Life-saving clothes

Models wear bullet-proof vests by the  Miguel Caballero Factory at a recent fashion show in...
Models wear bullet-proof vests by the Miguel Caballero Factory at a recent fashion show in Bogota, Colombia. Photos: Reuters
Heads of state and royalty are customers.
Heads of state and royalty are customers.
Underwear is ''light and discrete''.
Underwear is ''light and discrete''.
A blazer can set you back $NZ4900.
A blazer can set you back $NZ4900.
The company also makes clothing for military and armed forces.
The company also makes clothing for military and armed forces.

Miguel Caballero's designs are not just chic - they could save your life. But his creations come at a price. 

A bulletproof men's suit can cost between $US6000 ($NZ8400) and $US8000 and a blazer up to $US3500.

The Colombian fashion designer, who makes lightweight, bulletproof clothing for dignitaries including the King of Jordan, says he has a 'survivors club' of 20 customers who owe their lives to wearing his garments.

"My greatest satisfaction is not earning business, it's saving lives," Caballero, who founded the company bearing his name 21 years ago, told Reuters following a recent fashion show.

Caballero counts prime ministers and presidents in Latin America and further afield among his clients and typically makes his clothing, for both men and women, to order.

He can even offer his clients bulletproof underwear.

"It's amazing, it is discrete, it is lightweight, the innovation is beautiful, you don't even know that anyone is wearing it," said Rasheda Walker, who sells Caballero's clothing in Nigeria and Kenya.

Caballero, who exports to 23 countries, also makes less glamorous garments, including de-mining suits and bulletproof vests for military and police forces.

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