Netas shell out lakhs for bulletproof fashion

NEW DELHI: The next time you see a well-dressed politician strutting around in a Nehru jacket or kurta, take a closer look. He might just be flaunting the height of fashion, bulletproof fashion, that is.

Concerned about their security, but not willing to compromise on sartorial elegance, many are shelling out lakhs on customized, bullet-resistant clothing.

Customers can select from three levels of ballistic protection: the lowest offers protection from small-calibre handguns while the highest claims to protect clients even from automatic weapons. Most politicans apparently opt for mid-level gear as they are not afraid of the AK-47, given the security ring that surrounds them.

And they don���t really mind shelling out the big bucks, a minimum of Rs 2 lakh per piece going up to Rs 3 lakh. Barely seven months after the ���Armani of bullet proof clothing��� launched in the country, Indian customers have already purchased some 120 pieces made by Colombian designer Miguel Caballero, the world���s only producer of bulletproof fashion.

Rohit Nath, owner of the India franchise of Miguel Caballero (MC), says he always knew the response would be good in India and persuaded the Colombia-based company to customize its collection, which includes blazers, raincoats, polo t-shirts and leather and suede jackets, for those he thought would be his biggest clients, politicians.

������We make kurtas from any fabric you bring to us, Nehru jackets and vests and Safari suits in any colour you wish. These are lightweight (1200 to 1800 gm) and come with thermo-regulation, maintaining a cool temperature of 13-17 degree Celsius,������ he says.
Although Nath charges tax to ensure that his business is legal, most of his customers do not want to leave a paper trail. ������We launched during the elections and sales were good. But, in India, something or the other is always happening and we are only growing,������ he says.

Though he does not divulge any names, Nath says that apart from politicians, he has many businessmen on his client roster too. ������I was also very surprised when a surgeon asked me for the highest level of protection.������

The idea of producing high-security fashion came to Caballero as a student, when he saw his classmates in Colombia wearing protective vests that were bulky and screamed ������bulletproof������. Seventeen years later, his firm has expanded to 16 countries and reportedly sold about $6.4 million worth of bullet-resistant clothing for civilian use last year, accounting for 40% of its revenue.

Some of the company���s biggest markets are Mexico, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Brazil. Its clientele is said to include presidents Barack Obama, Hugo Chavez, Alvaro Colom of Guatemala, Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, Hollywood star Steven Seagal, Prince Felipe of Spain, King Abdullah of Jordan, and most recently the princess of Thailand. The clothing is also sold at the luxury store Harrods in London.