#1 - THE SEASONS - Room to grow.

On Seasons 

When I set out to introduce Balance Grappling , I didn't consciously choose seasons as the vehicle. The idea appeared, even formed,  in a pretty natural, almost inevitable way. 

At its core, The Seasons collection was about balance itself. To me, the seasons, and the concept of balance represent chaos and order in the most natural way possible. Each seasonal transition carries its own rhythm, its own purpose. The harsh bite of winter giving way to spring's gentle emergence. Summer's abundance slowly surrendering to autumn's quiet contemplation. 

This is balance — not the static kind you might imagine, but the dynamic relationship between opposing forces. The same relationship we navigate every day . 

Ed enjoying a moment of reflection on-set in Otford for the Autumn shoot.

The Beginning 

It started with colours. I was putting together combinations that conventionally “shouldn't” work — a deep, dark red against an icy, almost harsh blue. I didn't know anything about colour wheels or relationships (and still don't). I was trying to capture something about both the calm and the tension between warmth and cold, comfort and challenge. The very spot they meet in the middle and find a semblance of harmony. 

When I looked at that first combination, I thought: this looks abit like winter to me. 

Winter x Alex Lee

From there, the connection to seasons solidified, and the other seasons rushed to my head. The colourway selection process tested my wife’s and close friends patience, thousands of colourways with the slightest nuance were reviewed, argued over, laboured over, until perfect.  

Spring became brown and purple — earthy growth and quiet ambition. Summer emerged as something bright and alive. Autumn settled into its contemplative palette. Each one carried its own character, its own ideas about how we adapt and navigate through change. 

The Humans 

When it came to representing each season, I thought about the people who embody these ideas. This wasn't about finding the best grapplers (and never will be, although as it happens, they are all brilliant). It was about finding people whose characters naturally aligned with each season's essence. 

I picked Alex Lee for winter because in the face of inescapable winter, he brings warmth and energy to a room -  coffee in hand, wrapped in big clothes, commanding presence. Tom Allen for summer because there's something inherently bright and vibrant about his energy. Fran Lana for spring, with her natural inclination to build, grow, and nurture. Ed Dingley for autumn — contemplative, quietly unrelenting, comfortable with solitude and deeply thoughtful. 

The vision was for people to watch these stories and see how these individuals felt natural in their specific environments. To start recognizing the through line between how we navigate seasons in nature and how we navigate the seasons to fuel and nourish our training, our relationships and our lives. 

The athletes kind enough to put their souls into the fabric ideas. (From left to right, Alex Lee, Ed Dingley, Fran Lana & Tom Allen)

Vision Meets Reality 

I'm proud of what we put together around the collection. As a fresh faced creative team(Active Frames & Undercard Photos), we had very ambitious plans for the film we wanted to support and tell the story of The Seasons. Ironically, it was seasonal weather that posed us problems.  But we found solutions, and the weather was kind to us on the days we asked it to be, to put together something that represented the vision.  

That relationship between order and chaos was a constant through The Seasons and will be a constant for the brands life. Behind the scenes, it's been a learning curve. Specifically, we're getting better and better at finding ways to present the ideas central to the collection, and learning how to navigate the variables you aren’t able to plan for.

Discovery 

The most important realization wasn't about colours or filming or marketing. It was about people. The way people interface with the seasons — making it to the gym regardless of weather, adapting to closed doors in winter and open ones in summer, finding community in the constant despite all the variables. 

Peter, Fran and Active Frames working away on the Spring shoot.

It's not really about the grappling itself. It's about the humans and how they navigate everything else to get to the grappling. The balance they strike between all the chaos life throws at them and the order they create to pursue what matters to them. 

The Seasons highlighted that if I follow the tenets of the brand —  the ideas about balance, community, and expression — the right people find their way to it. They don't need to be sold; they recognize something they were already looking for. 

The collection exists now as an introduction to our world. Four months of availability, then archived with no intention of re-runs. The impermanence was intentional — it adds weight to the ideas, forces presence over permanence. 

Looking back, The Seasons was an honest first attempt at translating internal philosophy into external expression. A proof of concept that meaningful ideas can live externally (these ones on polyester and spandex blends), that community forms around shared understanding rather than shared transactions. 

At the first Balance Grappling open mat, where a group of people were kind enough to give our kit a test run for the first time.

It was our way of saying: this is who we are right now, this is what is important to us, this is Story we have to tell. It's been really gratifying seeing people show up to training and compete in Balance Grappling kit with pride. Some people connected with the depth of the concept; others simply liked the colours. Both are valid. Both are welcome. Honestly, I make collections for myself. But in doing that, Balance Grappling is for everyone. There isn't a customer persona you can attach to the brand. And seeing the broad spectrum of people wearing The Seasons, I feel very comfortable that we've nailed that. 

For those who were there from the beginning, thank you for taking that leap with us. For those discovering this later, welcome to the archive. The Seasons may have passed, but the ideas they carried forward remain at the heart of everything we build. 

HP