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 The streets of Rio are empty. The city’s residents are all glued to their television screens, in their homes or in bars, while a lucky few have gained entry to one of Brazil’s several stadiums hosting the World Cup. Football fever burns with intensity through this country, where the “beautiful game” is almost as much a religion as a game.
Yet, while Brazil has produced a plethora of skilled footballers, it is also renowned for being the home of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and numerous MMA stars, living and legendary. It is now also home to Duce & Gogoplata, a clothing company aimed exclusively at MMA fighters, especially those just starting out in the sport. Although it counts just one location in Rio’s main shopping district, the company has already seen its fair share of business in the last few months.
Henrique Cardoso, native Brazilian and the manager of several MMA fighters, founded the company with one express purpose in mind: to provide good quality gear to rookies unable to afford the more expensive brands. “Brazil is a poor country, yet many of the clothing companies based in Rio charge a lot for their equipment,” Cardoso said. “If you’re well-off and can afford to pay such prices, that’s no problem. But what about the young kid from the slums who simply needs a pair of trunks or a shirt on his back? How can he afford gym fees and nutritional supplements if he’s spending all his savings on shorts that cost several hundred dollars? What’s he supposed to do?”
Cardoso, who is now based in Echo Park in Los Angeles, contacted friends and family in Rio to raise the start-up capital to start the business, and contracted a relative to provide him with designs. An initial inventory rapidly sold out, prompting Cardoso to quickly order more. He said that he hopes business will keep booming and that more designs will soon arrive, to offer greater options to customers.
Cardoso credits the experience of some of his fighters on the Island with his success so far. “My fighters told me about this company on the Island called Island Gear, run by Norman Reeves,” he said. “Mr. Reeves provided great quality clothes to fighters at very low prices. While I can’t offer prices as low as those found on the Island, I was able to use advice from Mr. Reeves in designing and implementing the Duce & Gogoplata business model.
What’s next for Duce & Gogoplata? “It’s a bit too early to sponsor fighters or join up with a fighting org, although I have had offers,” Cardoso said. “We need to be smart with our finances. But once things are a little more stable, expect to see some fighters plugging Duce & Gogoplata after they score their victories in the cage.”
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