There are increasingly more gear and equipment options for Muay Thai practitioners as the sport gets more widespread. Choices have also gotten more creative and attractive as more brands get into the game. Muay Thai gear and apparel is no longer the domain dominated by Thai companies. Foreign or foreign-owned Muay Thai brands are on the rise and many of them have products that are made proudly in Thailand.
One of the most common ways in which brands enter the scene is by offering uniquely designed Muay Thai shorts. It is less demanding in terms of capital as well as technical know-how when compared to making boxing gloves. Brands like Boon Sport, Tuff Boxing and Infightstyle are some of the brands that come to mind.
Enters Hua Hin-based clothing label, Siam7 to the competition. Siam7 began in 2007 as a clothing retail company founded by Seven, a farang from Germany. The 47 year-old first arrived in Thailand back in 2006 for holiday and like many who fell in love with the country and her people, has never left ever since.
After about 5 years into the business, Siam7 first started work on Muay Thai shorts with a Dutch heavy bag maker that also produces simple embroidery Muay Thai shorts. However, he wasn’t completely sold on the idea. He explains,
“I never really liked those hard and stiff patches on the traditional shorts. Some are looking really good, but it feels uncomfortable and had too much design limitations until the new sublimation technology kicked in. Because I am a German, it is very important for me to offer the best quality.”
Traditional-style Muay Thai shorts that feature embroidered patches may have been a definitive look of the sport but that is fast changing. New manufacturing techniques like sublimation have introduced design possibilities unimaginable in the past. More and more companies have begun to embrace sublimation printing including Siam7.
“A dutch friend of mine was starting a sublimation business, so I got the idea of how everything works. I had a lot to learn about sublimation, colors, fabric, stitching, etc. but I bought my own printer, press and stitching machines. That was a big step and opened many doors.”
He adds, “Muay Thai is Thailand’s number 1 national sport so it was obvious to enter the Muay Thai Shorts business.”
Hiring a small team of employees, one of whom boasts over 30 years experience in stitching Muay Thai shorts, Seven launched his new line of sublimation Muay Thai bottoms. If you are looking for Muay Thai shorts with the newest sublimation technology, Siam7 is definitely a brand to look into. I first took notice of the brand when I came across a few designs that were inspired by the controversial UFC superstar, Conor McGregor. Especially the one with expletives printed all over.
I received 2 pairs of shorts including the notorious pinstripe shorts (below) from Siam7 last week and I am very impressed with the quality of the sharp printing. The Yaksha shorts (2nd pair) are the latest design and Seven has added a very nice touch with a double-sided print on the fabric. Always love it with the attention to details from designers.
In my experience and opinion, these are fine Muay Thai shorts of very high order. The fabric is silky smooth like traditional Muay Thai shorts but feels lighter. Stitch-work looks immaculate, definitely the workmanship of craftsmen with extensive experience. The sublimation printing is quite sublime; definitely looking very sharp here. The waistband is snug and the fit is similar to most Thai brands like Twins or Top King i.e. Thai-sized so they fit smaller compared to European/American sizes.
Seven is a renaissance man who handles the complete operations from product design, taking pictures, setting up the online store, managing orders, handling and packing, customer service, and marketing. Except for the stitching that is done by his Thai staff, it’s all DIY. Seven says with pride,
“My little factory has top of the line equipment but we are only a handful of workers. I keep it tight like a family, no stress, good vibrations and fair salaries. We do all the work with passion and love.”
Siam7 Muay Thai shorts are now available on Amazon:
You can also check out more amazing designs from Siam7 at www.Muay-Thai.shop. They ship worldwide and the delivery time is around 7 – 14 business days for standard airmail and express is only 3 – 5 business days. The brand is now looking for Muay Thai fighters and marketing influencers to promote the shorts. So if you like what you see here, drop him a mail via their contact page at: https://www.muay-thai.shop/pages/contact-us.
