The 'Sakura' by Storm Kimonos

The 'Sakura' by Storm Kimonos

The ‘Sakura’ women’s BJJ gi is one of two women’s kimono recently released by premium gi-maker Storm Kimonos. Storm has collaborated with Angelica Galvao to develop their new women’s line and they have brought a couple beautiful, feminine, sophisticated gi to the market. The Sakura is a crisp white gi accented with deep magenta pink patches and embroidery; this is a strong ‘big girls’ pink, rather than a powder puff or bubblegum pink. The construction is robust and the 550GSM jacket and ripstop trousers are kind to the skin while offering sturdy reinforcement at stress points. The Sakura is a competition-ready lighter weight gi and comes in at 1.4 kilos on my scales. The Sakura is a luxurious, well thought out premium gi and retails at $199.99.

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Black Eagle 'Raptor'

Black Eagle/Predator BJJ has been working hard on developing a women's BJJ gi line. This includes the lightweight training gi, the 'Predadora', and the special edition training gi, the Raptor. This review looks at the full production version which has seen some significant changes since its prototyping. While the initial implementation was well done with great styling and finishing touches - especially the rash guard inner lining - as noted in the pre-review there were issues particularly around fit. The production version of the Raptor offers enhanced construction and has resolved many of the eccentric length to width proportioning issues present in the prototype trouser fit.

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Break Point FC Women's Lightweight BJJ Gi Review

Break Point Women's Lightweight Gi in Black

The Break Point women's gi in black is accented with pink and a touch of grey and reflects the more 'bling' styling of the men's 'Deluxe' uniform. The inside of the jacket is printed with a pink repeat pattern of the Break Point logo; I love this sort of finishing touch which I first encountered on the OTM Supastar. The Break Point embroidered logo patches are placed on the jacket front, top middle of the jacket back and the bottom of the right trouser leg. The logo, itself, has a fun feminine flourish and curl to the font as well as integration of a 'star' which is used elsewhere on the gi. The embroidered patches are implemented with a high level of detail and include some contrasting textures and subtle outlining of the logo elements with pink and charcoal thread. I wish the sophistication of the embroidered patches had been carried through to the star patches on the shoulders and upper thigh of the left trouser leg. These patches are polyester and, to me, they aren't in keeping with the tone set by the embroidered designs and have the effect of 'cheapening' the overall look[...]

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Black Eagle Raptor Limited Edition Women's Gi

Raptor embroidery to shoulder and back

I have the good fortune to collaborate with a number of BJJ gi brands, including UK-based company Predator BJJ. Predator BJJ is the newly born, dedicated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu apparel wing of established UK martial arts brand, Black Eagle. Black Eagle/Predator BJJ is including a women's gi range as it launches its brand with earnest this autumn, including the lightweight competition gi, the Predadora, and the special edition Raptor which I'll discuss here.

The Raptor may be purchased by pre-order only and orders can be placed throughout August 2011 for a November 2011 delivery; the gi is priced at £99.99. Jacket and trouser sizes may be chosen separately and the gi is available in white/purple, black/red and white/black and with or without back patch. This pre-review is based on the white/purple F3 (top and bottoms).

The Look

Leoni Munslow & Meg Smitley in their Raptors

The Raptor is a heavier weight training gi, as compared to the lightweight competition gi Predadora, and includes a pearl weave jacket with 'rash guard' inner lining and heavier weight cotton canvas trousers. The women's Raptor boasts a lot of embroidery and detailing, which makes a strong impact. The purple is a more pastel shade on the red end (versus the blue end) of the 'purple spectrum', think 'a lavender mauve' versus 'an indigo purple'. The stitching, embroidered patches, drawstring and the piping along the hem of the jacket are all in this shade of purple. Ornate patches are included at the shoulders, the bottom of the right trouser leg and a 'mega patch' on the back. Cursive script with the words 'Special Edition Kimono' appears on the front over-lap and back skirt; here I might make a slight modification and ditch the writing from the back of the gi, but overall I think Seymour Yang aka Meerkatsu did a superb job designing the Raptor patches. Inside the jacket are further details, such as a sublimated version of the back patch on the inner lining and a bright 'royal purple' ribbon to hide the seam connecting the lining to the jacket.

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Predator BJJ Clothing: Women's Predadora BJJ Gi (Pre-) Review

Predadora Front

Over the past few months I've had the pleasure of working with Predator BJJ Clothing, the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu apparel wing of trusted UK martial arts brand Black Eagle, in the development of their women's BJJ kimono. Black Eagle has been creating quality BJJ gi for some years now and sponsors male and female UK athletes (not to mention our Q1 London BJJ Women's Open Mat); the development of the Predator BJJ wing of Black Eagle's business represents a renewed and dedicated effort to create a wide range of men's and women's gi and no gi clothing. The Predadora women's BJJ gi is the first step in this process as far as kit for the ladies goes. In collaboration with Predator BJJ and the readers of MegJitsu on Facebook, we've developed the Predadora, a lightweight competition gi tailored for women. I've had an opportunity to road test a sample of the Predadora and offer you this pre-review of the gi; a fuller examination of the wherewithal and cut of the gi will follow once we've got access to production quality versions (a sample gi gives an insight into the final product but by its nature isn't fully representative of the tailoring).

Predadora: Who Is She?

Shoulder Embroidery

The Predadora, named using the feminine form of 'predator' in Portuguese, is a lightweight women's cut gi and will be offered in three colour options:

• white with turquoise lettering and silver eagles
• blue with pink lettering and silver eagles
• black with electric blue lettering and grey eagles

My sample gi is the blue version and you can check out Predator BJJ's Facebook Page for mocks of the three colour combos. Predator BJJ made a huge effort to get the colours right with the option of the much-loved turquoise, a wee bit of pink and a poppin' blue on white, blue or black backgrounds, respectively. The idea is to provide alternatives to pink that are feminine and fun to wear. The Predadora will be offered in women's 'F' sizes with the option of buying jackets and trousers as separates. Expected retail price is £74.99 (white) and £84.99 (blue and black) and expected availability is September from the Black Eagle shop.

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Atama Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition Gi Review

Butterfly guard

December 2010 saw the much-anticipated release (at least by women's BJJ gi lovers) of the Atama Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition kimono (here for the US). Why the excitement? I'll tell you why - PURPLE BUTTERFLIES AND STARS! You see, while there are plenty of girls that can pull off the Kyra Gracie-style pink gi, equally there are many of us that want limited or no use of pink in women's cut gi, such as the black and white Fenom Lotus, and I am really pleased that Atama has added a new option to the women's gi world. This is my first Atama and after a few rolls and washes I am very happy with its performance, cut and styling. Atama is in the 'premium' gi range and the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition set me back $208/£132.[1]

Atama features

Embroidery at upper left leg

The Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition is all about the insanely cute, yet understated, detailing. Dark purple and deep pink embroidered butterflies and stars at the shoulders and upper left trouser leg make this gi extra special. Much like the OTM Supa Star kimono, the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition uses very considered accenting with bold, feminine colours on a white gi to create a spectacular and unique overall effect.

Embroidery at shoulder

In addition to the embroidery, the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition has lovely dark purple Atama-branded piping on the inner cuff and around the outside hem of the jacket. The placement and design of the embroidery and piping gives an impression of great attention to detail. There is, however, one small aberration: while the label inside the jacket names the gi the 'Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition', the trouser label names the gi as the 'Kyra Gracie Limited Edition'. Now, there *is* a new Kyra gi out, and while the embroidery on her new gi looks beautiful, I'm not quite to the point of wearing that much pink (though I am loosening up on this score). Nevertheless, considering the hard work in design this gi suggests, it is a bit of a shame there was less consideration in the implementation.

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[1] I purchased my gi from the US-based website. At the time of writing the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition was on sale for $156/£99!

OTM Women's Gi: Review of 'Supa Star' Kimono

In July, US-based fightwear company, On The Mat, launched a new women's gi, aptly named 'Supa Star'. As soon as I saw this gi, I was in love; one look at the pink star styling and my heart was a flutter. It is the most glamourous gi in my little collection and my first pair of ripstop trousers. OTM's gi are mid priced/headed towards the 'premium' end of the price spectrum ($159 at the time of writing), however you do get what you pay for in this instance; a tough wearing gi with a cut that can flatter a variety of women's shapes.

OTM features

The Supa Star is in the 'girlie' range of feminine styling, but not too cutsie and the attention to detail ensures an overall sophistication. Epaulletts and 'OTM' branding at the back of the jacket are fashioned from pink fabric with an Argyle diamond pattern of white dashed lines, OTM logos and stars. A similar pattern is used inside the jacket, with dark pink on a white background. The slits at the sides of jacket's skirt are reinforced with star-shaped stitching, and a lovely 'On The Mat' in a cursive font is used on the back and sleeves of the jacket to nice effect. The trousers, with thick dark pink cotton drawstrings, are further adorned with stars and 'On The Mat' script. The OTM is a lighter weight gi - it weighs in at 1.4kgs/3.1lbs on my scale - with a pearl weave top and ripstop trousers, however, while the jacket is not 'soft', it is silky and gentle on the skin rather than rough as some pearl weave can be.

OTM fit

If the beautiful Fenom Kimonos are the women's tuxedo of gi, then the Supa Star is the ballgown. The Supa Star has a unique and very feminine cut that creates an A-line silhouette. The shoulders, the best tailored for me that I have found, drop in the perfect place and so avoid a lot of excess material in the upper-body. The jacket, as with other well developed women's gi, flares slightly and is tailored and slim-fitting. The trousers, 'modeled off the fit of a baggy women's jean cut', are very wide across the bottom and legs. On the one hand, for me, if I wear the trousers at the waist I get a huge unfilled balloon effect across the bum, and while this is somewhat reduced when worn more hipster style, they are much bigger through the rear than I would ideally prefer. On the other hand, the generous width of the trousers makes for comfortable and unrestricted wear, accommodates curvier shapes and enhances the A-line design of the gi. While it is great that there are women's gi more sensitive to women's proportions, there seems to be an assumption that all women are curvy. While women do have different waist to hip ratios than men, women too, come in a variety of body shapes and it would be optimal if women's gi could be bought as separates. In this case, while the F3 jacket is perfect for me, I definitely need the F2 and possibly the F1 trousers.[1] This is especially so with the Supa Star as not only is it very generously cut, but, for better or worse, it is extremely resistant to shrinkage.

OTM size

The Supa Star is very resilient to shrinking with no noticeable change after 40°C and 60°C washes. I blasted the trousers with a very hot 90°C wash, but this resulted in only the barest shrinkage. Incidentally, the dark pink fabric used in the design is highly colour fast and did not show significant fading after a very hot wash.

Measurements	Before(in)	60°(in)	90°(in)
collar to cuff	27.4	27.4	n/a
shoulder to skirt bottom	30	30	n/a
front waist to leg bottom	35.4	35.4	35.3
waistband	20.3	20.3	20.3
rear seam to gusset top	11.8	11.8	11.8
pant leg width from half way down rear seam	11	11	10.4
pant leg width from top gusset	11.8	11.8	11.6

Conclusions

The Supa Star is a pleasure to wear. It is lightweight and sensitive on the skin. It is so darn cute and pretty, you can't help but feel like the belle of the ball which, if you're anything like me, can have a positive effect on your jits. It is a very well designed and crafted gi that can survive equally well on the mats or in the washing machine. The styling and the cut are feminine and fun without being over the top and while this gi may be a little over-sized for women slight through the thighs and bum, it does have a superbly attractive and functional tailoring. I only hope that this is the start of a more extensive women's collection from OTM, with the caveat that jackets and trousers be offered as separates.

Big thanks to Coach Dave Birkett and Wayne Rowlands at Dartford BJJ for taking pictures with me and letting me have my way. Check out the OTM product page for close-up views of the gi's detailing.

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[1] For reference, I am 5'4.5"/163cm, 130lbs/60kgs and have bust, waist and hip measurements of 34"/86.4cm, 27"/68.6cm and 36"/91.4cm; this review is of the F3.

Tatami Women's Zero G lightweight gi

Tatami Fightwear, UK-based purveyor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo and MMA clothing, offers an impressive range of women's products. Tatami's latest addition to their women's line is the Zero G lightweight gi, advertised by Tatami as the 'lightest ladies BJJ gi in the world'. The Zero G, at £63, can make an affordable addition to a BJJ-woman's wardrobe.

Zero G features

The Zero G kimono includes some interesting features, two of which stand out for me.

1. The drawstring.
   
   The drawstring is a thick nylon cord. This is great, as it stays securely tied throughout training and sparring, but it is also easy to untie; I find that the cotton drawstrings of many gi get very difficult to loosen once they're soaked in sweat, yet the knots often unravel during training. There is a generous drawstring channel so that the cord lays flat and can be easily tightened or loosened.
2. The waistband.
   
   The trousers are cut to have a slightly higher waistband at the back. This cut made them exceedingly comfortable.

As is normal for lightweight gi, the lower thread count of the weave makes for a somewhat stiff fabric, so a rashguard - versus a crop top - will allow you more comfort in your roll. Finally, the Zero G weighed in at 1.3kgs on my scale and each gi comes with its own pack bag, which is a nice touch.

Zero G fit

The Zero G jacket has a tailored fit, designed to give 'maximum competitive advantage' by reducing material available for your opponent's grips. For me, I really liked the tapered waist of the jacket, but found that it fit a bit like a small men's jacket, rather than a purpose-made women's jacket, i.e. it was wider at the shoulders and much tighter round the hips than I would ideally prefer.[1] I found this fit somewhat uncomfortable and restrictive during rolling. The trousers, however, as I noted in the previous section, are extremely comfortable and didn't disrupt my mobility in any way.

Zero G size

Tatami gi are not preshrunk, but the size guide seems to accurately account for this. I washed the gi at 30°C/cold wash, as per manufacturer's instructions. The jacket and trousers both lost about 2cm/1inch overall.

Measurements	Before(cm/inches)	After(cm/inches)
collar to cuff	69/27.2	67/26.4
shoulder to skirt bottom	76.5/30.1	29.5/11.6
front waist to leg bottom	86.5/34	33.3/13.1
back waist to leg bottom	90/35.4	88/34.6

Conclusions

The Zero G is an attractive-looking gi, with minimalist and IBJJF-compliant 'bling'. It is also very affordable. To me, it has some distinguishing features, notably nicely designed trousers, as well as some drawbacks as regards the fit of the jacket. If you are looking for a lightweight gi for competition time or for weathering the last of summer's heat that won't break the bank, then the Tatami Zero G might be for you.

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[1] For reference, I am 5'4.5"/163cm, 130lbs/60kgs and have bust, waist and hip measurements of 34"/86.4cm, 27"/68.6cm and 36"/91.4cm; this review is of the F3.

Rubino said...

Rubino said...
Hi Elyse, I just want to thank you and Georgette for doing this! It has helped out tremendously!. I'm 5'6" and 125-130lbs. The first gi i bought was a Judo Star gi (it was a man's gi and the jacket didn't fit at all). The pants weren't bad though, except that while the pant length is good, the corresponding waist size is too large.
Then i broke down and bought myself an Atama F3. While I love the F3, i have only ever washed it in cold and air dried it and it shrank in the arm and pant lengths, (especially in the pant length!) This is not so good because I'm already at the upper end of the F3 height bracket so now i'm wearing Atama gi long shorts rather than Atama gi pants :(
You mentioned in your review of the catfight gear that it didn't shrink? Is that still true now that you've had it/used it a while?
October 26, 2009 11:31 AM

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Wanted to share some research...I own the Atama Womens Kimono Model #1 White in F3 (5'3"-5'6" 115-145). I'm 5'4 120 and the length is short, just below my calf when standing (cold wash/hang dry same fit as out of the bag)and very roomy. I contacted Atama about finding some better fitting pants. Jason at Atama said that "A1 pants are about 3 inches longer than the F4 pants. So if you are
looking for more length go ahead with the A1." Hope this helps someone...oh and P.S. I love the jacket (Atama Womens Kimono Model #1 White in F3) it fits perfectly.

Georgette said...

Georgette said...
Some new thoughts:

1. Tailoring! Two guys at my school are short but stocky and they swear it's the way to go, though you will end up paying about $50 (in our area, central Texas) to have the gi top taken in around the waist, sleeves shortened, and pants shortened.

2. For me (5'2" and now walking around at about 135, grr) I'm loving the Lucky gi (Lovato signature version) top in an A1, but the pants are a little tight in the booty.

3. My GTMA pink and purple gis have stretched a bit and now fit perfectly. Also, got a green Hsu gi from badgerlandjiujitsu.com and a 3 (different sizing) fits perfectly too...

4. I have a Kyra Gracie magenta thing in F2; it's barely legal by IBJJF sizing standards (though not in color) so it's great for competition... extremely hard to get a grip on pants or sleeves, and nice slim fit to the top. My Atama female-fit F3 in white also fits well but is a touch looser while not being baggy in any way.
August 27, 2009 2:07 PM