Gi

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?

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.

Predadora Stats

The Predadora is a lightweight uniform designed for competition and daily training, especially in the warmer months, and weighs in on my scales at 1.4 kgs. All versions are pre-shrunk and the blue and black versions are processed using a fast reactive dye to reduce and prevent fading. I have washed my blue sample on a warm 60°C wash three times, once with a white gi, without any significant loss of colour or shrinkage (full details on measurements when the production version is reviewed). The jacket is a soft pearl weave with detailing at the shoulders, lapel and rear skirt; in the production versions, all lettering will read ‘Predadora’ while the lettering on the rear skirt will be in the same colour as the lapel and shoulder embroidery. The trousers are ripstop and the ‘Black Eagle’ branding in the production version will be replaced with ‘Predadora’.

Predadora Wear

I’ve enjoyed a good two weeks ‘test driving’ the Predadora sample, and I am very excited for this sweet little number to be available! The pearl weave of the jacket is very soft and the blue and pink contrast is attractive but not over the top. Indeed, this is an understated gi, with some nice detailing on the jacket but a straightforward offering for business-like ladies who are less fond of ‘girlie’ designs or too much ‘bling’. Ever since getting my OTM SupaStar I have been a big fan of ripstop trousers, so this is a big plus of the gi, to my mind. Indeed, the cut of the Predadora is reminiscent of the SupaStar, with a very fitted jacket and somewhat voluminous trousers. The Predadora jacket fits me very smartly, with a great sleeve length and shoulder width and not a lot of gaping at the front, however the trousers are cut very generously in the thighs and bum; I end up with an unfilled balloon effect where my booty is supposed to be. This cut will, I believe, work for the majority of women’s shapes, namely the H, A and X shapes; a 2005 study at the of over 6,000 women at North Carolina State University concluded that 46% of women are H-shaped, 20% are A-shaped, 8% X-shaped and 14% are V-shaped. While the roomy bottom of these trousers will work for many women, if not a majority, it is less optimal for those with broader shoulders than hips. However, Predator BJJ is solving this problem by offering the option of buying as separates; for me an F3 jacket and F2 trousers works best and this approach should allow women of all makes to work this gi.[1]

Credits

Big thanks to Steve Turner and the rest of the Predator BJJ Clothing team for getting me involved in their women’s BJJ collection; can’t wait to see how it evolves. Thanks too, to readers and FB ‘likers’ who helped set the direction of the gi. Hope you like it as much as I do!

[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.

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

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.

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. (Amendment: this may be a one-off mistake as feedback in the comments suggests this isn’t the case with all trousers.)

Atama fit

With the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition, I am getting closer to a perfectly fitting women’s cut gi, for me. While I am a particular fan of the Fenom Classic, the Fenom Lotus and the OTM Supa Star, there are aspects of each of these gi that aren’t quite right for my ‘V’ shape.[2] I believe that this has everything to do with Atama’s willingness to sell jackets and trousers separately and this adds weight to my argument to gi vendors to offer women’s gi as separates; this review is of the F3 top and the F2 trousers.[3] (Note: the US-based site asks you to choose a size to add to the cart, this is actually the jacket size you want. You are then prompted to choose a trouser size. It it unclear to me if the Atama Europe site allows similar flexibility in ordering.)

I love the short, flared skirt on the Fenom Classic, but my undersized derriere is lost in the trousers. The OTM Supa Star jacket’s shoulders cut perfectly on me and I adore the A-line silhouette, but I’m not booty-full and the trousers look more than a little outlandish from behind. On the one had, in Fenom I wear an A1 and I am at the absolute top of the size range, yet the trousers aren’t great for my shape, though the A0 would surely be too small in the jacket. On the other hand, while I am dead centre in the F3 size range, I’d need at least F2 and probably F1 trousers in the OTM though the F3 top is just right for me. This is the crux of much of the trouble with creating women’s gi. All women are different individuals, of course, but women’s body shapes come in four generic types – A, V, X and O – and it can be very difficult to accommodate all these shapes with one product. Knowing the trouble I’ve had with other women’s cut gi in fitting my bony behind, I was psyched when I could purchase the F3 top and the F2 trousers, which has resulted in a much better combo for my V-shape.

The Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition has an A-line silhouette, similar to the Supa Star. The jacket fits neatly at the shoulders and opens out to the bottom of the skirt. The skirt of the jacket is of the longer style, similar to the Tatami Women’s Zero G and the Fenom Lotus, versus the shorter skirts of the Fenom Classic and OTM Supa Star; I have a personal preference for the shorter skirts, but the Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition jacket does fit well and allows for freedom of movement. The trousers have the greater room in the seat, hips and thighs as expected in women’s cut gi and work with the jacket to produce a lovely tailored outline. The gi is a single weave construction advertised as, ‘identical to that of our Mundial Model #9’. The jacket and trousers are 100% cotton and I can’t help but feel that I would be in state of crazy-bunny-boiling-obsessed-love if this gi had rip stop trousers as in the Mundial Model #9, rather than in my current a state of warm but controllable, affection.[4]

Atama size

Atama gi are not preshrunk and you can expect skrinkage up to 5%. I wash my gi on a warm (60C) wash against manufacturer’s instructions, but found that shrinking stayed well within acceptable parameters. Further, the deep colours of the embroidery did not bleed onto the white of the gi.

Conclusions

This is a beautiful gi and it preserves Atama’s reputation for high quality, well-constructed and superbly-designed women’s gi. The Leticia Ribeiro Limited Edition is soft on the skin and comfortable when rolling. I would suggest that Atama’s celebrity limited edition gi might be better with rip stop trousers like their Mundial Model #9 cousins. Finally, if you are a fellow purple belt and a fellow fashion victim, may I suggest the Fenom belt and the Scramble Newaza Hoodie as the purple used in these items matches the gi perfectly.

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.

Credits

Thanks to Dave Birkett at Dartford BJJ for playing uke in my photos. Thanks to Seymour Yang/Meerkatsu for accepting my imitation as flattery; the gi dimensions diagram is a useful innovation!

In my gi review of the OTM Supa Star gi, a women’s BJJ kimono I very much enjoy wearing, I noted that the sizing of the trousers was overly generous for my body shape:

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.

I now have the photographic evidence of the usefulness of selling women’s gi as separates. Behold, the OTM Supa Star’s back panel does absolutely no justice to my rather junkless trunk!

I ‘swear’ that my bottom is not so flat as these trousers would suggest; the cut doesn’t favour the less ‘A-shaped’ woman. While I couldn’t ask the F3 jacket to fit any better, the trousers are just too massive; I am sure other women would encounter similar issues and might very much like to mix and match jackets and trousers. It is fantastic that BJJ gi manufacturers are seeing the wisdom of designing for women, I hope, too, that they soon recognise the benefits for their customers of selling jackets and trousers as separates.

The day has come: the finalists for the Crazy-Ass Gi Challenge have been announced! The last two months have seen some wild, hilarious, and beautiful gi-designs submitted for consideration and I applaud Meerkatsu for organising such a fun competition to get the BJJ-community’s creative juices flowing. Now, the dust has settled and it is time to vote!

Meg’s Top 3

There are three which share some characteristics with my own ridiculous Megjitsu design and, as they share my tastes, I heart them:

I love the back patch of the ‘Double Fish’! I am really feeling the Eastern-vibe, the yin yang motif and beauty of the image. An intricate and attractive back patch was a big part of my gi fantasy and this design comes top for me in this respect.

I am really digging the wrap-around Eastern-style clouds of the ‘Blue Clouds’ design; I dreamt of clouds and a design that flowed around the body. This gi does this concept the best, to me.

This contest has produced so many wonderful designs and it is tough to choose from the great selection of finalists, but in the end I’m plumping for the ‘Girls Gi’. The image on the back of the gi which is followed through on the trousers – an idea integral to my fantasy – is done to great effect with a minimalist approach. The stitching is also a nice touch and enhances the ‘samurai’ flavour of the design. While this baby has got my vote, it would have been nice to have a ‘girls’ gi’ that wasn’t pink and had a slightly fiercer name.

Cast Your Vote

My top three reflects my taste and my own fantasy-gi desires, but what about you? Would you rather dress in a Kobra Kai gi or rock the mat as Scorpion? Join the Tatami Fightwear Facebook group and click ‘Like’ on your favourite design to cast your vote! Get on it, you’ve only got until 23:59 EST 12th October 2010 to ‘Like’ your favourite gi!