Return of the hemp gi?

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[Janet Rosen]

Some years ago, there was a woman in Mendocino/Lake County, Machiko, making hemp dogi. She used to run a print ad in Aikido Today magazine but never had an online presence. Her dogi were in the judo style (double layer shields at the front and back shoulder for holding up to grabs, and the "skirted" bottom); they looked great and held up unbelievably well due to the inherent characteristics of the hemp fiber.

Eleven years later, the original ones she'd made for local aikidoka are finally wearing out and she's not making them anymore...now I'm living here with my nine year old home microbusiness custom sewing baby-sized organic cotton dogi and cotton weapons bags.

Yep. I've gotten back in touch with my old supplier of hemp fabrics to check their fabric samples and working on a cost-out to see how much these suckers would have to priced at. Next step, make a sample for somebody at the dojo and see how it works.

So I'm not ready to take orders yet, but I'm hoping that within a couple of months I'll have at least the jacket design down, be ready to offer those, and start working on the pants design.

[Steven]

Good luck!

[Fred Little]

In that case....

Would you consider making a jacket in the kendo style -- one vent in the back, no side vents, lower hem just above the knees so the side vents in the hakama are completely covered and there's no futher need for pants under pants?

Please? Not that I want to eliminate the market for pants entirely, but at this point, I can't imagine going back to them.

Best,

FL

[Janet Rosen]

Fred, the beauty of custom sewing (which is the model I use) is that I/we can do anything we agree on! Let me get the cost-out done for the basic top, get a couple of samples out onto the mat for testing, and then I'm happy to start playing with the details. Folks here are not wanting pants either (happy to use old cotton ones or biking shorts or whatever) so I'm starting w/ just the tops.

[David Maidment]

Please? Not that I want to eliminate the market for pants entirely, but at this point, I can't imagine going back to them.

I agree! Trousers/shorter jackets feel so odd with a hakama now :\

[DonMagee]

I can tell you that if you made them in a more tapered cut (similar to bjj competition gi) I would totally buy a few.

I've always wanted a hemp gi, but a judo cut would be too loose for me to wear in day to day use. I natural fiber, bjj cut, hemp gi would be right up my alley.

[ninjaqutie]

Wow. Hope to hear how it works out! Best of luck. :)

[Janet Rosen]

Thank you all...waiting for sample swatches....hope to have a first one in beta testing within a month.

[Anthony Loeppert]

Thank you all...waiting for sample swatches....hope to have a first one in beta testing within a month.

Bumping this thread... curious how it went...

[Janet Rosen]

Hi, Anthony - two of three beta tests are done and being very happily worn in my local dojo - the third and final beta test JUST started getting measured and cut today for sending across the continent. This is for the TOP only - at custom sewing prices, folks who wear a hak are not interested in custom pants to wear under!
So far all 3 are cut in the judo style but I can easily adapt to a karate style. The 100% hemp is an amazing fabric to work with - a real pleasure.

Photos at my flickr site. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanshinart/sets/72157624965149980/)
Price has worked out to be $140 for the top; for extra large sizes I may need to add a modest surcharge (sleeve edge to sleeve edge over 58" or shoulder to hem length over 36").

I'm going to start proofing a pants pattern within the month, looking at a less expensive, lighter weight fabric for pants, not all hemp but a hemp-cotton blend, for those who do want a full upper/lower set. I'm thinking to do the pants with an elastic waistband w/ drawstring inside, like sweatpants have, but of course if anybody wants a plain drawstring....
OH! I also bought a small quantity of 100% hemp herringbone in BLACK for any koryu folks (or New Yorkers? :-) )

[Anthony Loeppert]

Hi, Anthony - two of three beta tests are done and being very happily worn in my local dojo - the third and final beta test JUST started getting measured and cut today for sending across the continent. This is for the TOP only - at custom sewing prices, folks who wear a hak are not interested in custom pants to wear under!
So far all 3 are cut in the judo style but I can easily adapt to a karate style. The 100% hemp is an amazing fabric to work with - a real pleasure.

Photos at my flickr site. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanshinart/sets/72157624965149980/)

Looks pretty neat. I'm aware of hemp's durability over cotton however I'm a heavy sweater so a concern for me would be absorbency. Any comments on hemp v. cotton on that regard?

Regards,
Anthony

[Janet Rosen]

Looks pretty neat. I'm aware of hemp's durability over cotton however I'm a heavy sweater so a concern for me would be absorbency. Any comments on hemp v. cotton on that regard?

Regards,
Anthony

I'm told hemp is preferable. HERE (http://www.hemptraders.com/properties_of_hemp_textile_prop.php?osCsid=5f563e795fda58ac675d169d88dd714b)is a link to info on its properties.

[Rabih Shanshiry]

Photos at my flickr site. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanshinart/sets/72157624965149980/)


Really nice looking dogi. Looks very professional. I'm impressed!

[EzD]

Is the dogi ready for sale? I am curious as to how one may submit an order...

[Janet Rosen]

Thank for comments and questions. Since I don't want this to turn into a "sales storefront" because I don't think that's how Jun wants aikiweb used, here is general info on the process: These are custom made at my home studio. It starts w/ me snail-mailing fabric swatches so a person sees/feels fabric before proceeding. Then there is a measurement chart (it is on the flickr site and also can be emailed or taken from a url). Then we figure out any specific design issues (moving the vent, shaping the inner yoke, whatever) and I provide a final price based on that plus a projected shipping date. When I receive a deposit, I sew like a demon :-) and when I get final payment it goes to the post office.
My business email is zanshinart@yahoo.com

[kewms]

From the pictures, it looks like it has a softer drape, more like a soft denim than the heavy BuJin-style canvas. Is that accurate?

Thanks!

Katherine

[Janet Rosen]

Hi, Katherine - yes, especially for the herringbone, which is a lighter weight fabric than the plain twill; it has an incredibly soft "hand" - the wonderful paradox of hemp fabric is that is gets drapier in its feel with use and washing but is not actually having its fibers get weaker.
I would describe it as feeling somewhere between a midweight denim and a cotton flannel. I did a gi top using just the plain twill, which is a heavier weight fabric - being a twill it going to be more like a denim than like a canvas, but the jacket does seem to have more structure to it than the herringbone. I'm going to be emailing the fellow who is wearing it to find out if it also got to drape more once he'd laundered it a couple of times.
BTW, I've worn my pants to the dojo a couple of time now and have to sit down w/ graph paper, rulers, calculator, etc and figure out the yardage requirements, then figure out what fabric to do them in.... I think the 100% hemp is both too heavy and too pricey for the pants so will probably be doing a hemp-cotton blend for pants.

[Arkanjel]

Taken from Hemp Defined:

Hemp fiber possesses properties similar to other bast fibers (flax, kenaf, jute and ramie) and excels in fiber length, strength, durability, absorbency, antimildew and antimicrobial properties.


I thought the last little bit was worth noting considering how much we sweat in our dogi.

With as much hemp comes out of the East Im suprised it isnt a more obvious choice than cotton?

[Janet Rosen]

With as much hemp comes out of the East Im suprised it isnt a more obvious choice than cotton?

What would be awesome would be to see the mills in Pakistan that actually weave all the fancy judogi fabrics do some in the Chinese hemp....

[Arkanjel]

What would be awesome would be to see the mills in Pakistan that actually weave all the fancy judogi fabrics do some in the Chinese hemp....

Maybe (if enough of us voiced our desire) they would. Im wondering if they wouldnt do a small run for an individual such as yourself.

[Janet Rosen]

Maybe (if enough of us voiced our desire) they would. Im wondering if they wouldnt do a small run for an individual such as yourself.

I had researched this 9 yrs ago when setting up Zanshin Art. Way out of my league, scale-wise.
Actually, for custom sewing on a high end electronic home machine, as opposed to on an industrial machine w/ its separate motor, just as happy not to be wrestling with and pressing/flat felling real judogi weaves :-)

[Janet Rosen]

By the way, am about to deliver a beta test of pants to a dojomate. Did them up in 100% organic unbleached cotton canvas I use for the baby gi - the first pair I've been wearing to train in are great. Also have a 70% organic cotton/30% hemp blend, bleached quite bright white, available for pants or for baby gi.

[AmandaBaker]

I'm another potential taker!

[Janet Rosen]

As I sometimes receive inquiries from people looking for hemp keikogi, which I stopped making a few years ago, here are two small businesses run by budoka, doing very nice custom keikogi. I have seen their garments in use on the mat and believe them to be of very good quality.
http://jenddesigns.com/
http://www.budonevadatailoring.com/

[TheOneNamedDan]

As I sometimes receive inquiries from people looking for hemp keikogi, which I stopped making a few years ago, here are two small businesses run by budoka, doing very nice custom keikogi. I have seen their garments in use on the mat and believe them to be of very good quality.
http://jenddesigns.com/
http://www.budonevadatailoring.com/

I can vouch for Jen D to anyone reading. Got my Gi from her this year and I love it. It feels better than any other Gi I have ever worn, no matter the style.

[Setok]

Have there been any more people with experiences on the jenddesigns gi or hakama? The site doesn't have very many pictures. I'm intrigued by hemp as a fabric for both. From the few images there the gis seem perhaps a bit too soft and unkept for would I'd consider optimal, so maybe not 'seminar smart', but perhaps OK for regular training. The hakama pictures are small enough to make it difficult to really get a feel for them.

Considering the properties of hemp, I feel it would be quite optimal for at least hakama. Indeed, it is much more historically true than cotton.

[Janet Rosen]

Have there been any more people with experiences on the jenddesigns gi or hakama? The site doesn't have very many pictures. I'm intrigued by hemp as a fabric for both. From the few images there the gis seem perhaps a bit too soft and unkept for would I'd consider optimal, so maybe not 'seminar smart', but perhaps OK for regular training. The hakama pictures are small enough to make it difficult to really get a feel for them.

Considering the properties of hemp, I feel it would be quite optimal for at least hakama. Indeed, it is much more historically true than cotton.

Hemp's drape is not suitable for the crisp pleats required for a hakama. Yes, as a keikogi top it can be a little unkempt but easily addressed by the upper chest and waist"modesty ties" sometimes seen on womens keikogi - for any gender or body type they help hold the top together.

[Setok]

I'm still thinking about this (my current gi trousers are pretty much worn through!). I noticed Jen D's gi and hakamas are a mixture of hemp and polyester. I tend to try and avoid synthetics as much as possible, both because clothing is the biggest source of microplastics in the ocean, and because synthetics tend to make me hot and sweaty.

I can of course check with Jen directly what percentage she uses, but does anyone have experience with pure hemp vs hemp blend and why one might prefer one to the other?

[Setok]

I feel an update and mini review is in order. I have been using Jen's hemp gi now fairly regularly for a couple of months. First I have to say the fabric is astoundingly comfortable. It is soft, yet airy, keeps some winter chill off, but does not get clammy when sweating. Usable both in the winter and, I imagine, in the summer. It's too early to tell how well it will hold up over the months and years, but if it does, it is fabulous material. We have had a few practises with katadori and so far nothing has broken. There were a couple 'clicks' that I would usually connect to threads breaking, but I haven't seen any rips or tears on the fabric, so it may also have been the gi moving around under the hakama. The trousers, in particularly, are wonderful. They are far more comfortable than the two pairs I've had previously — they're like pyjamas. The extra fabric on the knees is long enough to cover everything well, so good for suwariwaza.

As I suspected the fabric looks a bit frumpy, and might not perhaps be my choice for seminar wear or a grading, but for regular practise it gives off a sense of being a warrior who has seen a bit of life (much like my indigo hakama). In fact, if you were going for that ronin look at seminars, it might work there too.

In terms of fit the trousers are spot on. Just the right length to cover stuff, but not poke out under the hakama, and loose enough to not hinder movement. I ordered the top to be a bit longer to fit under the hakama. Iaido length. I'm not sure yet if I'd stick to that if I was ordering a new one, but at least it covers the hakama side vents well. One gripe I do have is that it doesn't wrap round my front quite enough for my tastes. I'm not sure if I measured myself wrong, but I end up exposing more chest than I'd like after even a bit of vigorous practise. There are no side straps or chest straps to mitigate that. The lack of side straps, in particular, make dressing trickier as the sides kind of fall down before I get my obi belt properly tight.

Another small gripe is that the belt loop at the front has almost come off. I'm not sure why as I wouldn't imagine that having to suffer much stress, but there you go. Should be easy to sew back. The belt string, however, moves very smoothly and without sticking, even after a wash, unlike my cotton ones.

Shipping costs to Europe were high, but helped a bit by having a friend order a gi with me. Overall Jen has been communicative and pleasant to order from, and the gi is a really unique piece of clothing. I would be very curious to see what her hemp hakamas are like. Please someone post pictures if they have one!

Edited to add that Jen's gi fabric no longer contains polyester, but is 40% lyocell (which I think is some kind of environmentally friendly rayon).