Honest scope matters when picking apparel suppliers for your no-gi academy. Bear Grips Pro Shops handles the casual and lifestyle layer of an academy program exceptionally well. We do not handle competition kit, rashguards, or sublimated grappling gear. This honest scope post lays out exactly what we print and what we do not so you can decide where Bear Grips fits in your supplier mix.
The full apparel scope across 63 products in the catalog:
Print methods supported: screen print, DTF transfer, embroidery. Each method gets routed at fulfillment based on the design and garment.
The scope boundaries:
| Apparel Category | Recommended Supplier Type |
|---|---|
| Tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, joggers, polos | Bear Grips Pro Shops |
| Rashguards and spats | Dedicated rashguard manufacturer (sublimation specialist) |
| Competition gis | Gi manufacturer (e.g. Tatami, Hyperfly, Shoyoroll) |
| Walkout shirts, event tees | Bear Grips Pro Shops |
| Coaching staff apparel | Bear Grips Pro Shops (embroidered polos) |
| Specialty items (bags, towels) | Specialty promotional supplier |
For most no-gi academies, Bear Grips Pro Shops covers 80 to 90% of total apparel volume because the lifestyle and casual layer is what students wear most often. The competition kit (rashguards, spats, gis) is high-visibility but low-volume relative to the everyday wear.
Some apparel suppliers will promise everything to win the deal and then under-deliver on the parts they are not actually equipped to handle. We do not.
The scope above reflects what we actually print well, at scale, with consistent quality across every product variant. The boundaries reflect categories where the right move is to refer you to a dedicated specialist rather than fake competence in something we do not do.
When you set up an academy apparel program, this honest scope works in your favor. You know exactly what to expect from us, you know exactly which complementary supplier to add for the competition kit, and you do not get surprised after launching.
Tees, hoodies, hats, joggers, polos, sweatshirts. The 80% of academy apparel that students wear most often.
Start FreeNo. Rashguards require sublimation and cut-and-sew construction that is outside our production scope. Work with a dedicated rashguard supplier (many sublimation-specialist companies serve the no-gi BJJ space). Bear Grips Pro Shops handles everything else for your academy apparel program.
No. Custom gis require specialty manufacturing with reinforced collars, IBJJF-spec construction, and traditional jiu jitsu gi materials. Work with a gi manufacturer for those pieces.
No. Print placements are limited to standard areas: left chest, full front, back center, full back, and sleeve. Edge-to-edge all-over print is not in our scope.
A one-stop supplier for both rashguards/gis and casual apparel is rare in the BJJ space because the production categories are very different. Most established academies use 2 to 3 suppliers: one for casual apparel (Bear Grips Pro Shops), one for rashguards/spats, and one for gis.
Bear Grips Pro Shops