Qatar’s Trailblazers |
Haya, who was Innovation Director at Qatar Science
& Technology Park, explains: “While we were training
for Kilimanjaro, we really wanted to train outside, but
we were struggling to find something to wear that was
appropriate.”
Amina says: “We knew at that point that we wanted
to do something about it, but it was the experience of
Kilimanjaro itself that brought Oola to life. We made up
our minds that we were going to go back home and take
action.”
Oola Sports now provides women with modest, loose-
fitting activewear that performs well in action and aligns
with their cultural values.
Made from functional cutting-edge fabric, the sleek kit
replaces the multitude of items Haya and Amina had to
cobble together previously in order to cover up.
They found that other women were also searching far
and wide for appropriate gear. They realised there was a
huge unmet demand for modest, long-sleeved sportswear
made from ultra-modern, technical fabrics.
So, on their return from Africa, they teamed up with
Lilian Gabriel Barbosa, a fashion designer with a
background in physical therapy. She embraced the
challenge of designing a line of activewear that is loose
fitting and stylish, without compromising on sports and
fitness performance.
They launched in June 2015, partnering with Behold,
and leveraging Indiegogo crowdfunding.
Businesswoman Haya used her experience in creating
support programmes for entrepreneurs, including
accessing accelerator and investment funds, to push the
process forward.
She says: “I’ve been working with entrepreneurs for my
entire career. Being so close to the entrepreneurship
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