Amsterdam Grappling Academy x APEX
Our second collab. AGA came to us with a clear ask: a rashguard for their competition team that would hold up under pressure and look like theirs — not generic team gear with a logo slapped on top.
This is roughly how that process went, both for AGA and for every gym we've worked with since.
Step 1 — Understand the team, not just the brief. Most gym kit briefs start with "we want a rashguard in our colours." That's the easy part. The harder part is figuring out what actually makes the gym distinct, because that's what should end up on the kit.
For AGA, the answer was the coaching lineup. Three founders, three different backgrounds: a Dutchman, a Peruvian, and a Brazilian. Three flags, three styles, one team. That became the design anchor before we picked a single colour.
Step 2 — Build the design around that anchor. The three flags went onto the rashguard as a nod to the coaches' backgrounds — visible enough to read as intentional, subtle enough that the rashguard still works as a rashguard. Black base with a bright red-orange accent for contrast and energy. A small detail on the sleeve carries the team's unofficial slogan — the kind of thing a teammate notices when you're warming up next to them.
No oversized logos, no shouting. Just a piece of kit that tells the team's story to the people who already know what to look for, and works as clean training gear for everyone else.
Step 3 — Make sure it survives competition. A competition team's rashguard gets worn hard. Sweat, gripping, scrambling, repeat washes, repeat tournaments. We built AGA's rashguard on the same 220 GSM polyester/spandex base we use for our own Predator Series — pilling-resistant, anti-slip waistband, mesh panels under the arms, sublimated print so the flags stay sharp.
The same kit you'd buy for yourself, with a design built for the team wearing it.
About AGA
Amsterdam Grappling Academy is a competition-focused grappling team founded by three coaches:
- Julio Vinke — BJJ Black Belt (Brazil)
- Fernando Arce — BJJ Black Belt (Peru)
- Joris Rookhuijzen — BJJ Purple Belt, Judo Black Belt (Netherlands)
Currently the team is ran by Fernando Arce while the other coaches have started their own journeys.
It's a serious training environment, but not an intimidating one — the team pushes hard and pulls each other along, which is why they've grown the way they have.
If you're in Amsterdam and looking for a grappling gym with a real competition culture, AGA runs a free trial class. Worth checking out:
🌐 amsterdamgrappling.academy 📷 @a.g.a.bjj
The AGA team rashguard is available through them directly.
Want a kit for your gym?
If you're a coach or gym owner reading this and wondering what a custom kit project looks like for your team — same process, same materials, different design. Get in touch and we'll start with the same first question we asked AGA: what makes your team yours?
