Tatami Fightwear Estilo Premier Gi Review

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Tatami or any other gi company. This is a voluntary review of their product.

Overview

Even the bag is stylin!

When it comes to BJJ gis, some people really go for the bling while others want their gi as plain as possible. But there’s a big market that wants something smack dab in the middle; a stylish, quality gi that won’t cost too much. The Estilo Premier fits that bill.

I won’t have a chance to take it for a test drive for a week or two; but even so, I’m impressed with this gi. Tatami Fightwear is obviously a company that makes a concerted effort to improve their product with each iteration.

Continue to the end of the review for a special discount for Arcanum readers.

When I ordered the Estilo, I broke down and bought a black Zero-G as well (which I consider one of the smartest-looking gis on the market). I’ll periodically compare the Estilo to the Zero-G, my Gameness Pearl and Padilla & Sons Lightweight.

Looks

Colors and stitching

Estilo (“style” in Spanish and Portuguese) is a fitting name for this gi. It’s perfect for those who want a trendy look without feeling like they bought their gi at the Buckle. Top to bottom, the black contrast stitching really pops out against the white cotton, adding a nice flair without being too overbearing. This looks particularly handsome on the pants and on the lapel. It even comes with its own pearl weave bag!
Because my crappy photo doesn’t do the gi justice, here is the official photo from the Tatami website:

And here it is on me:

Let’s just say there’s room for improvement in my photography department.

As you can see, it’s a little baggy on me, but I’ll remedy this soon. More on that later.

A contrast collar and sleeve taping would have been cool, but I think Tatami made the right decision by sticking mostly to contrast stitching. More taping would have made this gi look like a Keiko Raca rip-off. Instead, the Estilo takes that subtly stylish look and bumps it up to the next level.

Cut and Fit

I haven’t been a BJJ player long enough to hoard a lot of gis, but I’d compare this gi to the Gameness Pearl – my very first gi. They are similar in weight and feel…except the Estilo has better-fitting pants and looks a heck of a lot sexier.

For us walking broomsticks, it’s a boon when a company like Tatami allows you to mix pant and jacket sizes, which Tatami does free of charge. Going with any single size usually ends up leaving me with pants that are too short and a jacket that is too baggy.

Remarkably, I actually didn’t end up doing that this time around. After consulting with Gareth, I went straight for the A4. It’s a little big, but I prefer careful shrinking to get the perfect size as opposed to ordering something smaller and risking accidental shrinkage.

Measurements

Jacket

I’m 6’4” and 175 lbs. Out of the bag, the A4 jacket was huge on me. Lots of extra room in the chest and in the arms – not to mention a fairly long skirt. In the picture below the sleeves go out onto my thumbs, and I’m not even pulling my shoulders back.

The jacket feels sturdy and well-made. Like all pearl weaves I’ve owned, it’s pretty stiff out of the bag but this is easily remedied by rolling in it and using some good quality fabric softener.

At first, I was worried that I had made a mistake in buying the A4. I decided to experiment shrinking the Zero-G since it is the same cut and weave as the Estilo. The difference is that the Zero-G is a 475gsm pearl weave, while the Estilo is 550gsm. In Meerkatsu’s review of the Zero-G, he mentions that it doesn’t shrink substantially even after hot washes. Sure enough, hot washing didn’t phase it.

Both gis come with explicit instructions that they should be air dryed, but I decided to try shrinking the Zero-G by popping in the dryer for ten minutes on medium heat.

It worked…it now fits perfectly. I’ll be applying this method to the Estilo after I dye it next week (more on that later).

Just for kicks, we tried it on my wife:

And that, my friends, is why they make women’s gis.

Collar

The collar is rubberized and a good 3/8” thick, as opposed to the 1/4” thickness on my other kimonos. It has a sturdy feel to it and in my initial tests is more difficult to grip than my Padilla or my Gameness.

This image shows the Gameness, Padilla and Estilo left to right:

Sleeves

Out of the box, the sleeves were 7.25″ wide. This put them wider than both the Gameness and Padilla…but it’s not necessarily an accurate comparison because both of these other gis have been shrunk.

If we assume the Estilo behaves like the Zero-G, shrinking it in the dryer will affect the sleeve length but not the width. The total arm-to-arm measurement went from 71.25″ to 68″, but the cuffs stayed right at 7.25″.

The Padilla, Gameness and Estilo, left to right:

Pants

While the jacket had me a little worried at first, the pants on the Estilo were absolutely brilliant. Not too wide in the waist, and nice & long. Long enough to touch the floor when I walk. This is a smart move by Tatami – it’s a relatively simple process to hem up or shrink gi pants…but if they’re too short there’s not much you can do. These pants leave at least an inch or two of leeway for shrinkage, which should be perfect (we’ll see after I wear them a bit). They’re also reinforced around the knees.

Above you can see that the trouser hem falls down around my feet. As you can see below, the Zero-G is significantly shorter in the pant length than the Estilo for the A4.

These pants feel almost made to order for me, and I can’t wait to try them on the mat.

The cord drawstring feels high quality and four contrasting belt loops hold it in place. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why every gi company doesn’t put four belt loops on their trousers. Bravo, Tatami!

One “complaint,” if you could call it that, is the choice of canvas for the pants rather than a soft cotton twill. Supposedly canvas is more durable. My Gameness Pearl has canvas pants, and it took me a while to get used to them. The Padilla lightweight has twill pants, and they’re softest pants by far out of any gi that I own. I love wearing them.

That said, I know from experience that canvas pants can be made soft given some good fabric softener. It all boils down to preference, and canvas pants certainly won’t stop me from enjoying the Estilo.

Logos and Patches

The Estilo gi is pretty heavily branded. But it’s tasteful branding. Patches on the Estilo are (from what I can tell) the same patches that are on the Navy Pearl Weave. I like them; a couple other people I showed them too felt they were a little loud. Patches are placed on both shoulders, the left lapel, the lower back hem, and on the left side pant leg. The patches have a very athletic look to them and add to the sportiness of the gi without turning it into a mosaic.

the right shoulder

For those who like little or no patchwork on their gis, it would be easy to remove any one of the patches. I will probably end up removing the patch on the lower back hem below the belt – not a fan of this on any gi.

The “yin-yan” logo is embroidered at the right and left elbows and on the lower right leg. But just to make sure you know this is a Tatami gi, the company name is embroidered between the shoulder blades. I actually like it, but if you need to sew a team patch on the back you’ll have to gauge placement so it doesn’t look crowded.

embroidery between shoulders

Quality

Although I haven’t rolled in it yet, I’m certain the Estilo Premier will stand the test of time with the best of them.

The Estilo is triple-stitched at all the seams…this means any time two separate pieces of fabric join, there are three rows of stitching holding it together.

You can see the triple stitching here in the crotch area and below in the chest area of the jacket.

Every hem is double-stitched, excepting the sleeve cuffs, which are triple-stitched and reinforced with canvas tape.

Above: triple-stitched sleeve cuff (inside out). Below: double-stitched trouser hem.

All reinforcements are double-stitched except the armpits, which have 6 total rows of stitching, and the gusseted crotch, which has a single-stitch reinforcement (a quick look at the crotch will show that this is plenty, as it is triple-stitched everywhere else).

Crotch junction is triple-stitched and reinforced.

Armpits are reinforce with an extra layer, double stitching around the edge and through the middle.

The gi skirt and the top of the pants have reinforcement with tape and double-stitching.

Customer Service

Gareth and the people at Tatami are fantastic. I never sent an email that wasn’t personally responded to the same day. Even better, I ordered my gi Thursday night and the gi was on my doorstep when I got home Monday morning. Not bad for a trip across the Atlantic and most of the United States. I’m a pleased customer.

Conclusion

If I were to design a gi for the middle market, it would be very close to the Estilo Premier. This gi is a nice blend of style, function, quality and price. I’ve been watching the evolution of the Tatami product line, and after experiencing great customer service from Gareth and Lee, it’s evident that this company listens to their customers and takes their suggestions seriously. I’m guessing Tatami Fightwear will be around for a while.

I’m excited to roll in it and see how it treats me on the mat.

The Estilo costs £72.00 (about $115). I think that’s a great price for what you get. Unfortunately, shipping to the U.S. bumps it up into the $150 range, which puts it in competition with a lot of other great gis for U.S buyers. With that in mind, it becomes a matter of preference. If you really like the way the Estilo looks, get it. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Which reminds me…Gareth was kind enough to offer a discount to Arcanum readers. Enter the promo code ARCANUM5 during checkout to recieve 5% off your order.

P.S.

After all the raving about how nice this gi looks in white, I plan to dye it deep yellow. The dark yellow gi with black contrast stitching I designed for the recent gi design competition really got me excited. I ordered all the stuff from Dharma Trading last week.

After dying it, shrinking it and rolling in it for a while, I’ll post a follow-up review.

UPDATE
Seymour at Meerkatsu just posted his review of the Tatami Estilo. Without reading my review, he came to almost the exact same conclusions, so now you have a double endorsement. Check out Meerkatsu’s review here

ANOTHER UPDATE
Since I didn’t give a full review to the Zero-G this time around, here are some links to other reviews:
Meerkatsu’s Review
MMAGearGuide.net