We recently got the chance to reconnect with REVGEAR Brand Director Alex Wright to talk about the release of their brand new line of no gi equipment. It’s a huge move by REVGEAR, as the brand have basically rebuilt half of their BJJ products from scratch under the new Grizzly name. The new product line looks great, but we wanted to get under the hood a little bit and find out exactly how they’ve changed what they offer. It’s not often that a popular brand decides to effectively start fresh, so it was interesting to hear why they chose to do so as well.
Wright was very open and honest when he explained exactly why REVGEAR made the decision to launch the Grizzly no gi line:
“Revgear lacked a modern no gi line and has done for some time. We had rashguards and we had shorts, but they weren’t as one line. Having redeveloped our entire Jiu-Jitsu line a few years ago, it was about time we got into the modern age and got a no gi line.”
The real centrepiece of the new line was always going to be their shorts though:
“What we weren’t satisfied with was just doing yet another generic BJJ shorts. There’s so many of those on the market, a lot of the, aren’t the kind of quality level that we would want to put out there. So it wasn’t just a case of taking something off the factory shelf, putting a logo on it, and putting it out there… We would never have been happy with that.”
Wright also shared how their unique design came about as well:
“The design is actually a throwback to the original style of BJJ shorts that were actually mid-length, they weren’t the longer shorts that came later and they had like a Muay Thai-ish waist. Those original style of shorts had a velcro front too though, and we eliminated that immediately to go with a completely flat front with elastication at the back. This means you get the comfort that comes with having a flat front that doesn’t move because of the a slightly-elasticated back.”
The other unique feature of the Grizzly no gi shorts is something that most people might not notice at first, but it adds so much value:
“We also rubberized the inside to stop them riding up, and it has a flared design that makes the, really functional and able to move. Lastly it has a four-way stretch gusset and that’s not something you can really see in photographs but it’s so valuable because it makes them much more flexible and stronger. They have the ability to move in so many different directions that they’re way less likely to rip, and we used a heavier fabric than the average out there to enhance that even further.”
With so many changes to the shorts, obviously it was going to be quite a long process. Most people still won’t appreciate just how long that process is though, and Wright was happy to give us the insider’s perspective on that:
“We went back and forth between us, the factory, and our testing team for nearly two years before we settled on it. We see this as being a long-term product that we can build off of for years so as a brand, we think it’s worth that level of time and effort. We feel it’s worth the wait and that’s why we’ve called it Grizzly. That bear is one of the most terrifying creatures on the planet; it’s an apex predator, and it’s top of the food chain. We believe these shorts are top of the no gi food chain in terms of both design and quality, so we feel it’s a fitting accolade.”
When we asked about what the future holds for REVGEAR and their Jiu-Jitsu products, Wright was very enthusiastic:
“The Grizzly line is the start of the line, not the end of the line. There’s going to be some limited edition designs and we’ll do some partnership designs in conjunction with some event brands and stuff like that, so watch this space!”
The Grizzly no gi collection is available now at www.revgear.com or www.revgeareurope.co.uk, and you can drop code Jits20 into the checkout for 20% off.
