Manila Kimonos Thrilla 2 Review GiCritic 11:35 AM

I first noticed Manila Kimonos right after the first version of the Thrilla gi last year. The first release came with two kimono tops: a pearl weave and a rip stop variant. The “Thrilla in Manila” was brought back by Manila Kimonos. In its second coming, according to the owner, the black version is only the first among many color ways and designs.

The 2014 model, is a black gi accented with white contrast stitching. Unlike the 2013 version of the Thrilla, this year’s kimono only sports a 450gsm pearl weave top. This makes the kimono completely IBJJF competition legal.

Initial Impressions

First thing you’ll notice is the flashy bag. The superb styling to the drawstring bag is definitely eye candy for any grappler. With a keen eye you’ll notice a highlight scene from a vale tudo match.

I received an A1 and which was a perfect fit for my 5’5”, 155 pound frame. Both jacket and the pants weighed at an astonishingly light 1.4kg – in line with the model’s claim to an athletic and lightweight cut.

The front lapel-side of the gi has the woven label patch of the word “Thrilla” in all its AC-DC-ish glory. I spoke to one of the owners about this aspect of the design. The text was originally tested out as embroidery however the high grain embroidery they use would add weight to the gi. In the current competition scene, a few ounces can spell the difference between disqualification and a chance to winning gold.

The lapel is made with an interior EVA foam material that’s a good balance of firmness and lightness, again a testament to the gi’s competition-ready theme. Apart from the rock and roll inspired stylings, the other aspect of the design that caught my attention was the shield patch. The design could use a bit more definition linking the shield to the overall look of the design. 

The rip-stop gi pants are straightforward in nature: lightweight and easy to move around in. It uses an eight-loop belt system while bungee drawstring helps you keep the pants up.
 
One detail I found, rather a bit late in the inspection of the gi, was the inside taping used inside the kimono top and pants. People who are knowledgeable of the Filipino culture will identify this as the jeepney – a popular means of transportation in the Philippines.

Rolling impressions

What I love about this gi is that it’s a perfect fit for me, and I can’t stretch that enough. I’m an avid competitor and since I train a lot, a solid pair of pants that won’t rip are essential to me. My mobility was not hindered in any way throughout my use of the gi. My teammate and I each trained in our Thrilla gis on an average 2-3 times a week in a span of a little over 2 months. The black dye stayed intact and showed no signs of bleeding. The construction was superb, we didn’t see any of the stitching or embroidery coming undone.

Shrinkage

I washed the gi in cold water and never used a dryer. There wasn’t any noticeable shrinkage with the pants or gi top.

Final verdict

Priced at only $130, the Thrilla 2 by Manila Kimonos is a good all around, mid-range gi that offers superb quality at very affordable price. Having given my Thrilla an excruciating 2 months of hard rolling, it has held up quite nicely, without any major signs of wear and tear. Overall, the build quality and stylings on this gi are as good as they come in a heavily saturated jiu-jitsu gi market. I would have preferred if they stuck to the original concept of providing two gi tops, a riptop gi top for hot weather and a year-round pearl weave gi.

You can check out the Thrilla at their online store. It is available both locally in the Philippines and the US and internationally through their US warehouse.

Gameness Platinum Gi Review GiCritic 1:04 PM

If there is a solid brand that I’ll choose over a great number of companies out there, there is a chance that I will be picking Gameness. I had a couple of Gameness products in the past, from the Gameness Air to Gameness feather. Of all the products from Gameness that I used through the years so far, I have to admit that I am impressed how the Gameness Platinum gi was constructed.

The Platinum gi was a gift from my brother in law who came in for a visit. So as far as the price goes, I don’t have an idea how much he bought it. Doing a little search online, this gi costs between $150-$175, depending on which store you go to.

For starters, I am 5’5” around 140 lbs tops. Brother in law bought me an A1, which I usually use for my gis. For the Gameness Platinum weave gi, I should’ve used a size higher. A1 is definitely not competition legal on me. Though I fall an inch below the ceiling of A1s, it still fails on length as well as the allowable space for your arms on IBJJF competitions.

Durability

I’ve been using the gi for the past year. I use it as part of my rotational day to day gis. I typically use this particular gi once or twice a week. The custom weave is definitely something. Platinum weave reminds me of the gold weave gis that I also used in the past.

Compared to the other Gameness gis I bought, the Platinum gi, in my opinion is way more durable than the other weaves I used. Gameness Air and Feather tore around a year of being used and abused both in competition and training. I mean, the A1 gi being 2.6 pounds for the Gameness Air makes it already questionable in terms of durability of the weave. Though I heard of ultra lightweight and sturdy rip stop materials, I believe that Gameness did the right job with the Platinum Weave making it as thick as it possibly could.

Design

I love the printed patch on the back of the jacket as well as its front. It is a bit loud for some people’s taste, but that’s how I want it. If you want to find room for your team’s patch, better try finding some blank space in front instead. It also has another printed patch on the pants. The only different patch was on the shoulders where the brand made use of woven labels. The arms also have embroideries on it which I think add to the appeal of the Gameness Platinum Weave gi. The embroidery over the past year of use, has not shown any sign of tear.

Pants

The pants of the Gameness Platinum Weave are made of thick eight ounce cotton. There were no significant signs of shrinkage on the pants during the washes. Could you imagine if there was some sign of shrinkage? Definitely, I won’t be able to use it if that was the case because of the fit. Fortunately, it wasn’t.
 For the reinforcements, you’ll notice additional reinforcements on stress areas such as the groin area and the knees. As for the pant loops, it comes with 2 loops and a drawstring.  Not really the best in that particular department.

Jacket

*take note that I used an A1 gi. I weigh around 135-140lbs, 5’5”

The jacket of the Platinum Weave is tough but surprisingly soft as well on the inside. It isn’t really abrasive your skin which is really good. As for the cut, I really think it is a bit small and though my height could still fall under A1, I am definitely not an A1 when I wore the gi. As for the collar, I prefer its thickness. Compared to other gis, it is relatively thicker which makes it more difficult for other people to grip.

Conclusion

If you love the gold weave gis, then probably this is the gi for you. Is it worth the price? Unfortunately, if it falls on its regular price of $175 on Budovideos, I’d pass on it for other gis out there. However, on its sale price of $150, I’d say it is a great deal.
As for the style, I believe that the Gameness Platinum Weave is a mix of both clean and loud design. It is clean for the fact that Gameness used the white gi pretty well. It is loud on the aspect of so many areas with patches of either “Gameness” or the pitbull logo.

Roll Supreme: The Base Review GiCritic 7:43 AM

Roll Supreme is a UK based brand established in 2012 by a group of friends, training partners and family members. The initial concept of Roll Supreme is a BJJ/Street Apparel brand.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jack Colvin regarding Roll Supreme’s first gi, The Base. Here’s the interview followed by the review of The Base.

Are you the only owner or are you sharing the brand with someone else?

Me, a couple of friends and my brother chipped on some seed money when I was first setting up but they’re silent partners. I do pretty much everything. That means designing all the products, graphic design and website. Plus all the day to day stuff like running all the social media accounts, accounting, customer care, sending out orders, dealing with suppliers, standing in the post office everyday... In fact everything except the web development side of things. I can’t code for shit!

How did you get started and when?

I started developing the idea late 2012 when left my job just before Xmas. I knew what I wanted to do, but it took a few months out, and I went traveling to figure out exactly how to set the wheels in motion. I started selling on the website in Spring 2013.

What made you start your own brand?
There’re 3 main reasons for that. Everyone with any type of clothing brand says this but… there wasn’t much out there that I liked. There’s some sick BJJ brands don’t get me wrong. It’s just I thought I’d be able to make something a little different.

When I started training at MG Origin Newcastle I fell in love with the sport. I’m never going to be the guy on the podium at any big comps, let alone doing it consistently enough to make a living. Setting up Roll Supreme seemed like a good way to make ends meet and still get to roll a ton. I left my job at as a designer and set up Roll Supreme (plus a bit of freelance design and traveling on the side).

Sitting behind a desk at 26, making other people money, when I could be out there hustling-- trying to do it alone appeals to me much more. Treat life like jiu jitsu, where you either win or learn. You make mistakes when you’re starting out. It is normal. Andy from Dojo Outfitters always says to me “Be Relentless”, that couldn’t be more true.

Base Review

Initial Impression 

 

First thing I loved was the gi bag. One side is made of twill cotton and the other side is made of very light fabric with little small holes. This allows the gi to breath especially after training. This works best when you have to travel for some time after training.

The jacket was made of 450gsm pearl weave fabric. Using a very classy design and elegant embroideries on both shoulders with the brand logo in navy color, Roll Supreme reminded me of top brands such as RVCA.
There are no patches visible in front of the jacket. There is a print of the brand’s logo inside the left jacket. Both sleeves and skirt have inner tapes colored red, navy and white color lines. The gi has a grey contrast stitch that adds appeal to the gi.

The word “The Base” was embroidered using a navy blue thread at the lower back part of the jacket. As for the lapel, the company made use of EVA foam that is moderate in thickness.

Roll Supreme provided a couple of details to the pants. Made of 100% ripstop cotton in clean white and grey stitching, they placed two designs on the hip area. The extra thick bungee rope in red color is a perfect match for the six grey loop holes. The pearl weave groin gusset is also in navy color.

I have to thank Roll Supreme for making the rope a bit shorter than usual. It makes it easier to tie/untie especially in between rolls.

There are two patches on the higher part of the pants. One of them is the brand logo and the other is the square woven label patch with the type font “the Base” along with some cleaning instructions.
The best detail of the pants in my opinion is the knee reinforcement which goes from mid shin to mid thigh. It was made of pearl weave cotton fabric. In my opinion, I would prefer the reinforcement to go all the way down.

I must say that I´ve been rolling on this gi for weeks and I didn´t feel any scratching issues on sleeve tapes or knee area. In terms of fit, it is perfect for my frame. It fits well within competition regulations even after several washes.

I went for an A1L this time because I was informed that the gi had an athletic fit.

Shrinkage

The gi shrunk an inch upon first wash, and another inch on the next couple of washes. I was surprised because that amount of shrinkage wasn´t normal for most of my gis.
I wash my gis through short cycle on the laundry machine, then I hang the gi dry. Summer in Spain can reach 40ºC easily so it was easy to dry the gi.

After the initial washes though, it was a perfect fit for me. As for any bleeding and stitching problems, the gi endured weeks of washing and rolling without any sign of wear and tear.

Rolling Impression 

In my opinion this gi is perfect for both guard passers and guard players due to the high quality knee reinforcement made of single weave cotton, and its gusset. They also fit perfectly on the legs (at least for my frame).

As for the next gis Roll Supreme plans to release, I’d prefer maybe an extra layer of ripstop cotton on the inner tapes to allow grip resistance on the sleeve?

The inner portion of the jacket is comfortable and soft which is why this gi became part of my regular rolling gis. As for the weight of the gi, it is light (around 1.5kg), perfect for travelers and for those located in hot places.

You can buy this gi for approximately $160 or £98 from the Roll Supreme website you are after a gi from a small brand that prioritizes aesthetics and high quality products, I believe that this gi is worth the try. Though it falls a bit above the average price of gis, this is a good buy in my opinion.

Aesthetic Aurora IV Review GiCritic 12:14 PM

Intro

We’ve been intrigued by Aesthetic since it first came out. Clean, simple and stylish, those were the impressions that this brand made to us. This isn’t the first time that we mentioned the brand to our readers here on Gi Critic. We also mentioned Aesthetic in our list of top small brands months back. This time around though, we are going to make a review for the Aurora IV.

For a small brand, it surprised us how they have the “No pre-orders, no reissue” strategy. It is a bold move for a small company to come up with fresh designs every now and then.

I had the pleasure to know Andy Chan, the co owner of Aesthetic. According to him, he and his brother Jon started the brand in 2012. We already contacted them in the past about making a possible review of their previous designs, but unfortunately, the supplies ran out quite fast.

Jacket

I opened the box and found the brand new Aurora IV, a clean white gi trimmed with yellow gold accent.
They made use of 425gsm pearl weave fabric on the jacket making this gi perfect for competition and for day to day training.

In terms of the design, the Japanese kanji for Aesthetic easily caught my attention. It is located in front of the left skirt and another one located at the back.

On the right shoulder portion, as well as on the left chest area of the jacket, you’ll see embroidered designs of the brand’s logos and type font.

Of course, just like all the Aurora series, Aesthetic included the signature asymmetrical sunrise stitch coming from the left edge of the jacket all the way to the right side.

 

The jacket feels just like any other 450gsm pearl weave jacket that has the rough exterior. However, it was extremely soft on the inside.

When it comes to the lapel, Aesthetic used EVA foam collar covered with ripstop fabric.

Inspecting the inside of the jacket, I was impressed with the inner tapes located on the sleeves and on the edge of the gi. The areas where the inside tapes were located had reinforced layers of ripstop fabric.

As for the tape, it really never bothered me while rolling. It wasn’t scratchy, and I never noticed it. So yes, forget about me bitching about the “scratchy sleeve tape”.

 Pants

For the pants, you have an option to have another pair for less than £10. Aesthetic made it possible for their customers to choose between cotton twill or Rip stop pants. In fact, why not just get both?

As for the design of the pants, with a small embroidered Aesthetic font on the shin and a kanji on the right leg, Aesthetic rocked with a minimalist approach.

The Aurora IV used bungee rope tied to six loops, and for me, this didn’t give me a hard time during the sparring rounds. It is also easy to take off.

I also like the fact that they provided knee reinforcement (from thighs to ankle).

If there is something I’d recommend for the next Aesthetic gis, hopefully they could add a pearl weave groin gusset to both rip stop and cotton twill pants. For the Aurora IV, you have pearl weave groin gusset reinforcement for the cotton twill pants.

Rolling Impressions

I really love the fit of this new Aurora IV, except for the sleeves. I find it a bit long for my taste which allowed more teammates to grip on my sleeve. I like the fact that the jacket is soft on the inside which made rolling comfortable. Also, it is light which never hampered my mobility regardless if passing or playing guard.

As I mentioned on previous the Mata Leon review, I never wash my gis with hot water. I also don’t put them on dryer. In terms of shrinkage, the jacket’s sleeve shrunk an inch give or take. For the pants, it stayed the same even after 4 consecutive washes.

There was also no sign of discoloration or wear and tear on the embroideries.

PROS

-Very soft inner jacket.
-Very comfy while rolling.
-Extra thick collar EVA foam.
-Outstanding design.
-Possibility of getting an extra pair of pants.

CONS

-Long sleeves for an A2 size.
-No re-runs

Where to buy it?

You can get the Aesthetic Aurora IV for £109.99 (185$) plus shipping. Though it is a bit pricey, I’d stick to this over most premium gis.

European customers can buy this gi in www.fightaesthetic.com
US customers can also buy it in www.martialartssupplies.com or www.rollmore.com

Review by Alejandro Molina, blue belt from Cia Paulista Team Spain. 

Manto "X" Gi Review GiCritic 7:54 AM

BJJ lifestyle is like a disease that makes you think about the gentle art24/7, 365 days a week, and perhaps this just might be the inspiration for the Manto X  Gi.

I bought this gi around late December 2013 and it came with a neat bag with the 24/7 365 print on it. The gi comes with rip stop pants and 450 gsm lightweight pearl weave top. I like this composition of jacket and pats pretty much with any other gi I purchased, since I compete regularly. It isn’t too heavy or too flimsy either for the day to day torture of rigorous training. And yeah, this gi helped me a lot during the weigh ins.
 

Overall Look

Aesthetics wise this is the type of gi that can rock the gym. I personally like the fact that Manto, played well with embroidery on the shoulder and print on the inside of the gi. The words “MANTO” and the logo “24/7-365” are embroidered on the shoulder and sleeve area respectively.

 The inside of the top as well as the pants contain a woven label which reads “24/7/365/ALL DAY/EVERYDAY”. Purple and white color scheme looks unusually great, despite me not being a fan of color purple. The best part I liked about it is the big screen printed 24/7 x 365 design inside the gi. They simply nailed it in the aesthetics department.

Review Proper

 

This gi made use of 450 gsm pearl weave top and 10oz ripstop pants. Both top and pants contained woven label which reads 24/7, 365, All Day, Every Day. The woven label on the pants in my opinion would’ve been better without it. Located in the waist and ankle cuffs, it is constantly irritating, at least for me.

The whole gi comes with purple contrast stitching. The pants come with cotton drawstring for the along with 4 purple belt loops. It also comes with a small purple circular patch with the 24/7 logo on the pants. Additional material for support on the knee area is minimal, but enough on my standards. It is another layer of ripstop fabric sewn on the inside to maintain durability without compromising the weight of the gi.

Right after buying the Manto X Pro Light gi, I shrunk it down using the dryer. The Manto X Pro Light gi didn't shrink as much. Even after washing it with steaming water and putting it in the drier, it just pretty much held its own shrinking maybe less than an inch on the sleeve tops. As a 5'5 guy with a stocky wrestler built, I wanted to have a sort of slim fitting gi.

The arm and skirt length fit just right. As for the shoulder and chest width that didn't shrink much, it is a bit off, but still within the size I want. As for the pants, I concentrated on shrinking just the pants but I found out that it is quite baggy for my taste. It is cut straight but still too baggy on both pelvic and thigh area (to maximize leg and hip movement maybe?).

Fading

Additional problems I saw included the fading of the screen printed 24/7 x 365 found inside the gi top. I take care of my gis but this happened only after a few sessions of rolling (maybe after 4 training sessions).

The Verdict

I'm really happy with this gi, given the cons. Maybe it's just my body type, but I don't regret spending $155 on this gi. I love rolling in it and I do suggest it to grapplers with taller frame. Overall, it has a classy design that was constructed well by Manto’s factory.

How Gis are Made? GiCritic 8:56 AM

The world of gi manufacturing has exploded in the last couple of years thanks to the internet. The internet has taught us how to reach out to areas of the world where original equipment manufacturing is a big industry.The world of outsourcing allowed brand owners to just sit back and relax without worrying about the production issues that might take place.

Though there are people who are becoming obsessed with gi collection, it is still unclear how gis are being made. Do you ever wonder how your Atama, Shoyoroll or your Koral has been constructed? Some companies claim that gis came from unicorn fart, while some gi collectors speculate of Chinese and Pakistani children's tears.

Here in this video, we bring you a glimpse on how your gi is being made. It all starts with the production of a fabric. Is the fabric a double weave, a hemp weave or probably a Submission FC Poly-Cotton-pretending-to-be-hemp weave?In this video, learn more on how different weaves are made.

 

Now that you have your weave, the next thing is to bring it to the factory. When you are interested with BJJ gis, you can expect for some people from Pakistan to leave you a message or an email, asking you if you want to have a gi manufactured under their company. Some of these individuals are third party entities to factories, while some are factory workers themselves performing list building. In the next video, learn how the gis are made in the city of Sialkot, Pakistan.

 

Not too bad right? There are different types of factory owners that you can meet when it comes to outsourcing your production. From the professional to the not-so-professional factory owners, and even the ones out to scam you, starting brand owners should carry out necessary precautions when outsourcing their production.

 For Origin, they thought of making their gis in the United States. Shoyoroll has also been doing the same steps as Origin. Is this better for consumers? In reality,this move may not be too practical. For one, overhead cost can be so much higher when you have your factory in a first world country. There is a reason why sports brands like Nike and Lululemon preferred outsourcing their production to China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Mexico to name a few.

Is the quality going to be better if they make it in the US? There is a possibility of having better quality if they know what they are doing. However, there is also that chance where the items are sub standard because of the lack of knowledge in the textile industry. I had the experience of buying an Origin bag with zippers that quickly gave up (twice, I might add. The replacement item also sucked). Also, I posted here a about their gi that turned purple when I washed it. If you are curious how their production works in Origins, check this out.

 

Meerkatsu Documentary Trailer GiCritic 12:40 PM

For a BJJ Gi Addict, Meerkatsu is synonymous to the cool and outrageous designs of BJJ gear and street apparel. Personally, Meerkatsu aka Seymour Yang inspired me to look at gis in a different way. Check this cool documentary trailer of the man himself.

Mata Leon: Gentleman GiCritic 11:38 AM

A review by

Alejandro Molina

Blue Belt at Cia Paulista Team. Spain.

Mata Leon Kimonos is a brand based in Turkey. It was created by a couple of friends who met through Jiu Jitsu, and they decided to put up a brand that represents great designs and functional gis. Most of us must’ve heard of Mata Leon because of their commercial. Who else can pull something like that? Origin probably?

I had the chance to meet Emre, one of the owners, and he told me a bit about how he they came up with the gi. According to him, simplicity and clean designs were keys to how they made The Gentleman.

They used a lion for their logo. For those who don’t know, Mata Leon is another name for rear naked choke.

The thing with Mata Leon is that they are still young, and not as big as Atama, Shoyoroll, Storm and other big brands out there. They still produce by small batches.

 Using a 350gsm pearl weave fabric for the jacket, this is a very light gi perfect for summer time which also works well on colder days.

First Impression

I am currently 5´9 and 165lbs. Though I use an A2, Emre sent me an A3 because they ran out of A2s. Because of its size, I had to wash it more than I normally do with other gis in rotation. Normally, I usually wash them in a 30 min cold water program and let them dry under the Spanish sun, the best natural dryer.
The first detail I laid my eyes on were the labels on the inner jacket and pants.

I find it funny how they announce that you can really choke someone, so you better use it with extreme caution.  In my book, it was a subtle, but awesome detail.

This gi can be used as a choking device? Oh really?

In terms of overall design, they managed to minimize the noise by making it a clean white gi with accent of red contrast stitching. They also added some nice grey and gold embroidery on the chest, while having taping on both sleeves and pants.

Made of eva foam and covered in rip stop fabric, they made the lapel thick. I personally love thicker lapels since it is harder to grip on.

The pants were made of rip stop material. They provided decent reinforcement, and throughout the months that I used the gi, there was no sign of wear and tear or shrinkage to the pants.

ROLLING IMPRESSIONS

The great thing about the pants is that it comes with knee pads to support and to make you feel comfy sprawling or being on your knees when playing top etc.

Personally, there are only a few things to improve on the pants. For the loops, I´d prefer to have it at least four instead of just two. Also, they made use of drawstring. I´d prefer to have a bungee rope for that one also.

And finally, I would prefer that they change the reinforcement in the groin part with a single weave fabric.
I´ve been using this gi two hours a day, three days a week, for three months. The rolling sensation is awesome because the gi offers total movement capability, especially for guard players.

I live in a place where 32 degree Celsius is something common when you are rolling. This made the gi perfect for this climate. Also, the gi may look very light and breathable, but it was also durable, at least during the months that I’ve used it. On colder days, I pair it up with a rashguard.

AFTER ROLL IMPRESSIONS

As I´ve mentioned before, pants suffered minimal shrinkage. I noticed the jacket shrunk more after a couple of months. However, in terms of the top’s texture, it´s nice how the gi maintains its softness after every single washing.

CONCLUSIONS & WHERE TO BUY

This is a high quality gi, that I recommend for any one. This gi is perfect for those living in a country with a warm climate. For the price of the gi, you can check them out here or you can like them on their Facebook Page. They are selling the gi for €125 (173$) including world wide shipping.  Also there is a black version of this gi which I truly recommend even though I will always prefer white.

Simplified Guide on How to Start Your Gi Company GiCritic 11:31 PM

Shoyoroll and CTRL Industries are arguably the biggest players in the BJJ gi market today. If you are a practitioner of the gentle art, you must’ve encountered a number of fan boys going crazy over their $200 pre-order gis, or limited edition gis.  Who would’ve thought that Shoyoroll started their company in their garage in the 90s? On the other hand, you have CTRL that grew so fast in the last two years, that they are now neck and neck against the mighty Shoyoroll.

 By 2012, the same year CTRL Industries was established, explosion of different brands (both good and bad) entered the BJJ gi market. In fact, some observers are now noticing saturation in the gi market today. Despite this reality, there are still new brands every now and then that appear online.  But of course, expect the casualty rate to be high.

 If you have an ambition to own a gi company, you have to figure out how to minimize possibilities of closing, and grab every opportunity that presents itself. Most individuals planning to start a gi company want to know if it is a high risk investment. It is both a yes and no. It is a high risk investment because it is extremely hard to stand out from the number of gi companies out there. No, because you really do not have to throw everything you have. Majority of brand owners still have a day job.

Charlie and the Gi Factory

How to start your gi company?

Gone are the days when you need to fly all the way out to Pakistan, China or Japan just to get the right factory that would make the right gi for your company. We are now living in the modern world where factories actually engage with brand owners through Facebook, emails and other means of communication. Despite the fact that it is really easy to get a factory, and start your brand, there are a number of details that owners need to consider. Over the last years, I’ve been friends offline with some gi company owners, and so far, here are things that I’ve learned.

            What is your vision for your company?

If you are the type of owner, with no vision whatsoever for a company, then better stop now. It is important that you have an idea how you want the company to look in the next years to come. Though not an overnight thing to accomplish, it helps to have a dream where you want the brand to be. Start having short, mid and long term goals in order to get your company where you want it to be.

           Who is your target market?

All over the world, there are a great number of companies that are making their presence felt. Some catching the interest of the BJJ crowd, while some, simply just disappear without a trace. One of the reasons why some companies don’t make it is because they lack focus on who they should sell their products to. Though it is a good idea to target a more general BJJ crowd, targeting specific demographic is a way to clinch a part of the market. Ever wondered why there are Hawaiian themed gis? Also, how about brands like Fenom that concentrated mainly on women’s gis?

            Name of your company

Oss Kimonos from Brazil

Oss Gear/Oss Clothing

What’s in a name? It is important that you find a name that can easily be remembered. Also, always make sure to double check if there is a similar name to your company. One perfect example is OSS Kimonos. Anyone in the BJJ scene would recognize the term “OSS!”. Sometimes overused, but the point is that, everyone is familiar with it. The problem is that Oss Gear (The more popular brand that brought us the Miyao Shirts) came later than the OSS Kimonos, a brand based in Brazil.

            Create your logo

Now that you have a name, time to find a good graphic designer to make your logo. Does it have a meaning? Or maybe, you just opted to have a logo that is cute and catchy? For instance OK Kimonos used the tiger as their logo simply because it is cute and they are mainly selling kids gear.

            Design for your gi

Now that you have a logo, how do you want to have your gi? Are you planning to go for over an over the top gi design to the point that they won’t be allowed to be used in IBJJF tournaments? Or  perhaps, you stick to a clean design? From creating your logo, to this stage, you may want the help of a good graphic designer. A good graphic designer can help guide brands concretize their plans. Innovation and creativity are two of the staples that can get the attention of your market.

            Finding the right factory

Sublimation units

A great number of companies fold because of getting a defective batch. Here’s when you realize that you don’t just face the risk of facing poor sales, but you may also find yourself encountering a factory that produces gis that are subpar to your market’s expectations.

Gis, Gis, Gis, Gis Everywhere

What’s the best way to find out whether or not they have what it takes? Samples. Some companies try to get from different factories, pushing back the release dates just to make sure that they don’t make any mistake. You might be asking, which company should you go for? I’d be more than happy to assist if you are looking for a Pakistani OEM that can cater to your needs. I’ve had the experience of trying out these samples for my own personal use. Leave us an email at gicritic@gmail.com and I will personally recommend some factories I’ve tried.

           Get a Review

According to a study, online reviews are as important as personal recommendations offline by consumers. This is something that a brand owner could exploit. How the whole review works is that you send the reviewer a gi and they are going to give an objective assessment to what your gi is like. Who is the best gi reviewer to go to? Here are some review sites that you can check out.

• Grapplers Review
• Meerkatsu
• Gi Reviews

 

            Deciding on the number of gis per batch

How many gis do you plan to release per batch? The most important consideration is your capital. Do you plan to go by the hundreds? If you have enough capital, ordering bulk can save you money, however, be sure that you can sell it. One of the best ways to know how many gis you should have, is by having a pre-order. Here, you can gauge the popularity of your brand.

            Build your website

In order to facilitate doing business, it is important to have an e-commerce site. One of the most flexible and user friendly formats offered out there is Big Cartel. With a small amount of money, you get an easy to build, store with an inventory filled with different pictures.

            Know your social media

Most advertising campaigns made by gi companies were social media based. From Facebook to Instagram, there were some creative gimmicks that caught the attention of the BJJ crowd in the realm of the BJJ community in the social media.

            Good communications and proper damage control

Whether getting returns, sales inquiries, or sponsorship requests, it is important for a company to reply to every email that they get. Keep in mind that poor communications can easily spread in the forums, Facebook groups and other online outlets. You also need to know how to disperse displeased customers. Are they looking for a refund? If yes, know the reason why. As rule of thumb, according to one of the owners of a small gi company told me, you want to put yourself in the position of your customer.

            Know your facts and never mislead customers

Are you selling hemp gis or you have zero idea what hemp is? Always double, if not triple check your facts. Don’t be like Submission FC that would sell “hemp” gis only to end up being shamed online, and lose customers because they simply took the word of their factory.