Martial fashion (part 2)

Fashion 1

Accessory: kit bag

Following on from the previous fashion post, there’s a new image in the gallery: Martial Fashion (part 2).

This one addresses the problem of accessories. You can’t go to all the trouble of dressing up and then stomp out onto the mat or into the arena wearing shoes that don’t match. That would be wrong. So hopefully Fudebakudo can help the fashion-clueless amongst the martial arts community (you are out there: we see you) with this simple guidance, which this time makes some sensible suggestions for your shoes, bag, and gloves.

You might think that trying to merge the disparate worlds of hand-to-hand combat and a sensitivity to stitching would be impossible. But you’d be wrong. It turns out that having a feel for what goes with what and how a garment should hang without clinging can perfectly complement the sweaty business of twisting an opponent’s shoulder out of its socket or just kicking someone very, very hard. This point was made clear at this month’s Martial Arts Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The guest of honour was none other than fashion/nudity consultant Gok Wan. Doing a fashion show. No, really.*

Still to come in the series (obviously, I think): hats and bling.

This helpful illustration was drawn for the current issue of MAI magazine.

* Yes Gok has martial arts connections: his brother is a Jeet Kune Do instructor. And even little songstress Katie Owen, who sang at the Martial Arts Show, has a black belt in taekwondo. Everything fits so neatly together.

But if it’s martial arts + singers that you want, it’s hard to beat this splendid film clip showing Anita Harris doing judo so well she actually appears to turn her opponent into a dog. They should have had that at the Martial Arts Show. Maybe next year, eh?