Cheney inspires market in bulletproof fashion

Are you a member of the global elite? Do you enjoy shooting things? Have we got the product for you. Colombian tailor Miguel Caballero, who for years has provided Colombia’s political and business elite with safe but fashionable bulletproof garments, has seen his international business boom since since U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally “peppered” ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

Are you a member of the global elite? Do you enjoy shooting things? Have we got the product for you.

Are you a member of the global elite? Do you enjoy shooting things? Have we got the product for you.

Colombian tailor Miguel Caballero, who for years has provided Colombia’s political and business elite with safe but fashionable bulletproof garments, has seen his international business boom since since U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally “peppered” his friend in the face with a shotgun while hunting quail in 2006. Buckingham Palace just ordered 52 jackets.

The Guardian reports:

[Caballero] has opened a branch in Mexico, which is convulsed by drug-related violence, and will soon open another in Guatemala. High-profile clients include Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez, Spain’s Prince Felipe and the Hollywood action star Steven Seagal, who requested a bullet-proof kimono.

In July, Caballero opened a branch in Harrods, London’s flagship store, to cater largely to security-conscious Russian and Arab plutocrats. “We’re just starting there and it’s going well,” he said this week, just back from a visit to London.

The protective jackets, blazers and raincoats rely not on Kevlar but overlaps of special synthetic material. The “classic” model weighs 1.5kg and can stop a round from .38 revolver and 9mm pistol. The “platinum” model weighs 2kg and can stop a mini-Uzi and MP5 assault rifle.

Caballero enjoys testing out new garments by shooting his employees, particularly his lawyer. If watching journalists get shot is more your speed, you can watch the Guardian‘s Rory Carroll take one at close range here.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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