What you need to start
A gi and a white belt. That is all, and deliberately so. Most academies lend a gi for the first few sessions, long enough to find out whether the art suits you, then expect you to have your own.
The rest builds up over months: a second gi once the first no longer dries between sessions, a rashguard the day you try no-gi, grappling shorts after that. None of it is urgent on day one.
The gi
This is the purchase that matters. A BJJ gi is chosen on three things: size, which crosses height with weight on an A0 to A5 scale, fabric weight, which sets durability and drying time, and rule compliance if you plan to compete.
Our BJJ gis cover all three cases. If you are unsure, the size guide gives the actual measurements of every model, and the fabric weight guide explains what GSM measures.
The belt
It is not an accessory, it is a rank. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu the colour is awarded by an instructor at the end of a progression counted in years, not months. So you do not buy the next colour ahead of time, and you do not give one as a present either.
What you buy is the belt for the rank you hold, the day you earn it. Our BJJ belts run from white to black, in the widths set out by competition rules.
With or without the gi
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is trained both ways, and the difference is the uniform, not the art. With the gi, grips run through the fabric: lapels, sleeves, skirt. Without it, in what people call no-gi, there is nothing to hold and control shifts to the body.
The two complement each other more than they compete. Plenty of people do both in the same week. If that is you, no-gi kit lives in the no-gi category, with the rashguards and the shorts.
Competition
Stepping onto a federation circuit adds uniform constraints: permitted colours, collar and sleeve measurements, patch placement, belt width. They are precise and they are checked before you fight.
Our IBJJF rules guide sets out what gets inspected. Read it before buying if competing is on your list, and you avoid finding out at the weigh-in.