Booster began in an Antwerp kickboxing gym. Yves Vyvey trained there with Daniella Somers and noticed that the selection of good equipment was limited. In 1994, he took a step that changed his place in the sport: he began offering equipment himself and introduced Booster Fight Gear.
From Belgium, the name grew alongside the international kickboxing and Muay Thai world. Through Thai makers, Dutch fight nights and a distribution partner in Bangkok, Booster reached more and more athletes. Yet the gym remained close to its heart: the place where the idea began, where the equipment is used and where the brand also wanted to give something back.
An idea on the training floor in Antwerp
Before Booster became a brand name on gloves and shorts, there was an athlete with a very practical question. Where could you find good equipment for the people you trained with? Yves Vyvey faced that question at Daniella Somers's gym in Antwerp. The available selection did not match what he was looking for.
Somers also had ties to the wider kickboxing world. In his 2019 interview, Vyvey describes her as a training partner of Ramon Dekkers. Antwerp was not isolated from what was happening across the border. Trainers and fighters met, techniques traveled with them, and the need for equipment was part of that same exchange.
Vyvey started in that environment. His first customers were not strangers behind a screen, but people for whom training was a regular part of the week. A pair of gloves had to hold up in the gym, shorts had to allow room for kicking, and the trainer needed equipment to call out combinations. That was the impetus for Booster.
1994: an in-house brand alongside Thai distribution
Booster was founded in 1994. Belgium's Booster Budo & Fitness began distributing Twins Special and introduced its own Booster Fight Gear that same year. From the start, two activities ran side by side: making equipment from an established Thai brand available and building a name of its own.
That combination brought the European training floor close to the world of Thai equipment. A distributor has contact with both the makers and the people who use the gear. Vyvey also brought his own experience as a kickboxer. The sport, purchasing and contact with gyms came together within one company.
Meanwhile, Booster Fight Gear developed an identity of its own. It became the name on the gloves, protective gear and clothing. Twins Special remained a separate brand with its own history. The link lay in distribution and a shared interest in equipment from the Muay Thai world.
The story in four moments
Booster grew from a Belgian gym to an audience in several countries. Its founding, visibility at competitions and expansion into Asia mark that development.
- 1994 - The beginning in Belgium. Yves Vyvey starts Booster Budo & Fitness, distributing Twins Special and launching his own brand, Booster Fight Gear.
- Growth beyond its own gym. Booster appears at Dutch kickboxing events and gains visibility through the equipment used by different generations of fighters.
- 2019 - The connection to Bangkok. In February, Vyvey talks about Super Export Shop as a partner for growth in Asia. On April 26, a report appears on the further expansion of that distribution network.
- Today - A Belgian company with international connections. Offices and warehouses in Belgium connect its own brand and other brands with athletes and retailers.
Thailand as an enduring connection
Booster’s Belgian origins and its ties to Thailand go hand in hand. The company was founded in Belgium, while Muay Thai and Thai equipment makers played a central role in the development of its gear. In 2019, Vyvey emphasized how strongly he associated the sport with the country.
In the same interview, he talks about having his own production facility and working with other manufacturers to meet demand. That was how production worked at the time: collaborating with makers who knew the sport and the kind of equipment used in gyms.
That connection goes beyond a country of origin on a label. Holding pads, blocking a kick and fastening a glove are everyday activities in Muay Thai. The design of the equipment reflects those demands. The equipment and the sport have developed closely together, with Thailand as an important hub.
From Belgian gyms to Dutch fight nights
For a kickboxing brand, the Netherlands was close by, both geographically and in sporting terms. Booster became visible at events featuring well-known fighters. The founder interview names Vincent Vielvoye, Ashwin Balrak and Ramon Dekkers as athletes who wore its equipment and clothing.
On a fight night like that, a brand reaches a different audience than it does in its own gym. A name appears on a pair of shorts, shows up in a photo and is recognized by people who follow the fighter. The athlete brings his own style and achievements; the equipment goes into the ring with him.
Interest did not end with the event. Athletes saw the name again in other gyms and at retail outlets. That is how recognition of Booster grew through the sport’s own network: trainers, fighters, organizers and the people who came to train every week.
Bangkok and expansion in Asia
The international route did not run only from Thai manufacturers to European athletes. Booster also found an audience in Asia. Super Export Shop in Bangkok played a role as a distribution partner. In February 2019, Vyvey said the partnership helped the brand grow further in the region.
In the interview, the shop was linked to Sasan Ghosairi, who was also involved in events and promoting fighters. This once again brought distribution close to the competitive side of the sport. The equipment was offered in a setting where athletes, gyms and international visitors came together.
On April 26, 2019, Super Export Shop announced plans to further expand its network in Asia. The Belgian brand thus moved in both directions along the same connection: equipment from the Thai combat sports world reached Europe, while Booster built its reputation in Bangkok and beyond.
Giving back to Muay Thai
Well-known fighters and major events give a brand visibility. In 2019, Vyvey also spoke about smaller training venues that reach far fewer people. Booster supported both well-known Thai gyms and local gyms in rural areas.
He made the difference between those two forms of support clear. A well-known gym can introduce more people to the brand. With smaller local gyms, it was also about giving something back to Muay Thai and the community. Involvement in the sport and business development existed side by side.
That focus on the gym goes back to the beginning in Antwerp. A sport grows through the people who teach classes, hold pads and make room for the next generation. The big fight night ultimately starts on a training floor like that. With Giving back to Muay Thai, Booster keeps that local side of the sport firmly in view.
A product brand and a broader Belgian business
Booster Fight Gear is the company's own name on its equipment. Booster Budo & Fitness is the business that also distributes other brands. That explains why you also see the Booster name behind other brands in the world of Thai martial arts.
After starting with Twins Special, the portfolio expanded. The official company page lists King Pro Boxing and LVL UP, among others, as well as a partnership with Fairtex. Each has its own identity. The Belgian company brings these names together through its distribution network, while Booster Fight Gear remains its own brand.
The offices and warehouses in Belgium provide a stable base for that international activity. On one side are makers and brands; on the other, gyms, shops and athletes. Between them lies the less visible day-to-day work that gets equipment to the training floor.
The gym remains the starting point
The history of Booster begins with a limited choice of equipment in Antwerp and grows through Thailand and Dutch kickboxing events into an international network. That growth is tied to one founder, but also to the trainers, makers and retailers he worked with.
That original sporting environment is still reflected in today's equipment. Gloves and shin guards are used for partner work, Thai pads by the trainer, and handwraps and a gym bag for preparing to train. They are familiar items in the gyms the brand became connected with.
From Belgium, Yves Vyvey built a business that brought together different parts of the martial arts world. Its own brand, its Thai connections and its support for local gyms developed side by side. The Booster name continued to grow, with the training floor remaining its starting point.
