As BJJ practitioners, the MMA Nuts look for an alternative to wasteful fabrics. Ultimately, they turned to SubmissionFC Hemp Sensation Gis, which to much dismay, turned out to be void of hemp. Naturally, being the inquisitive men they are, Ingo decided to track down Shakib from Submission Fight Co. to get the answers on why their gis aren’t made by hemp, and we got a lesson in the dangers of overseas manufacturing.
It seems like a lot of the Gi companies are sourcing products out of Pakistan, is that currently the best place for top quality Gi’s? Where is your competition sourcing their products?
Yes, majority of BJJ Gi brands source their gis from Pakistan. I wouldn’t say it is the best place for sourcing bjj gis but it definitely is the most common. However, if you find a reputable factory there and build a solid relationship with frequent inspections, you can have bjj gis made that are just as good as any in the market today.
Do you normally obtain samples prior to ordering a large quantity? If so, how can you assure that what you sampled will be the same as the final product shipped?
Yes, we always obtain samples prior to ordering a large quantity. Honestly, it is very hard to know for sure that what you sample will be the same as the final product shipped. Usually if you have built a solid relationship with your supplier over a few years you know what to expect. If you still need to be sure, factory inspections should be the solution.
Will you be continuing to test every product moving forward as public knowledge and do you know if any of your competition is currently doing the same or will in the future?
Yes, we will continue to get lab tests done on all of our new product releases and post them on our website for the public to view. As far as I know, besides Submission Fight Co., there is no other bjj gi brand that has had lab tests done on their bjj gis.
Have you visited your overseas suppliers and checked out their factory locations?
Nope.
Being a business owner myself, I find it admirable that you are looking to “make good” with your customers when others may have brushed this under the rug. What prompted you to start this investigation on your own products?
Rumors had started to grow online that our “hemp” gis may not be exactly as claimed to be. So we quickly found a legitimate lab called SGS and sent them pieces of the gi fabric for testing to do our own internal investigation on this matter.
For those customers looking for restitution on already purchased items, how should they go about contacting you and what are you doing specifically to appease customers who feel slighted?
We sincerely do apologize for this situation and are taking this matter very seriously. Any customer who have purchased any of our “hemp” bjj gear and is not fully satisfied with the lab results, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll take care of you asap! It seems to me that if there was ever a great time to purchase products from SubmissionFC, it would be now given that you are testing and verifying what you are actually selling to your customers. Is there anything in particular you would like to mention as an upcoming product launch or current inventory that our readers should be considering for their next purchase?
We still believe that our Sensation & Ecstasy Gis that were previously labeled as hemp blends are some of the best bjj gis on the market. They are approximately 55% Cotton / 45% Polyester blends, with lab tests to prove its content and as far as I know we are the only bjj brand that sells a bjj kimono with this blend. The Submission Sensation & Ecstasy Gis are much softer and more comfortable than any 100% cotton gi on the market today. We are also looking to get more lab tests done on this fabric to prove plenty of other benefits that this gi fabric has over all those 100% cotton gis on the market today.
We have had our hands full taking care of all previously unsatisfied customers and this is our #1 priority at the moment. So it is too soon to discuss any new product releases. However, what I can tell you is that we have been talking to a couple factories here in Los Angeles to possibly have our next product release be Made in America!