Fight Form

The Materials

WHAT MOST BRANDS NEVER BOTHERED TO RESEARCH

Most brands pick materials on cost and ease of production. We started from a different question: what sits against your skin for hours of training, and what does it do once it's there. Here is what we found, what we chose, and what we refused.

The Science

THE HARDER YOU TRAIN, THE MORE YOU ABSORB

YOUR SKIN IS NOT A BARRIER

During training your core temperature climbs, blood moves to the surface, and your sweat glands open. Skin shifts from a passive cover to an active, permeable surface. The fabric against it is not resting on a sealed wall. It's in contact with a body that is actively absorbing.

WHERE DO THE FIBERS GO?

Synthetic performance fabric sheds plastic microfiber through wear and washing. A single synthetic wash load can release close to 500,000 fibers, and over 700,000 for acrylic. In combat sports the fabric-to-skin friction is constant. Those fibers do not all rinse away: microplastics have now been measured in human blood, lung tissue, and liver, and a 2024 study detected them in 100% of the human testis samples it tested.123

THE HIDDEN TREATMENTS

Synthetic fabric is rarely just plastic. Moisture wicking, antimicrobial finishes, and water resistance are added through chemistry, not drawn from the fiber. Many of those finishes use PFAS, the 'forever chemicals' that do not break down in the body or the environment. In 2023 the World Health Organization's cancer agency classified PFOA, one of the most studied PFAS, as carcinogenic to humans. The health record on PFAS comes from drinking water, blood, and workplace studies. Treated clothing is one more avoidable source.4

WHAT IT DOES TO YOUR HORMONES

The endocrine system runs recovery, metabolism, and reproductive function. Phthalates, the plasticizers used in many synthetic textiles, are linked to lower testosterone in men at everyday exposure levels, not just industrial doses. BPA, also found in plastics, is a recognized endocrine disruptor. Heat and sweat, the exact conditions of training, push these compounds from fabric into the skin.5

Microfibers per wash load

500,000+

Plastic fibers shed by a single load of synthetic clothing, measured for polyester. Acrylic sheds over 700,000.1

Of human testis samples

100%

Contained microplastic particles in a 2024 peer-reviewed study.2

The Exclusions

WHAT WE REFUSE TO USE AND WHY

POLYESTER

A plastic fiber spun from petroleum. It sheds microplastics through wear and washing, and those particles turn up in human blood and tissue in peer-reviewed studies. It dominates performance apparel because it is cheap and easy to make at scale, not because it is good for the person wearing it.

NYLON

A synthetic polymer from petrochemicals. It releases microfiber under friction, which is constant in grappling and bag work, and it holds heat and bacteria rather than moving moisture, so odor builds between sessions.

SPANDEX / ELASTANE

A polyurethane fiber added to nearly every performance garment for stretch. We achieve stretch differently: knitted natural fabric in the shell, fine merino wool in the liner, and natural rubber in the waistband. No elastane anywhere in the build.

The Answer

NATURAL BY CHOICE, BUILT TO PERFORM

Fight Form uses natural materials because that is the standard we set, not a trend we followed. Natural fiber solves the performance problems synthetics were chosen to solve, without the chemical tradeoffs that come with them. Breathability without coatings. Moisture management without synthetic wicking. Odor resistance without antimicrobial finishes. Stretch without elastane. Every decision came back to one question: does this work for the person wearing it?

What We Use

THREE MATERIALS. ZERO SYNTHETICS.

Built from natural performance fibers. No synthetics. No plastic blends.

Organic cotton and Tencel lyocell shell fabric macro — natural fiber outer shell of Fight Form shorts.

Outer shell

ORGANIC COTTON + TENCEL

Soft, breathable, and durable. It moves with the body and wicks moisture without synthetic chemistry. Tencel lyocell is spun from wood pulp in a closed-loop process that recovers more than 99.8% of its solvent, and the fiber is certified biodegradable by TÜV Austria.7

  • Breathable under sustained output
  • Natural moisture wicking
  • No synthetic chemical finishes
  • Holds up across repeated washing
Merino wool liner macro — natural fiber brief liner of Fight Form fight and training shorts.

Liner

MERINO WOOL

Naturally odor resistant and temperature regulating, with no chemical treatment. Merino fiber is finer than standard wool, so there is no itch and no bulk. In controlled wear trials, polyester built up markedly more odor than wool over the same use.6

  • Regulates temperature naturally
  • Odor resistant without antimicrobial chemistry
  • Soft against skin, no itch
  • Works warm at rest and cool under load
Natural rubber waistband macro — elastane-free waistband of Fight Form shorts.

Waistband

100% NATURAL RUBBER

Nearly every performance waistband uses spandex or elastane for stretch. Both are synthetic. Ours is natural rubber: the same stretch and recovery, none of the plastic. Most brands never questioned the default. We did.

  • Holds position through hard rounds
  • Stretches and recovers without synthetic elastic
  • No spandex, no elastane, no plastic
  • Stays put. Does not loosen over time.

The Difference

NATURAL FIBER VS THE SYNTHETIC DEFAULT

Shell fabric

Fight Form

Organic cotton and Tencel

Standard synthetic short

Polyester or nylon

Liner

Fight Form

Merino wool

Standard synthetic short

Polyester mesh

Waistband

Fight Form

Natural rubber

Standard synthetic short

Synthetic elastane

Microplastic shedding

Fight Form

None

Standard synthetic short

Up to 700,000 fibers per wash

PFAS and added chemistry

Fight Form

None

Standard synthetic short

Common in performance finishes

The Position

EVERY OTHER BRAND MADE THE SAME CHOICE. WE MADE A DIFFERENT ONE.

The industry default exists because synthetics are cheaper, faster to source, and easier to run at volume. That works for the brand. The person wearing it absorbs the tradeoff. Fight Form was built on the opposite premise: the person is the first design consideration. Not the factory. Not the margin. You.

NO SYNTHETICS. NO SHORTCUTS.

Not a tagline. The operating standard. Every material in Fight Form is here because it passed the same test: would we build it this way if the person wearing it were the only thing that mattered?

Questions

WHAT PEOPLE ASK ABOUT THE MATERIALS

Do synthetic workout clothes shed microplastics?
Yes. Polyester, nylon, and other synthetic fabrics shed plastic microfiber during wear and washing. A single synthetic wash load can release close to 500,000 fibers, and microplastics have been measured in human blood, lung, and testicular tissue in peer-reviewed studies. Fight Form uses organic cotton, Tencel, merino wool, and natural rubber, which do not shed plastic.
Is there PFAS in athletic wear?
PFAS, the 'forever chemicals,' are widely used in textile water- and stain-resistant finishes, and roughly a third of global PFAS production goes to textiles. The documented health effects come from drinking-water, blood, and occupational studies rather than clothing alone, but treated apparel is one avoidable source. Fight Form adds no PFAS chemistry to any short.
Are natural fibers actually good for training?
Yes. Organic cotton and Tencel breathe and move moisture without coatings, merino wool regulates temperature and resists odor without antimicrobial treatment, and natural rubber gives stretch without elastane. In controlled wear trials, merino built up far less odor than polyester over the same use.
Why is natural fiber not the standard already?
Cost and speed. Synthetic fiber is cheaper to source and faster to produce at volume, which is why it dominates performance apparel. The tradeoff lands on the person wearing it, not the brand. Fight Form treats the person as the first design consideration instead.

The Research

EVERY CLAIM ABOVE, LINKED TO ITS SOURCE

  1. 01Napper & Thompson. Release of synthetic microplastic microfibres from domestic washing machines. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2016. View sourceStrong evidence
  2. 02Hu, Garcia, Nihart et al.. Microplastic presence in dog and human testis and its potential association with sperm count. Toxicological Sciences, 2024. View sourceStrong evidence
  3. 03Leslie et al.. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environment International, 2022. View sourceStrong evidence
  4. 04IARC / U.S. EPA. PFOA classified carcinogenic to humans (Group 1); PFAS human health risk summary. WHO IARC, 2023; U.S. EPA. View sourcePrecautionary
  5. 05Meeker & Ferguson; NHANES. Urinary phthalate metabolites associated with decreased serum testosterone in men. J. Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, NHANES. View sourceObservational
  6. 06Lennox & McQueen. Effect of fiber type and fabric structure on odor development in knit fabrics (merino vs polyester). Textile Research Journal, 2012. View sourceStrong evidence
  7. 07Lenzing / TÜV Austria. TENCEL Lyocell: closed-loop process (>99.8% solvent recovery) and certified biodegradability. Lenzing AG; TÜV Austria certification. View sourceStrong evidence

Health findings on PFAS, phthalates, and BPA come from drinking-water, blood, and workplace studies. Clothing is one avoidable source feeding the same total exposure. We state strong findings plainly and frame dose-dependent ones to their evidence level.

See The Shorts

TWO CUTS, BUILT TO THIS STANDARD

The first production run is 500 units — 250 Fight Shorts and 250 Training Shorts. Same materials throughout. See both cuts, then hold your spot.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION

FIRST DROP. 500 UNITS. LATE 2026. WAITLIST GOES FIRST.