Muslim Hijabi Ballerina Game Changer

The 14-year-old Australian ballet dancer was refused to wear her Hijab to ballet studio. But nothing could stop her from pursuing her passion. On Valentine’s Day, Stephanie Kurlow is the first person to receive The Game Changer Scholarship by Sports fashion brand Björn Borg. ‘I want to bring the world together by becoming the very first Muslim Hijabi ballerina’ says Kurlow. 

She has been dancing ballet since the age of two. In 2010, Australian schoolgirl Stephanie Kurlow converted to Islam together with her Australian father and her Russian-born mother. Being very proud of her Australian identity, she was surprised to receive a different treatment for simply wearing a hijab. Stephanie was frustrated to find there were no full time ballet studios that readily accepted her wearing hijab. Stephanie decided to take destiny into her own hands and started a crowd funding campaign to fulfil her dream to train in a top ballet school and be able to open a diverse performing arts school where everyone is welcome.

Stephanie Kurlow:

“I plan on bringing the world together by becoming the very first Hijab-Wearing ballerina so that I can inspire so many other people to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. I want to encourage everyone to join together no matter what faith, race or colour and I hope to leave in a world with greater acceptance. This scholarship funds my training and brings me closer to my goal”. 

The Game Changer Scholarship by Björn Borg is instituted to support athletes with extraordinary visions and dreams, people who not only dream about a better future, but also have a plan to get there. People who can change the game.

“We were genuinely inspired to learn about Stephanie and her story. She is a true game changer and an extraordinary human being. The power and the courage that it takes for a 14-year-old to not give up in a situation like this, to see possibilities where others see problems, is exceptional”, Jonas Lindberg Nyvang, Marketing Director Björn Borg.

ABOUT BJÖRN BORG: The Group owns the Björn Borg trademark and its core business is underwear and sportswear. It also offers footwear, luggage & bags and eyewear through licensees. Björn Borg products are sold in around thirty markets, of which Sweden and the Netherlands are the largest. The Björn Borg Group has operations at every level from branding to consumer sales in its own Björn Borg stores. Total sales of Björn Borg products in 2014 amounted to about SEK 1.4 billion, excluding VAT, at the consumer level. Group net sales amounted to SEK 539 million in 2014, with an average of 129 employees. The Björn Borg share has been listed on NASDAQ Stockholm since 2007.

Learn more about Björn Borg from our previous fashion blog posts about the Björn Borg fashion brand.

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