Women in Saudi Arabia have launched a protest against the abaya, a full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, by wearing the garment inside out, Independent reported.

A traditional abaya is black and covers the entire body, leaving the head, feet and hands visible.

Earlier this year, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman stated that women in the country need not feel obliged to wear the abaya, as long as they dress in a “decent and respectful” manner.

“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia [Islamic law]: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” Mr Salman said in an interview with CBS.

“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”

However, many women in the country have stated that they still feel required to wear the Islamic garment, which is why the “inside-out abaya” movement came about.

“Because #Saudi feminists are endlessly creative, they come up with [a] new form of protest and given it [the] hashtag ‘inside-out abaya’,” activist Nora Abdulkarim tweeted.