Before producing this track top, the LUTA team searched high and low for the best technical fleece we could find and the chosen material was Cocona® yarn, made from activated carbon originating from recycled coconut shells. Cocona was named by Time Magazine as one of the most amazing inventions of 2005. What makes Cocona® yarn so great is the fact that in addition to being comfortable, lightweight and quick drying, it naturally provides superior UV protection. Cocona® also resists wrinkles and the fabric traps odours, keeping this track top fresher for longer and reducing the need for washing. All of these amazing characteristics are permanently embedded in the yarn so they will not wash out, which means that the LUTA lamingated fleece track top can be your companion during the colder months for years to come. LUTA’s laminated track top will be available from Monday.

LUTA was recently featured by JWT in reference to its Social Good report, which documented the rise of social enterprise within the business world. In the report, JWTIntelligence, a trendspotting offshoot of the global marketing communications brand JWT, discuss the various ways in which organisations call on business means to achieve philanthropic results, and put forward LUTA as a very interesting example of this trend. Indeed, it is well documented that the current generation place a far greater importance on doing well whilst also doing good than previous ones, and businesses around the world are adapting to this.

Earlier in the year I gave a speech at a TEDx conference, discussing LUTA's social mission, and which you can now watch on their website or below here. I mentioned how instead of incorporating Fight for Peace as part of a global sports brand corporate social responsibility strategy, we decided to create our own brand, in order to more sustainably support the charity. LUTA was organically born from Fight for Peace: having been inspired by the Real Strength shown by the young people of Fight for Peace over the twelve years since the project's inception, finding the best way to support them was a natural process. The sense of identity our young people found in the Fight for Peace t-shirts was something we believed could be replicated with LUTA as a clothing brand.

We hope that customers recognise that we haven't latched on to anything so don't mistrust our intentions as a brand. LUTA is proud to support Fight for Peace and to have such strong links with it. But more than just a social enterprise, LUTA is a high performance fightwear. We have spent over two years working with fighters to understand their needs and have come up with innovative solutions, such as the world’s first laser-bonded rashguard.

Friend of LUTA John Hathaway was pictured in yesterdays London Metro paper beside an interesting article about mixed martial art (mma). Read the article below about how mma is becoming increasingly popular in England with rising stars like John Hathaway giving the sport a good rep. Next month we see UFC coming to the UK where both Jason 'Shotgun' Young and John 'Hitman' Hathaway will be fighting.

The LUTA pop up shop in Covent Garden is set to close on the 15th October. We've had a great past few months in the heart of Covent Garden's Seven Dials but the temporary pop up has to come to an end. Make sure you drop into the store as we'll be having a closing down sale during it's last week of trading. We're currently looking for LUTA's next retail space so keep your eyes peeled. LUTA products are still available to purchase online aswell as our stockists (Suka Sport, Kings Road Sporting Club and Greaves sports).

LUTA's Performance training hoodie was included in the latest 'gear' section of the bi-monthly sport magazine Podium. 

LUTA’s latest Ambassador, the 2008 European Champion in the absolute division is pictured giving a leg lock masterclass in the pages of this months Fighting Fit magazine. Nilton is originally from the favelas of Sao Paulo where he trained under Rocian Gracie of the famous Gracie family. Now a black belt under Roger Gracie, Nilton runs his own academies in Portugal and the UK. Nilton was instantly supportive of the LUTA link to the Fight for Peace charity as he has often worked in support of young people from similar backgrounds in the past –frequently offering them free Jiu jitsu classes. When Fighting Fit caught up with him in his school in Camden town (London) Nilton chose none other than yours truly to be his demonstration partner (It was an honour – though a slightly painful one!).

While we were chilling out after the shoot Nilton casually mentioned that he was off that afternoon to train with Roger Gracie, Braulio Estima and George St Pierre. Nilton then sent me proof in a photo of the four of them working hard in the gym via his iphone.

More information on LUTA Ambassador Nilton Garcia is available here: http://www.bjjinlondon.com/nilton.html  If you are looking for BJJ in North London, Nilton’s academy would be well worth checking out!