BSP Date: August 24, 2015
Q: What is the name of your brand?
RolljunkieQ: When & where was it founded, and where is it currently headquartered?
Rolljunkie was founded in 2012. We are based out of New Jersey.Q: Who are the founders/current owners?
Brothers - Ed and Matt EatonQ: Is there any significance behind the name of the brand or its logo?
We chose the name Rolljunkie because we felt it represents how a lot of people feel about jiujitsu. Those that are passionate about BJJ just can’t get enough of it. They love to roll just like we do!Q: What was the driving force (or forces) behind the founding of the brand?
We wanted to build a BJJ brand with a new and unique style for people who love to train like we do. We had a lot of ideas for different designs so we decided to try a few out and then the brand just grew from there.Q: What are your strengths / the strengths of your brand?
We feel our creativity is one of our biggest strengths. We’re willing to try new things with our designs and products. Some examples include our cauliflower ear design, military inspired rank patches, and the psycho rashguard. Our interactive BJJ black belt lineage tree on our website is another example of our creativity in action.In addition, we are always striving to make customer service one of our strengths. We do everything we can to ensure they are happy with our products. We try to go the extra mile for our customers by offering free shipping on all orders in the US, shipping a free sticker with every order, and offering regular discounts and sales. Mailing list subscribers also receive exclusive discount offers.
Q: What was your first product produced (prototype or otherwise)?
We started out simple with a handful of t-shirt designs and since then our product line and quality has been constantly evolving. We are always looking for ways to make our products better and you can tell the difference when you compare our original prototypes from years ago to the products we are making now.Q: In that first year or so, what were your first struggles in getting the brand off the ground?
In the first year or so, we had several different challenges. We were constantly refining our products to get quality we could be proud of and this presented some manufacturing challenges.In addition, we had inventory, website, and marketing challenges to work through. We learned a lot from that first year and feel it’s helped us be a better brand in many ways.
Q: What would you consider to be your signature or keystone item(s) to date?
One of our signature items has to be our Stealth fight shorts. Normally, we like to bring in fresh designs with new batches whenever possible, however the Stealth shorts have been so popular we just keep bringing them back without changing anything. We feel they are great quality and the clean black design of the shorts never goes out of style.Q: What items do you also sell that people may not be aware of?
Not everyone is aware we release different BJJ accessories regularly. We have offered accessories including hats, kimono patches, cell phone cases, and other items over the years.Right now we have some great new patches to add some Rolljunkie style to your gi.
Q: Do you have anything exciting coming up in the next few months or so that you can share with us?
Yes, we have new Comp II fight shorts due out later this month. These are white shorts with embroidered logos built with the same quality as our Stealth shorts. (We have attached an exclusive preview pic to share with the group)
Q: Geographically speaking, where is your primary customer base?
Our largest customer base is out of NJ, but we also have customers all over the US and the world!Q: A common question/concern among our members is the issue of shipping. We have found that some brands will not ship worldwide or have carved out certain countries from their territory. So if you would, please explain your shipping policy, pricing and any geographic restrictions that you have with regard to the sale of your goods.
We offer free shipping in the US on every order – no minimum order amount.For international shipping, we ask our customers to email us directly for a quote. We rate check different carriers then provide a custom quote with the best rate. In addition, we try to offer discounts if possible to help keep costs down. We do our best to work with our international customers.
Q: Do you have any sponsored athletes? If so, do you have specific criteria for selecting such athletes?
We have several sponsored athletes. We look for skilled grapplers who are also good people – the kind of people we are proud to have representing our brand. Our sponsored athletes all train hard and have goals in BJJ they are trying to achieve. We do our best to support them and help them reach their goals. They do their best to represent our brand and help get our name out there. We are proud to say that our sponsored athletes are friends as well as sponsors.We’re lucky to have them.
Q: Where do you get the inspiration from in designing new gear for your brand?
We pull inspiration from all sorts of places including surf and MMA culture, but mostly it’s a lot of experimenting in Illustrator & Photoshop to see what looks good. We have also worked with different graphic designers over the years to get fresh perspectives and styles on our products.Q: What differentiates you and your brand from other BJJ brands?
Our customer service, our products, our style, and our name. Each one of these items defines Rolljunkie and we take pride in all of them!Q: What other brands are out there that you admire? And why?
Brands like Under Armour, Nike, and Burton come to mind. They have all have great products, brand recognition, and style. We hope to be able to provide that for the jiu-jitsu world.Q: Is your company direct sales only? Or do you have distributors?
Currently we have direct sales only, however, we hope to bring on distributors in the near future.Q: Do or have you participated in tournament booths or sponsorship's of tournaments?
We have setup booths before at a number of different tournaments and events in the NJ area over the years. If you see us at a tournament be sure to stop by the booth and say hello.Q: Any plans for future expansion?
We hope to expand our product line with more designs and styles each year. We have new shorts on the way this month and new long & short sleeve rashguards due out in early fall.Q: Please tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up, your BJJ experience, home life, education, military service, etc. Anything that might help our members get to know you a little better.
I got into BJJ after my brother Ed encouraged me to give it a try. After wrestling for many years when I was growing up, BJJ felt like a natural progression and has obviously become a huge part of my life. Ed is currently a Renzo Gracie brown belt at Renzo Gracie Denville and I’m a purple belt at Brunswick BJJ in South Brunswick, NJ. It’s great because we’re close enough that we get to train together sometimes and see how we are improving our games in different ways.Q: What hobbies do you enjoy?
BJJ is obviously one. Running is another. I also enjoy spending time on graphic design for our products and programming for sites like our black belt lineage tree.Q: Do you have any pets?
We have two cats. They’re awesome. And if you have ever seen cats wrestle, then you know it looks like they are doing jiu-jitsu. They both have sick guard games.Q: Where did you grow up and attend school (University/College)?
I grew up in NJ most of my life and went to Rutgers University where I studied Computer Science.Q: Tell us a little about your background in martial arts/grappling.
I started wrestling at 12 years old and wrestled throughout high school and a little in college. Then, years later I discovered jiu-jitsu and have been doing it ever since. I’m currently a purple belt under Garry Tonon at Brunswick BJJ part of the Ricardo Almeida association. It’s amazing being able to train under such a high level instructor at such a great academy. I can’t say enough great things about our academy and the instructors there.Quick Fire
These questions are designed to allow for short, one or two word answers. Oftentimes just yes or no, and from a personal perspective.
Q: Rash Guard – Short or long sleeve?
Short sleeve hands downQ: Preferred gi colorway?
Really no preference, currently my go to kimono is our black Rolljunkie gi.Q: Rash under your gi?
YesQ: Spats under your gi?
NoQ: Gi Pants – Rip Stop, Cotton Twill/Drill Cotton, or Cotton/Poly Blend?
CottonQ: Gi jacket weave?
Pearl weaveQ: First gi you owned?
Renzo Gracie Academy giQ: Favorite submission?
Bow and arrow in the gi. Armbar in no gi.Q: Last stamp on your passport?
Paris, France from 2014Q: Beer or wine?
BeerQ: Tea or coffee?
CoffeeQ: Do you wash your belt or not?
Yes, but very, very rarelyQ: Regular knot or superlock knot in belt?
RegularQ: Isle or window seat?
No preferenceQ: And finally…what social media do you participate in and what are those addresses?
Website: http://www.rolljunkie.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rolljunkie
Instagram: http://instagram.com/rolljunkie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bjjrolljunkie
About Rolljunkie
“Roll” is a term used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that refers to sparring or live training. It’s from this term that the name Rolljunkie was born. Rolljunkie is a lifestyle brand that specializes in producing gear, apparel, and other clothing for grapplers, fighters, and athletes everywhere with a healthy addiction to their sport.
Whether it’s jiu-jitsu, wrestling, mma, or cross training, we have found that we are not alone in our passion and there are junkies everywhere who can’t get enough of the sweat, the hard work, and the rewards of doing what they do. When your passion for your sport becomes a lifestyle, it's something that few outsiders will ever understand. It’s a passion Rolljunkie was built on.
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