Colombia’s bulletproof tailor moves into children’s market after Sandy Hook

Miguel Caballero, Colombia’s famed purveyor of bespoke bulletproof fashions to the global elite, is getting into children’s clothing following the Sandy Hook shooting: In his factory in Bogota, Miguel Caballero makes bullet-proof vests attached to bullet-proof backpacks which he has tested with machine guns and handguns to show they can withstand a barrage of bullets. ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
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615606_mckids_02.jpg

Miguel Caballero, Colombia's famed purveyor of bespoke bulletproof fashions to the global elite, is getting into children's clothing following the Sandy Hook shooting:

Miguel Caballero, Colombia’s famed purveyor of bespoke bulletproof fashions to the global elite, is getting into children’s clothing following the Sandy Hook shooting:

In his factory in Bogota, Miguel Caballero makes bullet-proof vests attached to bullet-proof backpacks which he has tested with machine guns and handguns to show they can withstand a barrage of bullets.

Mr Caballero said that following the December 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, his company received a surge in customer interest in this kind of item.

"We started getting e-mails from customers asking for protective clothing because they were afraid to take their kids to school," said Mr Caballero on the factory floor where his company’s clothing is made.

Caballero has never been shy about exploiting shooting incidents for marketing purposes. His last boom in business occurred after Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot his friend in the face on a 2006 hunting trip. His clients have included the British royal family, Spain’s Prince Felipe, Hugo Chavez, and he has a branch in British department store Harrod’s.

Sadly, from a U.S. point of view, he says the new backpacks are being designed exclusively for the American market. 

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

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