The word “gentleman” comes up a lot when talking about pocket squares, but the way I see it, only a pimp would stuff a huge handkerchief made of military-grade Kevlar into their purple suit pocket. Obviously, a square of fabric would not offer the same level of protection as a full vest, so any pimp wearing one is still taking a big risk. They can only hope that the rival pimp, john, hooker or cop that shoots them has really good aim. [Sruli Recht via Gearfuse via OhGizmo]
If researchers are successful, Kevlar-based armour will soon be able to protect the wearer from more dangers than bullets and fire. Yuyu Sun and Jie Luo of the University of South Dakota have discovered a way to coat Kevlar with a substance called acyclic N-Halamine. After testing it against “E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida tropicalis (a fungus), MS2 virus, and Bacillus subtilis spores (to mimic anthrax),” they discovered that the coating prevented these microorganisms from sticking to the Kevlar fabric.
Let's hear it for the Swiss, who are probably seen as the most boring of Europeans. Remember Orson Welles' character, Harry Lime, in The Third Man? "In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
Add Yves Rossy to the list of cuckoos (although it scares me stiff, secretly I would thrill to be gazooming around doing what he does—well, at least once.) This 50-something former military and commercial pilot has spent the past seven years developing and testing Kevlar and fiberglass wings with Jetcat engines that enable him to soar in the sky at speeds of up to 120 mph. Swiss watchmakers Hublot have now sponsored him and Fusionman, as he is now known, will be seen in the skies above the Austrian and Swiss football stadiums during Euro 2008. An amazing video after the jump.
Leave it to the Brits (probably from Hackney) to come up with a hooded sweatshirt all lined in Dupont Kevlar for "added protection against knife attacks." For your next street fight however, keep in mind that the appropriately named Bladerunner Hooded Top is not knife-proof, only having a "high slash/cut resistance." In other words, you still will need to dodge, duck and jink like Deckard fighting Pris after sinking $130 on one.
In any case, if you are getting one, don't forget to check out the gallery for the $80 old-design Kevlar Gloves with extra knuckle protection (a favorite of Darth Vader) or the metal-friendly detector $80 S.W.A.T Air Wit boots. – Jesus Diaz
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Bladerunner Kevlar Protected Hooded Top [Bladerunner]
