When Barack Obama wasinaugurated as the 44thpresident of the UnitedStates, everyone was think-ing the same thing: Speak-ing in front of thousands ofpeople, just how safe wasthe man? According tosources in the US media,more safe than we realised.

One of its kindObama was wearing a

stylish bulletproof suit —and there is only companyin the world that makesthese. Miguel Caballero,the famed Bulletproof Tai-lor of Bogota, has for yearsbeen designing high-endarmour fashionwear for theworld’s paranoid elite. Thecompany has been so se-cretive about its clientsthat many believe it is anurban legend.On an unassuming city

street in a low-rise whitebuilding in Bogota, heavysecurity surrounds the fac-tory of Miguel Caballero.Nicknamed the Armani formoving targets, Caballeromanufactures stylish ar-mour-plated leather coats,suits, vests, sweaters andeven ties for a clientele thatextends far beyond Colom-bia’s borders.

Powerful clienteleCaballero lists several

satisfied customers, whoinclude controversialpoliticians such asVenezuelan presidentHugo Chavez and Colom-bian president AlvaroUribe, members of royaltysuch as King Abdullah ofJordan and Prince Felipe ofSpain, and Hollywood starssuch as Steven Segal. Afterall, a bulletproof garmentmade in Colombia, a placewhich has one of the high-est murder rates in theworld, can save life almost

anywhere in the world.I was disappointed to

learnMiguel Caballero wasin Miami, attending a con-ference, but I was led to theshowroom where a fullrange of the company’sproducts are on display.Besides the usual mili-

tary-chic armoured vestsand bomber flak jackets,some of the mannequinswore stylish, unassumingblack leather jackets, over-coats and college-stylecamouflage sweaters.One would never suspect

they were capable of stop-ping a 9mm bullet — untilyou tried them on. The se-cret lies in a heavy, ar-mour-plated panel insertedinto the clothing, whichprotects the vital areas ofthe upper body whileblending into the garment’sloose-cut design.The company claims to

be the only certified ar-mour-plate manufacturerin the world to have incor-porated industry standardprotection with stylish de-signs — attractive to thosewho want to be protectedbut not advertising to oth-ers that there is any need tobe protected.The aim of the bullet-

proof garments is to savelives, not to prevent injury.While the panels will stopa bullet and, in some cases,even a direct knife attack,the victim will still feel theimpact. Trying on the vari-ous items, I felt somewhatinvincible, as if, for a briefmoment, I would survivejust about anything in theworld — provided “any-thing” didn’t include a shotto the head.Employees are dedicated

and committed to the com-pany, so much so thateveryone who works forMiguel Caballero is re-

quired to try on a vest —and be shot at by Caballero.And you thought your jobinterview was tough.

In the line of fireIt is common for the rich

and the powerful to puttheir brave and boldestbodyguards in the line offire to ensure that pur-chased garments meetstandards. I would haveliked to experience this butwas told that only Ca-

ballero was permitted toshoot prospective clients.And since he wasn’t intown, there went the onelegitimate shot I had at get-ting shot.Still, it’s one thing to be

told a fur coat can stop abullet and quite another tosee it. After some persuad-ing, the company’s ballis-tic director agreed to takeme to a small room wherevest plates are tested. Iwas reassured everythingwas scientifically meas-ured to the millimetre. Avest plate was fastened toa square of clay, which al-lowed ballistic experts tomeasure the impact andpotential damage a bulletcould cause.

Test timeAfter being handed a pair

of orange ear protectorsand standing just a coupleof metres away from thetarget, I was given an Uzisub-machinegun to takethe test myself.I was initially told the im-

pact would be no harderthan a finger flick but ex-amining the clay after thefirst shot, I could see a one-inch dent in the clay— sav-ing lives, not preventing in-jury.While life may seem

cheap in high-crime zones,high-security fashion isnot. A typical Caballeroitem in its stylish Blackrange can come for any-where between Dh7,000 toDh23,000. A thick lining toprevent a knife attack orany other customisationmay cost extra.

Alignedwith styleCaballero has a boutique

store inMexico City, along-side Louis Vuitton, Cartierand, yes, Armani. There’seven a club for Caballerocustomers. But to becomea member, you need tohave a Caballero productsave your life. How manymembers it has remains acompany secret.As the powerful find new

ways to ensure safety, don’tbe surprised to find pa-parazzi photos of stylish,albeit somewhat baggy,leather coats. Should any-one get a chance to steal apeek at the label inside thesuit Barack Obama wearsfor public addresses, thereshould be no surprises if itturns out to be made inColombia.

—You canwatchRobinEsrock on theNatGeoAdventure show,Word

Travels, or visitwww.wordtravels.tv

Robin Esrock finds out what Colombia’shigh-end armour fashionwear is all about

The aimof thebulletproofgarments isto save lives,not toprevent injury

Caballero’sballistics director

License to killRobin Esrock doessome target practice

Miguel Caballero

Barack Obama

2 ESROCKING THEWORLDwww.gulfnews.com/explore | April 25, 2009, Saturday