
Sadia Kabeya Just Dropped a Game-Changer for Natural Hair in Sport
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Injuries sideline you from the game, but sometimes, they open up bigger conversations off the pitch. For England rugby star Sadia Kabeya, that timeout turned into something more powerful than any comeback story. It sparked a movement.
2025 is the year Sadia made a pivot. Not just back to the field, but toward something even more personal, protecting natural hair in sport. And she’s doing it with something no one saw coming: a satin-lined scrum cap.
Yeah, you heard that right.
For years, Black women in rugby and across sport have had to choose between playing hard and protecting their hair. Braids pulled too tight. Sweat breaking through lace fronts. Edges sacrificed for the game. The culture knows. Sadia lived it.
“I used to throw plastic bags over my head before a match,” she wrote in a February IG drop. “Not for fashion. Just survival.”
So she linked up with Gilbert to flip the script. Together, they designed a scrum cap that actually considers the needs of Black hair. It’s not just a cute idea, it’s functional. Satin-lined to stop friction, reduce breakage, and let players lock in without worrying what their hairline will look like by full-time.
“It’s not glamorous. But it works. And for the girls and guys who get it — this is for you,” she wrote.
It’s more than gear. It’s visibility. Sadia’s story, from questioning why she needed extensions to feel beautiful, to realizing her natural hair deserved better has hit home. Not just with rugby union players, but across rugby league and beyond.
She’s not selling beauty standards. She’s challenging them. Wearing her hair and her cap with pride. Because if she can show up confidently, so can the next girl watching from the sidelines, wondering if sport was ever built with her in mind.
“I’m not here for a fashion show,” she told Yahoo Sport. “But if I can wear it and feel confident, someone else can too.”
The message is clear: sport should never come at the cost of identity. Kabeya’s scrum cap isn’t just protective gear...it’s a cultural reset.
The Air Headguard - Satin is available for purchase on Gilbert Rugby