The detail had gone unnoticed. During the Tokyo Olympics, Teddy Riner did not wear the same kimono as the rest of the France team, but an outfit from his own collection. A collection now available for everyone, from children to competitors, and which is available for judo, jiu-jitsu and karate with, in this field, an ambassador of choice, the Olympic champion Steven Da Costa.
“Steven is an exceptional athlete who really deserves to be helped,” explains Teddy Riner. He will remain for a long time the only French Olympic champion in karate (entering the Olympics in 2020, the discipline disappears from the Olympic program), it respects itself. How I love this guy! He has a good background, he is a hard worker, who is not recognized at his fair value. I wanted Steven to have his head on all my products in the karate range. »
Teddy Riner’s brand has been baptized “Fightart” (“the art of fighting”) and notably offers limited-edition kimonos, with the inside of the jacket transformed into a space for artistic expression. The judogis then become works of art. “With Nicholas (Poy-Tardieu, his partneré), we have very clear ideas of what we want to do, we want to stand out from other manufacturers and personally, I like art. I wanted to do something that amuses me,” says the three-time Olympic champion.
Stéphane Ganneau, Parisian illustrator, author of numerous posters of the Roland-Garros tournament, Guillaume Coche, tattoo artist better known as “Yome”, and David Pierre-Arnaud, professor at the Beaux-Arts and manga fan, released their pencils. “They had carte blanche,” says Teddy Riner. The result is striking, with incredible frescoes representing in particular a tiger or a lion springing from the outfit.
The child model from 19 euros
“Each kimono has been designed with a unique and aesthetic approach, points out Nicolas Poy-Tardieu. Both the interior and exterior have been neat, even for the basic kimono, with fine and woven labels, pretty seams. The rates have also been studied so that they stick to the market price. »
The children’s models are sold (on the “Fightart” website and soon in supermarkets) from 19 euros, those for training from 55 euros while the competition kimonos cost 149 euros or 179 euros for limited editions. All delivered in “biodegradable and recyclable packaging, without any plastic packaging”.
An “R” appears on all products (kimonos but also organic cotton T-shirts, technical clothing, boxing accessories and luggage). “You can see it as a wink but it’s not the R of Riner, swears the judoka. It actually represents a half belt. »
Teddy Riner, launched in the home stretch of his career, admits however that he wanted to “leave an imprint” in his sport, other than at the level of the prize lists. “Obviously I’m thinking about my post-career, what I’m going to leave behind me,” says Riner. I can imagine my children becoming the muses of the brand, I’m sure it would amuse them, especially since my son does judo. »