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 + overseas shipping and customs charges if ordering from the UK), 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 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(cm) | 60°(cm) | 90°(cm) |
---|---|---|---|
collar to cuff | 69.5 | 69.5 | n/a |
shoulder to skirt bottom | 71 | 70 | n/a |
front waist to leg bottom | 90 | 90 | 89.7 |
waistband | 51.5 | 51.5 | 51.5 |
rear seam to gusset top | 30 | 30 | 30 |
pant leg width from half way down rear seam | 28 | 28 | 26.5 |
pant leg width from top gusset | 30 | 30 | 29.5 |
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.
Disclaimer
All reviews are based on my independent observations. I have no formal qualifications, I am not sponsored by any company and I do not endorse any one brand. If you chose a gi based on my review, please let the manufacturer know that MegJitsu persuaded you. This will not benefit me financially, but can help me to get more gi to review. As always, thanks for reading.
23 Aug 2010 @ 12:43 pm
Nice review.
IMO, though, anything at (and specially over) $150 is definitely premium!
23 Aug 2010 @ 12:51 pm
Hi André, thanks for reading and commenting. I don't disagree, but on the price spectrum for gi it is not at the top end, though it is over the midway point in the higher-priced direction. Equally, this gi fits me better than any of my Koral ($150-189), so if you're in the market for a very well made women's gi, I think the materials and styling of this gi justify its cost.
24 Aug 2010 @ 7:30 am
great review as always Meg! I'd love a ballgown gi 😀 As far as gi's are concerned, desire outweighs monetary value..you know just like shoes and handbags 😀
24 Aug 2010 @ 8:18 am
Thanks Wide Eyed Browns, I'm glad you liked it! I am a bit of a clothes-pig, so will pay for good gear if the costs are justified, and this gi is made at least as well as my Koral. Besides, I expect these items to be worn hard and last years; to me, crappy gi are a false economy though not all lower-priced gi are crappy/higher priced gi are awesome. I vouch for this one (and all my reviews are independent and I am not sponsored by any manufacturer).
24 Aug 2010 @ 3:19 pm
Thank you so much for the review… I have been lusting for this gi for a few weeks now, and your measurements and feedback on the shrinkage and spaciousness of the bum are both super useful!
24 Aug 2010 @ 6:22 pm
Yay, Georgette, I'm so glad it was useful. I too had been hankering for this gi and when Gazzy Parman offered to sell hers during her recent UK tour, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
30 Sep 2010 @ 3:34 pm
thanks so much for the review! I'm *very* new to jiu-jitsu and was in the market for my first gi. I really liked the look of this one but your detail fit review of the pants gave me pause. As a avid mtn biker and ice speedskater I have a fairly muscular lower body but I'm not curvy so I'm thinking the pants might be too weird on me. I ended up ordering a Atama mundail #9 f1.
btw – love your entire blog!!!
30 Sep 2010 @ 6:26 pm
Hi brg, I'm so glad you like the blog and found the review useful! They do have good room for muscular thighs and bum and if they sold as separates I would say go for it. Even with the bagginess it is one of my fav gi (currently tied with my Fenom Lotus), but as noted being abe to mix and match tops and bottoms would be handy. I hope to review an Atama in the future; fingers crossed it works well for you – the guys at my club are very happy with their Atama.
Welcome to BJJ, sister!
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5 Nov 2012 @ 2:05 pm
Thank you for this gi review. I remember in high school being introduced to the idea that women come in three basic shapes: apple, pear, and celery stick. Obviously that’s a bit reductionist but if gi manufacturers started from that idea I think we would have better-fitting gis. The fit is not just an aesthetic matter, obviously, since none of need a bunch of extra material weighing us down and wide pant legs for our opponents to comfortably grab. Considering the cost of these things I don’t think a little more effort in the fit category is too much to ask. I appreciate your reviews very much.
8 Nov 2012 @ 6:28 pm
Thanks Deborah, that means a lot; really glad the reviews are helpful to you. Yes, it is tough for manufacturers of any clothing to meet the needs of all women’s body types and I think, as with brands of ‘regular’ clothes it is a matter of finding gi brands that suit your shape. The wide variety of fit and sizing is one of the big motivators behind my gi-reviewing 🙂
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