existing products, but about creating with intention, based on how women actually show up and express themselves. There isn’t a single way of dressing or engaging with football, and that diversity should be acknowledged,” she says. “More than anything, it’s about listening, observing, and designing with that reality in mind.”