Gi Review: Tatami Fightwear Purple Estilo

Summary
Bright and jazzy coloured model to the Estilo range from Tatami Fightwear. This gi carries all the usual high quality aspects of previous Estilo models with the added bonus of limited edition and novel colour.



Introduction
Tatami Fightwear's new purple version of the Estilo gi is the first in their new range of alternative colour gis. Future versions will include a variety of unusually dyed gis as the poster below suggests:

Clearly such gis are not IBJJF rules compliant however they offer the more daring jiu jitsu student something creative and expressive to wear during normal training (assuming your academy allows such non-traditional gi colours).

Disclosure
I have been commissioned in the past by Tatami Fightwear to produce artwork and designs. I have had no contribution to this design. This and the following report will be my own personal opinion and remain as objective and unbiased as I can.

Size, weight and other stats

Size in cm new vs three 40 degree washes for an A1 gi:
A: 162 / 160
B: 76 / 76
C: 56 / 56
D: 16.5 / 15.5
E: 51 / 50
F: 95 / 95
G: 21.5 / 21
Jacket weight: 1.2kg
Trouser weight: 0.5kg

As the stats above show, the shrinkage is very minimal even after three washes. The sleeve wingspan of 160cm is quite long and fits within the upper tier of most gi brands. The Atama Mundial A1 for example is 150cm and the Bull Terrier Limited Edition is 153cm. Other gi brands such as the Kingz gis and Submission Fight Co Hemp gi have wingspans of around 157cm.

Trouser length at 95cm is the typical length of Tatami fightwear gis. This would make them a little longer than many other brands, including those mentioned above.

Weight at 1.7Kg would make this gi heavier than specialist lightweight gis such as the Do or Die Hyperfly gi (1.4Kg).

Jacket
The first noticeable visible aspect to the purple estilo is the distinct lack of patches. The standard Estilo (currently v3.0) is festooned with chest, shoulder and leg patches. The fabric used is 500gsm pearlweave cotton.

The purple Estilo collar is constructed from stiff rubber foam and covered with canvas cotton. Stitching is a shiny grey colour that also appears on the side vent trim.

A single laurel leaf 'Estilo' patch is embroidered on each sleeve.

The type of purple used to dye the gi is quite light, edging towards the more lilac end of the purple spectrum but not so light that it could be construed as too feminine. It's not too dissimilar to the only other purple coloured gi that I know of - the Reversal purple lightning gi - see here for a review.

The image below shows the canvas cotton tape used to line the cuffs. This is a far more suitable material compared to woven tape which I have found can be scratchy on my skin.

Trousers
As with the standard Estilo gi, the trousers are made from canvas cotton. The Tatami website states there are 'heavy 14oz canvas' but in my hands they don't seem to feel heavy or thick.

As with other Estilo models, the trousers are held up using rope drawstring. If I was being niggly, I would personally like to see the double knee layer extend all the way to the base of the trousers.

The base of the trousers are reinforced with a simple fold over hem. Other gi brands tend to add an extra layer of tape here.

Rolling tests and conclusion
This gi, as with all previous versions of the Estilo fits my dimensions very well. The construction is very high quality in my opinion and I have not had any issues with my previous models (Estilo 3 and Estilo 2 are part of my normal rotation of gis) so I fully expect the purple to hold up just as well.

 Some people however may find the sleeve lengths too long for their dimensions. I understand the new versions of the Estilo may have their arms cut shorter. But for now, the purple Estilo seems to be tailor made or me :)

There is an issue with the colour fade however. After 3-4 washes, I noticed a little bit of uneven fading. Unfortunately it is not enough to really show up in my photographs, but there does appear to me slightly more fading along the creases of both the jacket and trousers compared to the main part of the fabric leading to a slight stone-washed effect. This unevenness may reduce over time as the whole gi fades through the washes, only time will tell.

BJJ is a fun sport and in my personal opinion, fun products such as this gi merely enhance the enjoyment. Not all academies allow such gi colours and IBJJF gi colour rulings mean it won't be allowed in such tournaments. However, if you fancy something a bit different, the purple Estilo is a quality addition to the Tatami range and yet another gi to add to my rotation of favoured gis.

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