As you know I like to give a spotlight to smaller brands especially if their female friendly and/ or British. Gamma Fightwear fits this criteria perfectly! They are a small UK independant Fightwear Brand offering mainly spats and rashguards. They have been big supporters of the UK BJJ scene including sponsoring the lovely British Black Belt Gret Zoeller and as a brand they strive to offer unique designs as well as male and female cuts  So it made total sense to check them out (and review them for you) when I wanted a new pair of spats to help see me through training and the cold British winter!

I bought my spats through their website as a pre-order item so I did have to wait a little while for them but I literally received them as soon as they went live on the site. I had also received emails confirming my order and updating me on their progress so from an ordering and customer service side of things I had no problems.

I chose the White as Snow spats. These are fully sublimated spats from a breathable fabric with Gamma’s own White as Snow design (think Zombie Snow White). You can also get a matching rash guard as well.

These are ladies cut spats so they do fit slightly smaller. I ordered the large spats which are listed as a UK size 14 but in reality I tend to wear a UK size 12 trouser and thank to vanity sizing in some shops I am actually a UK size 10. So it is fair to say that they are definitely smaller cut and it might be worth considering ordering slightly larger than you anticipate. There is the possibility that I could have gotten into a smaller size but then there would have been significantly more stretch and squeeze!

On arrival it became clear these were well designed and high quality spats. They weren’t my thickest spats but certainly were of a higher quality than some brands on the market. The spats featured reinforced stitching as you’d expect for durability. Although I have to say the stitching does spoil the design slightly due to the line of black stitching that shows against the red back design – essentially a black stitched line going down between your bottom. But that’s a minor point! The waist was elasticated and I did like the thicker waist band. Not just for better security and keeping the spats in place but also because I think it’s a little more flattering.

The design is well printed (sublimated) and although did stretch a little but didn’t distort or warp as a result of it. Although the stretch of wearing them did increase their transparency. They didn’t go see through but they also did not fully hold their darkness and I did have an obvious visible panty line. Now this wasn’t a problem for me as I only wear them under my gi or grappling shorts but for ladies who may want to wear them by themselves or to the gym it’s a consideration.

I got my spats in December so between xmas and the Europeans I have had about a month wearing them in my training kit cycle. I found they held up to training really well. I didn’t find myself adjusting them during training at all. No wedgies, muffin tops or slippage! So they definitely do the job from that perspective. As usual with all my rash guards and spats these get washed with my gi (a cool wash and spin) and then put on the radiator to dry.

After several washes there has been no signs of shrinkage, mis-shaping or bobbling and I really examined closely on that point. Frequently spats and rashguards bobble due to the friction of the gi and scooting across the mats but so far so good with these!

Overall Gamma Fightwear are a great addition to the British BJJ fightwear market. Hard working training kit in female friendly cuts and designs all at a reasonable price point. They are definitely worth considering when you need either rashguards or spats. If you fancy getting your own pair of these spats they cost £24.99 plus a very reasonable £2.99 UK postage and packing