Atama Classic BJJ Gi Review
Atama has the reputation of making high-quality, old-school type kimonos. The Atama Classic BJJ Gi is one of their best sellers. This is the new version of their single weave gi. It’s a no-nonsense kimono with a nice clean design, that’s built to last. Perfect for training and competition. To me it feels like this is the Armani suit of BJJ gis. Atama gis are produced in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You know they pay special attention to making gis in the country where our beautiful sport originated.
Atama also offers a bonus feature, some extra custom options. But let’s take a look at their Classic gi.
Specifications
The jacket is made of 500GSM single weave material and is 100% cotton. The gi comes with standard cotton pants that have double reinforced knee pads. The pants fabric is made of 320GSM cotton fabric.
Overall weight of the gi for a size A2 is 1.6 kg which is still a really nice overall weight for competition as well.
IBJJF Legal
The Atama Classic gi is approved by the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) for the use of competition. There are no logos placed in a way that makes the gi not suitable for any official competition.
Atama also has the option to customize the gis for you personally. The have examples on their website on how you can customize the gi and still have it IBJJF legal.
Fabric
The jacket is made of 100% cotton and the fabric is made out of one piece. There’s no seam on the back. Atama did this on purpose so when you’re playing guard on your back, you’re more comfortable. It’s good to know that they are thinking about these kinds of little details over at Atama’s. I think this is a really nice detail that shouldn’t be ignored by all the guard players out there.
On the label inside the jacket, it says that shrinkage can be up to 5%. I always wash my gis on 30 degrees Celsius and I didn’t treat my Atama Classic gi any different. I would say that shrinkage was definitely up to 5%. To be honest the gi shrinks a lot. Of course, this is one of the downsides of working with 100% cotton material. One of the upsides is that cotton is a natural fabric that’s very breathable.
Quality of the fabric. The gi feels very solid and strong. Of course, that’s what you should expect from a 500GSM jacket. But the way the fabric feels, you really notice that this is a gi that will last for a long time.
Fit & Feel
When you try the gi on for the first time it feels really baggy and big. My size A2 actually felt more like an A2H, which made happy since that’s the size I should be wearing anyway…I like to eat. After washing the gi a couple of times I realized that the reason it fits baggy when it’s new, is because it shrinks a lot. I’m still very happy with the fit but it fits a bit more like a competition gi now, which actually is pretty awesome since as bonus Atama heat pressed my name and country of origin on the gi. Now the gi doesn’t just fit like a competition gi, it looks like one too.
The feel of the gi. The fabric feels really nice even though the gi has a 500GSM jacket, the fabric doesn’t feel too heavy. At the same time the jacket is super solid and strong. This gi is really made to withstand tough times. This makes the overall fit & feel of the Atama Classic gi an awesome experience.
Design
The design is very clean, and all logos are all embroidered. Each shoulder has a small embroidered Atama kanji logo, there’s a small kanji logo on the back. On the side of the left pant leg there’s a small kanji logo as well. On the left side of the jacket, they have embroidered ‘Atama’.
I personally really like that the design is so minimalistic. In my opinion Atama doesn’t need to put a lot of branding on the gi since they let the quality speak for itself. Just looking at how the logos are embroidered you can see that there was a lot of effort put in making a high-quality product. Fun fact about the production, the Atama gis are not made in Pakistan or China like most BJJ kimonos. Atama gis are made in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The birthland of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
A nice detail in the design is the inside of the jacket. Where most premium gis have some sort of rashguard lining on the inside, Atama came with something better. They also made this from cotton material. This detail shows that Atama really thinks about what they put out there. A rashguard lining looks nice but is it of any use, is it even convenient? Everyone is wearing a rashguard all the time already anyway. With rashguard lining it’s like wearing two. That doesn’t make sense at all. Making the inside lining from cotton is much more comfortable. The design on the inside looks nice as well. A bit trippy, but nice.
Custom design options
The Atama design goes further then what you see on the website. Of course, this gi looks awesome just as it is. But if you want a bit extra, Atama can help you out as well. At Atama Europe you can get your gis heat pressed. I got mine heat pressed with BJJ Fightgear on the front of the jacket and my name and country on the back. I think this is a really nice way to offer individual custom kimonos. At the moment Atama is the only brand that’s doing this for retail customers. You don’t have to doubt about the quality of the heat press patches either. They use a special vinyl that’s designed to be printed on kimono fabric.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for something special and very high-quality, look no further. The Atama Classic BJJ Gi has everything you need. This is a very strong and solid gi that will last for a long time. Wearing this gi will make you feel you’re wearing the Armani suit of the BJJ world. The fabric and weave feel really nice. Both the jacket and pants are made of thick material. The fact that the gi is made from 100% cotton makes sure the fabric is super breathable. So even though the material is thick, you won’t get overheated in this one.