Israeli fashion gets tactical
Business is booming for Israeli clothes manufacturers that have developed bullet- and knife-resistant fabrics and apparel, though they may not all deliver what they promise.
It was a pretty embarrassing moment for FMS Enterprises Migun Ltd., which develops and manufactures fabrics for the safety industry. A reporter from Israel's TV Channel 1 met with FMS Enterprises representatives to examine the knife-proof high-collar vests manufactured by the company for the civilian market and agreed to give it a try — that is, to be stabbed while wearing the vest to demonstrate its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the vest failed to deliver on its promise and the knife cut through the fabric. The hapless reporter was injured and needed medical treatment.
Ana Dotan from the Department of Plastics Engineering at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art had a possible explanation for the failure.
"It is the fibers that do the job," she told Al-Monitor. "The fibers have to be very strong and woven in a special multi-layer structure to prevent the penetration of a sharp object. The Kevlar fibers or similar ones marketed under the brand names Spectra or Dyneema are highly rigid, so any garment made from them would inevitably be very uncomfortable. To ensure a reasonable level of comfort, like that provided by everyday clothes, the protective features of these fabrics have to be drastically downgraded to make them more flexible — at the cost of reducing their strength. This gives way to a situation where a knife can go through at a certain angle."
The Israeli business newspaper TheMarker was quick to report that the incident, which in no time became the laughingstock of the network, had far-reaching economic implications for FMS Enterprises: That same morning, prior to the incident, the company's shares rose by 3% thanks to a flattering piece in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth recommending the company's products for the civilian market as the perfect solution for Israelis wary of walking the streets unprotected. TheMarker reported that the company's sales turnover that day was 14 times higher than normal, reaching about 7 million shekels (close to $1.8 million). However, once the incident was reported, the company's shares dropped by some 5%.
