You may insist on the finest tailoring from Italy, the latest designs from Paris, but there’s no reason why your most elegant evening attire shouldn’t be bulletproofed from Columbia.
He calls himself ‘the Armored Armani’, which sounds like a spoof film title, but we’ll go with it. Miguel Caballero is a fashion-conscious bulletproof tailor with a global client list that includes presidents, royalty, movie stars and special armed forces alike.
Providing clients with anything from slim-cut armored suede leather jackets to rival Ralph Lauren’s country cabin look, to full-scale combat vests to give the UN a little bit of swag in their step, Miguel Caballero is quite literally running the world’s first bulletproof fashion line. He opened his first boutique in Mexico in 2006 and today has stockists all over the globe, including Harrods in London whose wealthy Russian and Middle Eastern clientele have shown more than a keen interest.
Caballero holds catwalk shows during fashion week in Mexico and has a bespoke range that caters to celebrities such as Steven Segal who are looking for custom-made armored garb to suit their unique style.
Here are a few key looks from the hottest bulletproof trends…
Although Cabellero’s collection is marketing to the general public as well as private clients, Miguel does not want to earn of reputation for outfitting gangsters and bad guys (so kind of like how Armani doesn’t want to market to the maffia?). The company runs background checks on customers, checking clients names against US and Mexican government lists of fugitives and criminals.
I owe this discovery to the wonderful VICE magazine online, a publication I greatly admire. Maybe one day when I have the budget and insurance to travel to places like Columbia, I can bring you the exclusive scoop on stories like this. Take a look at this fascinating ten minute video with VICE’s Ryan Duffy who went to Columbia to take a tour of the Cabellero factory & headquarters, meet with Miguel and allow him to shoot him in the ribs while sporting one of the stylish Caballero creations…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQM6zLiSn1E&]
So whether you believe there is a reasonable possibility you might get shot and you’re in the market for a fashion-forward bulletproof tie, or you’re simply skeptical that this fashion line does in fact exist (in which case you’re not sure you want to live on this planet anymore), please feel free to proceed to the Miguel Caballero website here.
Not what you want to hear while interviewing with your future boss:
