Pearl weave or gold weave: choosing fabric for custom BJJ gis

A gi jacket is woven, and the weave decides how heavy it is, how it feels in a roll, how easy it is for an opponent to grip and how quickly it dries after training. The two weaves most academies and brands choose between are pearl and gold.

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Pearl weave has a small, tight, bead-like texture. It is lighter than gold weave, soft against the skin and strong for its weight, which is why it is the common choice for an academy's training gis and for competition, where a lighter gi helps a competitor make weight.

Gold weave is a heavier, thicker weave that sits between a single and a double weave. It is harder to grip, very hard-wearing and absorbent, which suits a grappler who wants a gi that feels substantial. The trade-off is weight, and a longer drying time.

The weight of a gi is felt most in a long session. A pearl weave jacket stays comfortable through a hot summer class and packs small in a kit bag; a gold weave jacket feels more like armour, which some grapplers like for the way it holds its shape and resists grips, and others find tiring by the last round.

The jacket is only half of it. Gi trousers are usually a lighter cotton twill or ripstop rather than the jacket's weave, so they move freely and dry quickly whichever jacket they are paired with. The collar is thick and stitched in rows, so it stays firm when it is gripped, and it is the slowest part of any gi to dry.

For an academy, the simplest rule is to pick the weave for the members who will wear it most: pearl weave for an all-round training gi that suits beginners and competitors alike, gold weave for a durable, heavier option alongside it.

Cotton shrinks, and a gi is a lot of cotton. Most of the shrinkage happens in the first few washes, and most of it comes from heat: a hot wash or a tumble dryer can take a gi down a size, mostly in the sleeves and the trouser length. Fabric that has been pre-shrunk before cutting shrinks less, but no cotton gi is entirely shrink-free.

• Wash cold: a cool wash keeps the size and the colour.
• Hang to dry: air drying is slower than a dryer, especially for gold weave and the collar, but it is the surest way to keep the fit.
• Wash after every session: a gi that sits damp in a bag smells, and the cotton breaks down faster.
• Size with it in mind: members between two sizes, who will wash their gi often, should know how much a few washes can change it.

If shrinkage matters to your members, say so in your brief. The fit is checked on the sample you approve before anything is made in bulk, and washing instructions can go on the printed care label.

Gis are sized by height and weight on three scales, and an academy order usually spans several of them. Size charts differ between makers, so an A2 from one brand is not always an A2 from another; members should size from the chart for the gi being ordered rather than from the one they already own.

The quickest way to get an academy order right is to collect each member's height and weight before you send the brief. The size split is then confirmed against your quantity before bulk.

Academy and brand logos go on by printing, in the placements BJJ gis usually carry: the chest, the shoulders and sleeves, the back and the trouser leg. On cotton, that means screen print for a bold logo in one or two colours, or DTF and heat transfer for a detailed, multi-colour one. Embroidery and stitched or woven patches are not something we offer, and the brand and care labels are printed too.

Belts from white to black, rash guards and spats can be made to match the gis, with the rash guards sublimated so a full-colour design runs edge to edge.