With the inevitable rise of modest fashion in recent years, it has become common to see fashion shows targeting hijab-wearing women with models who walk on runways with headscarves on.
Ms Aden, who lived in Kenya until she was seven before moving to the United States, in a video shared on the Sports Illustrated magazine Twitter account, described herself as a “burkini babe” and says her appearance on the cover page is “a dream come true”.
Halima Aden makes history as the first model to wear a hijab and burkini for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: https://t.co/8WFD4hHmiH. pic.twitter.com/OsBthnjoLY
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) April 29, 2019
She left Kenya for the United States as a refugee 14 years ago, came back for a photo-shooting mission that will not only have her featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Other models who have featured on the cover of the magazine and thereafter seen their careers thrive include Christy Brinkley, Tyra Banks and Kate Upton, who are household names in the modelling industry.
In an interview with the magazine, she said she was concerned because, on many occasions that she had flipped through magazines in the US, she had never seen a model wearing a hijab in any of them.
If all goes as planned, Ms Aden will make history as the first Muslim model to appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine with her head covered and wearing a burkini when its 2019 issue is released on Wednesday next week.
Only that in this edition, Ms Aden will add a modest touch to the cover page, which is typically known to feature models with most of their skin exposed. She will be in a swimsuit that is associated with Muslim women, which leaves only the hands, feet and face exposed.
The photos were taken recently on the Watamu beach in Kilifi County by renowned photographer Yu Tsai, the magazine said on Monday. Above all, the words “This is American beauty” will be emblazoned on Ms Aden’s photos.
“For her SI Swimsuit rookie spread, we couldn’t think of a more perfect place to travel than her birth country, where she shot at Watamu Beach with photographer Yu Tsai,” the magazine said in a statement.
Ms MJ Days, an editor at SI Swimsuit, said that featuring Ms Aden in the magazine was indicative of the range and scope of the type of beauty that exists.
In a video shared on the same page, Ms Aden reveals that it is not part of her culture to participate in pageantry, saying that “it was very much an American culture. But that has always been my message: Don’t be afraid to be the first.”