Sally Arsenault: Review: Submission Fight Company Hemp BJJ Tshirts

Brazilian jiu jitsu is addictive and after you’ve been training for a while, you’ll notice that it has taken over your life. When my fitness routine consisted of lifting weights five days a week, I never wore anything outside of the gym that would indicate that weightlifting was “my thing”. My workout gear consisted of cheap shorts or gym pants and tshirts I got at Walmart. Things are much different now. Now I have more jiu jitsu gear than I have normal clothing. Now most of my tshirts are BJJ-related even though I’m almost forty (sad, I know). So when When Shakib Nassiri, the owner of Submission Fight Company and a purple belt under Jean Jacques Machado, contacted me about reviewing the new hemp Brazilian tshirts, I agreed immediately.

In his email, Shakib included a fabric testing report from SGS. On their website, SGS describes themselves as "the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company." They claim to be "recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity."

Submission Fight Company has had issues in the past with its HempEcstasy gis. They were advertised as being made with hemp but after another company sent one of the gis for testing, it turned out to be made of a 53.58/46.42 poly/cotton mix. I asked Shakib how things have been since then and how the company was moving forward.

He replied, "The fabric issue has been a huge struggle and continues to be a struggle, but looking on the bright side this situation has made me a lot smarter on how manufacturing works, how they can lie to you, fabric testing, and so much more. I'm ready to move on and start fresh. We made a mistake in the past dealing with the wrong factory and now we have to build back our image and reputation. I want there to be no doubts about the authenticity of our products. This is a new chapter for us and I owe it to the community to be open and honest about everything we do. I'm a part of this community and I take our credibility very seriously."

Note: click the pics to enlarge.

So what's the big deal? Why do people care about whether it's made of hemp or not? What's so special about hemp? I don't know a lot about the fabric industry but I've read that hemp is exponentially stronger than cotton and because it doesn't require pesticides, growing the crop is better for the environment than other natural fibre crops. It doesn't need much water to grow and according to EarthEasy.com, and it improves the soil it grows in. For more information about hemp, please visit that site and read what they have to say about Hemp Clothing.

Features

- Made of 55% Hemp / 45% Organic Cotton

- Made in China, printed in the U.S.A

- Screen printed illustrations, lettering and tag

- Pre-Shrunk

Quality

Submission Fight Companies hemp tshirts are built to last. There were no loose threads or sloppy seams and the graphics are solid; they have not cracked or peeled in the month and a half that I’ve been wearing them. The material is quite a bit heavier than a typical cotton graphic tee.

Style

I was born in 1975 and the art on these tshirts reminds me of the ones I wore growing up in the 80's. The illustrated lion and shark are not complex designs but I like them. They feel very retro. The quote on the white tshirt is borrowed from Rickson Gracie, "If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of thejungle” while the quote on the blue shirt echoes Carlos Machado when he said, "Afterthe clinch, it doesn't matter what happens, one way or another, we're going tohit the ground, and we'll be in my world. The ground is my ocean, I'm theshark, and most people don't even know how to swim." They're very much designed for the jiu jitsu lifestyle.

Comfort and Fit

I found these tshirts very comfortable but I wasn’t a fan of the fit of the men’s size small. If I wore it out and about, I would have had to tuck it into my jeans or have it hang to my hips. The shirts are soft but not soft in the way your typical tshirt material is; they're heavier and a bit more coarse but they drape much better. So if the shirt is big on you, like it is on me, it won’t billow out and get in the way as much. If the shirt fits, you’re good to go. Because I’m so small at 5'0, 105lbs, I prefer for my clothes to be formfitting so I don't look boxy. I usually wore these tshirts for sleeping and for lounging around the house, but I wore them a lot.

Shipping

Shakib mailed my shirts to me around August 29, 2014 and they arrived approximately one week later. Since then I have received the Aura gi pants (which I love) and the Submission FC bamboo tshirts (which I also love) to review and they’ve arrived in the same time frame. Shipping to Canada is extremely expensive at $29.25, while shipping in the US starts at $3.58.

Buy the Submission Fight Company hemp tshirts at SubmissionFC.com for $39.95 and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.