Dawn Images

“Be Pakistani, buy Pakistani,” is a fiercely patriotic but practically idiotic line that has haunted me every time I’ve been out buying something from an international brand. Like I’m at a Nike outlet, have found what I want, and am now approaching the cashier when suddenly the little voices in my head would go off.

“Your country has few dollars left and you’re still buying foreign brands!”

“It’s because of people like you, our local industries don’t grow!”

“Shame on you. You are responsible for the import bill being so high!”

I’d listen to all the voices but still go ahead with the purchase, because living with guilt is fine, living with a sub-par product is not!

However, this age-old dilemma vanished for me recently when I got my hands on a tracksuit by Bodybrics. To be very honest, the ‘semi-burger’ in me would never have trusted a local manufacturer — at least not for gym and fitness apparel — but to my surprise Bodybrics’ tracksuit was pretty much everything I would normally expect from well-known international brands.

I’m no expert on the subject but the fabric (I believe parachute?) was nice, the fit was super nice and it had minimalist branding, which is just how like it. At first look, their Elite Jogger Pant 2.0 seemed a bit stiff but I was wrong. Once I slipped into it, there was no constraint on my range of motions.

The only cause of concern was one of the pocket chains jamming a bit but they get a pass on it because everything else was so on point.

Bodybrics sent its Lightweight Galaxy Jacket and Elite Jogger Pant 2.0 to Images, which is priced at Rs3,950 for the jacket and Rs3,750 for the pants on their website.

I’d give the suit four out of five stars. Blame the chain for a point deduction.

Just by the way, Bodybrics also has polos, tank tops, shorts, compression leggings and whatnot in case you’re interested.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This article is part of an ongoing series on supporting local products. All the products are independently evaluated and reviewed by a member of the Images team and reflect their personal opinions. If you’re a local business and would like to be featured, reach out to us at imagesdawndotcom@gmail.com.