There are a lot of small gi brands entering and exiting the market today. Though entering late in the game, Vandal Kimonos is a brand that caught our attention. With their Hawaiian inspired designs, we do believe that it is a tough market to be involved in. However, they still managed to remain relevant. In this interview, we try to learn more straight from the man who started Vandal Kimonos, Kiah Petrie.

Who is behind Vandal Kimonos and what inspired you to build Vandal Kimonos? Also, why name it Vandal Kimonos?

My Name is Kiah Petrie, I am a Nova Uniao black belt under professor Leandro Nyza who is a first generation Nova Uniao black belt under Professor Wendell Alexander, the co founder of Nova Uniao.

Vandal started as an eye wear company that my buddy started. Vandal Eye Wear ended up gaining a lot of popularity in Hawaii and in the martial arts world but it soon came to a halt because of disagreements between the partners and investors. Having trained Jiu Jitsu for over 15 years, I always had an affinity to the quality and design aspect of the kimonos I wore. I never really found one that had all the qualities I wanted together in one gi. Therefore I decided to take the name since it already had a tight nit following and also a catchy ring to it and recreated it as VK/Vandal Kimonos.

What year did you start developing products for Vandal Kimonos?

Our first batch of gis was released in 2013, however, me and my team had been testing samples from dozens of manufacturers around the world since 2010 trying to find the perfect production team.

I noticed that you banked on a Hawaiian/island theme on your product line? Don't you find it risky considering how many Hawaiian themed gis are out there especially now? 


Every person involved in our company is from Hawaii, born and raised and that is heavily reflected in our products. I don't think that it is risky. I think that if you are producing a quality authentic product it will shine through the clutter and the masses will follow.

Do you have any new product coming up? What can you say about it? Do you already have a price for it? 


S2 viper, Vandal Kimonos
Our newest gi, the S2 VIPER was just released and it is available on our website www.vandalkimonos.com, Price is $159 and shipping is free. Material wise it is the same as our previous models incorporating a 450GSM Pearl Weave jacket with our signature 12oz (pants). Military Spec Ripstop Pants, a pearl weave gusset and all ripstop lapel and inner reinforcements, it is the perfect combination of lightness and durability, the styling is low key basic white gi with some charcoal trim and minimal branding “no Hawaiian theme”.

Given the number of players in the BJJ gi market scene, how do you want Vandal Kimonos to be remembered by both Gi Addicts and casual buyers?


There is a huge amount of players in the BJJ Gi market at this time and I hope that our brand can be recognized and remembered as producing some of the highest quality gis on the market with original styling and excellent customer service.