As a student at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, van den Bremen observed increasing tension between native Dutch citizens and ethnic minority immigrants, many of them Muslims. Young Muslim women want to wear the hijab, the traditional Muslim headcover, but a Dutch court has declared it unsafe for sports, so Muslim girls are often excluded from gym class. Eager to use design to address a cultural, social, and political issue, van den Bremen created Capsters, head coverings that not only serve as safe and practical sports accessories, but also lend the hijab a more modern image.
Gallery label from Born out of Necessity, March 2, 2012–January 28, 2013.
