DESCENDANT

This time, DESCENDANT has created a capsule collection with ALBINO & PRETO, which is directed by Arvie out in LA.

ALBINO & PRETO is a brand, to put it casually, “it’s good to have Jiu-Jitsu in everyone’s life,” from Jiu-Jitsu uniforms used in official competitions to apparel inspired by Jiu-Jitsu, encapsulating the spirit of Jiu-Jitsu in each product creation. First off, ALBINO & PRETO translates to White and Black in Portuguese, which represent the belt rank from white to black, with the idea that a white belt will one day become a black belt.
When I was in LA last, we visited a Jiu-Jitsu academy directed by Arvie’s friend, Alexis, where my kid and Arvie’s kid had a lesson by Alexis. The gray tatami mats we don’t see in Japan were very cool.

I chose a bluish gray color for the Jiu-Jitsu Gi. Arvie is originally from Guam and currently lives in California and so I thought if DESCENDANT created something together, I wanted to use a bluish gray color, like the ocean. It’s a gray version of the teal blue that we use a lot at DESCENDANT. This Jiu-Jitsu Gi will only be available at ALBINO & PRETO, but DESCENDANT has created a kimono jacket in the same color. I feel great and uplifted when I occasionally wear traditional Japanese clothing, I used to have a Hanten jacket made for me at a traditional Japanese dye house in Sendagi. I liked to wear them as team wear because the pearl woven Hanten were used by firefighters, soaking them in water before heading into the fire together.

This is Jaron, Arvie's right hand man. He is a Jiu-Jitsu athlete who ALBINO & PRETO was sponsoring originally and I heard his skills are better than Arvie’s. As Alexis, the academy owner, said Jiu-Jitsu is like a chess match, it’s a thinking sport. Just by watching their fluid movements, I could see that they were very calculated.

The logo we created was based on the logo used for ALBINO & PRETO’s training logo, and DESCENDANT’s CACHALOT is locked up with it. We made screen printed T-shirts and a five panel cap with this logo.

Jiu-Jitsu can be enjoyed not only by men but also by women and children. Sarah (pictured below) has been attending an academy for three years. It’s always fun to have friends when you go there. Arvie also told me that he discovered Jiu-Jitsu a long time ago when he was busy with work and his body and mental balance were bad. Perhaps the charm of Jiu-Jitsu is that it can help you develop a positive mindset.

Spoken by Tetsu Nishiyama