Minnesota's pioneering model featured in new Nike ad campaign

Minnesota fashion model Halima Aden has done it again.

The 19-year-old who has pushed the fashion industry to expand its beauty standards by proudly wearing her hijab on runways has broken yet another barrier — this time appearing in a new Nike ad. The ad campaign celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Air Max sneaker.

Aden joins an elite group of Nike spokespeople that includes tennis champion Serena Williams and supermodel Bella Hadid.

For the photo shoot last month, Aden was photographed in her hometown of St. Cloud at a batting cage and go-kart racing course, among other places.

The photos first surfaced last week on the model's Instagram account. She posted two photos of herself dressed from head to toe in Nike apparel. In both photos, she is wearing a gray skirt with a slit and black Nike leggings underneath, a white Nike sweatshirt, Air Max 97 sneakers and a black headscarf.

Along with the new photos, Aden posted this message: "There's always room for improvement. My life philosophy is: If I did good yesterday, I could do better today. Even with these shoes, Nike is not thinking for the customers today, they're keeping in mind the customers 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 60 years from now. What is that brand going to be remembered for? I'm excited to share with you these images created for @NikeSportswear's #ad #AirMax97 Ultra. #Movement97".

The photos were taken to appear on Nike Digital Channels, Nike Communications and on social media, said Libby Watkins of Future Productions in Savage, the management company that works with Aden.

Aden made history last fall as the first Miss Minnesota USA pageant contestant to compete wearing a head scarf and burkini. Her entry in the pageant led to her discovery by the larger fashion world.

She signed with IMG Models and walked the runway for Yeezy and Max Mara lines in New York and Italy. In addition, she has appeared in the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Glamour magazines. Recently, she landed on the cover of Allure magazine.

The plucky Somali-American teenager, who initially kept her housekeeping job at St. Cloud Hospital after becoming a cover girl, had an eventful August — she just had her braces removed last week.

Aden was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, where she drank Pediasure because she was underweight and stood in long lines for water and food rations. She arrived in the United States when she was 7 and struggled at first to adapt to the new language and culture. But adapt she did, and her family eventually settled in St. Cloud, where she became the first Somali student at her high school to be crowned homecoming queen.

Asked what message she's sending by modeling for Nike, Aden said in a written statement: "My goal is for everyone, from all different backgrounds, to see that one of the biggest brands in the world is open to change and bettering things — really just showcasing beauty that already exists."