São Paulo – Jiu jitsu kimonos by Keiko Sports, a company from São Paulo state, began to show up on the mat of a Jordanian martial arts school over ten years ago. Since then, the brand sends two to three shipments a year to its client in the Arab country.
“He [the client] buys around 20 kimonos per order. He buys a lot more men’s kimonos, but also imports for young people and children,” explains Fernanda Peraccini, Foreign Trade manager. According to the executive, the school also imports women’s kimonos, but in smaller numbers.
“Jiu jitsu kimonos have to be stronger due to the friction. It’s almost a tool [during the fight],” says Peraccini on the features of the products exported to the Arab martial arts school.
The manager says also that the company had exported to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2014. “Jiu jitsu is expanding in the Arab countries. It’s a market that we are interested in,” she says.
Currently, the majority of Keiko’s exports is sent to Finland. The brand also exports its kimonos to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Ecuador. According to Peraccini, the company produces approximately 3,000 kimonos per month. Near 15% of this total is sold abroad.
According to the manager, the company’s foreign sales are usually done via the brand’s website and during tournaments, since Keiko sponsors the competitions and the competing jiu jitsu athletes.
On average, a kimono costs BRL 300 (USD 95.98) in a store. Kimonos can last up to a year if it’s worn three times a week. Based in the city of São Paulo, Keiko has 40 employees.
Contact info
Keiko Sports
Website: www.keikosports.com.br
Phone: +55 11 2950-1658
Email: comex@keikosports.com
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
