For all martial arts lovers, Thailand is naturally associated with Muay Thai.
Likewise, if you were asked about the most famous Thai boxing brand, the answer would probably be just as simple - Fairtex.
As we expand our range with this iconic brand, we bring you the following article to learn more about its history.
HOW THE COMPANY WAS FOUND?
The name Fairtex itself was registered as a trademark back in 1958. The origin of the name has not been officially explained, but it is easiest to assume that it is divided into the words "tex", which is an abbreviation for the word "textile".
Company founder Philip Wong came to Thailand from China as a young boy who wanted to learn Muay Thai. In 1971, he created the Fairtex Garments Factory Company Limited as the parent of the entire Fairtex brand.
The seventies of the last century were marked by the Fairtex development, which quickly became a pioneer in the local market.
The first camp was built in 1975 in Bangla, 25 km from Bangkok. It was anideal location away from the temptations of the big city that allowed the athletes to focus on training, and Wong himself was able to help many people by offering them jobs.
A few years after the camp was founded in 1978, Mr. Wong became the promoter of the fight at the legendary Lumpini Stadium, which brought the brand wide popularity. The following years of activity of the brand were marked by further expansion and overcoming barriers. There were numerous training camps, even special training for women, which at that time was not popular at all in Thailand, and in some regions it was a strict taboo.
FAIRTEX IN USA
Philip Wong dreamed of showing the true face of Muay Thai in the United States.
The 1980s was the golden age of kickboxing in the US, and Muay Thai was considered an wild, and violent sport, denounced by both the media and Hollywood film productions.
To somehow get rid of the "bad rumors" about Muay Thai, in the early 1990s, an impressive Fairtex training center was built in Chandler, Arizona. The multi-million dollar investment was to finally popularize Wong's favorite sport in the wider community.
However, it was quickly noticed that Muay Thai is a violent and dangerous sport due to its injuries. One of the many reasons for this was the poor quality of training equipment. Therefore, the father of the brand decided to focus on the production of high-quality equipment that would protect athletes as much as possible during hard training.
The end of the 20th century was a period of almost global expansion for Fairtex. The US training center was moved from Chandler to San Francisco, Fairtex equipment and products began to be sold throughout North America, a presence in the European market was established, which led to the emergence of the brand in the UK. It was also a period when an important milestone was made in cooperation with other sports. The sponsorship deal was signed with UFC legend, then champion and current UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletit. Thus, Fairtex became part of the huge MMA family.
FAIRTEX TODAY
Today, Fairtex is a leading manufacturer of boxing gloves, shinguards and Muay Thai apparel. The company is closely associated with the MMA industry and is also actively supported by such athletes as Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields and James Irvin. Fairtex is not only training equipment, but also training centers located in the USA, Thailand and Japan, as well as management support for many champions and titled athletes.
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1 条评论
I’m an old friend of Philips and met him when he moved to Arizona. My company built the training facility in Chandler AZ. I would like to reconnect with Philip after all of these years. I’m not after any favors or money. I just want to catch up with him. When he returned to Thailand he invited me to come over and visit him at any time. I finally took him up on his offer and flew over. Uncle James met me at the airport in Bangkok. We traveled to the training camp in Pattaya and I stayed across the hall from Philip in the fighters domatory. Met fighters from all over the world. It was an unforgettable time and trip that I still think of regularly. If nothing else please tell him that I wish him and his family health and happiness.
William Kohlwey