Gi BJJ Academy Apparel: Honest Scope on What We Make

Gi BJJ academies searching for custom apparel often want one of two things: a custom gi, or everything else the academy wears off the mat. Bear Grips Pro Shops makes the second category. We do not make gis, belts, or compression rashguards. We do make academy tees, hoodies, crewnecks, hats, mesh shorts, sweatpants, and joggers with the academy logo, in any size, with no minimum order. This guide explains the scope clearly so head professors and academy owners can plan their apparel program correctly.

What Bear Grips Does Not Make for Gi BJJ

To be direct, Bear Grips does not produce:

• BJJ gis. Gi construction is specialty cut-and-sew apparel. Pearl weave or gold weave jackets, reinforced collars, ripstop pants, taped seams. Specialty manufacturers handle this. Shoyoroll, Tatami, Sanabul, Fuji, Hyperfly, Gameness, Manto, Ground Force, Inverted Gear, and Gracie Barra are the names BJJ students recognize.
• BJJ belts. Belt manufacturing and IBJJF belt certification go through dedicated suppliers.
• Compression rashguards. All-over sublimated long-sleeve compression rashguards are cut-and-sew specialty apparel, not print-on-blank.
• Spats and competition shorts. Sublimated grappling spats and IBJJF-legal competition shorts are also specialty.
• Patches with custom embroidery on a panel that ships separately. Standalone patches for sewing onto a gi are not in our catalog.

If the academy needs gis, rashguards, belts, or competition shorts, those go through dedicated BJJ suppliers.

What Bear Grips Does Make for Gi BJJ Academies

Bear Grips makes print-on-blank apparel. For a gi BJJ academy, the catalog covers everything outside the gi:

• Academy tees. Cotton, performance, triblend short-sleeve tees with the academy logo. Worn around the gym, between classes, on the way home.
• Academy hoodies and crewneck sweatshirts. Standard daily wear for instructors and students.
• Long sleeve cotton shirts. Layering for cool-weather travel days and post-training cooldown.
• Mesh shorts and training shorts. For warm-ups, conditioning, and no-gi crossover days when the academy schedule mixes formats.
• Sweatpants and joggers. Academy-branded travel pants for tournament weekends and seminars.
• Embroidered hats and beanies. Snapbacks, dad hats, rope hats, cuffed winter beanies with the academy logo.
• Womens cuts and youth sizes. Womens tees and tanks, youth tees and hoodies for kids program.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

How Academies Pair a Gi Vendor With Bear Grips

Most established gi BJJ academies already operate this split:

1. Gi vendor. The academy works with Shoyoroll, Tatami, Sanabul, Fuji, or a similar maker for student gis. Some academies sell gis directly through the front desk; others point new students to retail.
2. Rashguard / spats vendor. For no-gi gear, the academy may stock a small inventory of branded rashguards or point students to ranked rashguard brands.
3. Bear Grips Pro Shops for everything else. Academy tees, hoodies, hats, sweatpants, joggers, womens cuts, kids tees, tournament travel apparel, belt promotion shirts, anniversary tees, parent merch.

The split lets the academy keep specialty BJJ apparel with the BJJ specialists and run a no-minimum, no-inventory academy shop for the daily-life apparel that students and instructors actually wear off the mat.

Why the Construction Scope Difference Matters

Gi production and print-on-blank production are different industries:

• Gi construction. Weave selection (pearl weave, gold weave, single weave), jacket cut, collar reinforcement with rubber or EVA foam core, ripstop or cotton drill pants, taped seams, IBJJF length and skirt rules. Specialty cut-and-sew manufacturing with long lead times.
• Print on blank. Print custom designs onto pre-made tees, hoodies, hats, shorts from established blank brands. Bear Grips, Bella+Canvas, Champion, Gildan, Sport-Tek, Independent Trading Co., Yupoong, Richardson. On-demand printing, no minimum, one-week turnaround.

Bear Grips' on-demand model fits the second category. The first category requires specialty production lines, IBJJF certification awareness, and longer lead times.

What This Means for the Academy Apparel Program

A gi BJJ academy planning its apparel program should:

1. Choose a gi supplier first. Decide whether the academy stocks gis at the front desk or refers students to a partner brand for retail purchases.
2. Set up the Bear Grips shop for everything else. Academy tees, hoodies, hats, mesh shorts, sweatpants, joggers, womens cuts, youth tees. Customers pay retail, the academy keeps the margin set in the dashboard.
3. Run the two side by side. Specialty gi apparel through the specialist. Academy lifestyle and team apparel through Bear Grips with no inventory and no minimum.

The Bear Grips shop covers daily-wear, travel, kids program, women's cuts, instructor apparel, tournament team apparel, and belt promotion keepsakes. It does not try to be the gi vendor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bear Grips make BJJ gis?

No. BJJ gis are specialty cut-and-sew apparel with pearl weave or gold weave jackets, reinforced collars, and ripstop or cotton drill pants. Bear Grips does not produce gis. Academies pair a gi supplier (Shoyoroll, Tatami, Sanabul, Fuji, Gameness, Manto, Hyperfly, Inverted Gear, Ground Force) with Bear Grips for everything else.

Does Bear Grips make compression rashguards or spats?

No. All-over sublimated long-sleeve compression rashguards and grappling spats are cut-and-sew specialty apparel. Bear Grips makes print-on-blank tees, hoodies, mesh shorts, and lifestyle apparel for academy branding.

What does Bear Grips actually make for a gi BJJ academy?

Academy logo tees, hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, long sleeve cotton shirts, mesh shorts, training shorts, sweatpants, joggers, embroidered hats, dad hats, winter beanies, womens cuts, and youth sizes for the kids program. Everything an academy needs off the mat.

Is there a minimum order for academy apparel?

No. Bear Grips has no minimum on any product. A new academy with 15 students can order custom tees at the same per-unit price as a large gym with 250 students. Each student or instructor orders her own size from the academy shop link.