Colombian Designer Makes Fashion Business Bulletproof

BOGOTA, Colombia — 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 $6,000 and $8,000 and a blazer up to $3,500.

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 fashion show on Friday with models strutting down the runway as at any other.

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.

By Luis Jaime Acosta and Julia Symmes Cobb; editor: Alexander Smith.