Bulletproof Fashion

During times of internecine conflict in parts of Latin America and the multiplicity of war zones abroad, I guess it makes sense to take extra precaution and integrate bulletproof apparel into your wardrobe.

But my goodness, these garments are actually chic!

Miguel Caballero, nicknamed the "Armored Armani", makes specialized personal protection gear through innovative products.

Caballero first opened for business in Columbia. Shortly

 after he opened his first boutique in Mexico, which is where the company is now primarily based. Caballero also sells his merchandise to Harrod's, one of London's upscale department stores.

This is not just some modernized camouflage bulletproof vest.  Caballero creates lightweight stylish pieces like blazers for men and suede and leather bomber jackets for women.  He even offers a bulletproof Hawaiian shirt for men.

Caballero's clients include the King of Jordan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, President Lula of Brazil, the Spanish Royal Family, and American actor, Steven Seagal.

Currently, Caballero's biggest market is in Latin America but he anticipates a U.S. following very soon.  He expects the U.S. hip/hop industry to become his next largest market.

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Criminal activity is one of the biggest issues local Mexican governments face.  Each year there are up to 1500 murders and 2000 kidnappings in Mexico City alone.  To watch an in-depth video on Miguel Caballero and the high demand for his products in Mexico CLICK HERE

Designer Spotlight: Isha Elafi of Nomadic Knotwork

Isha Elafi's designs are truly one-of-a-kind. A self-proclaimed "nomad"  during her 20s, Isha started making jewelry to make ends meet.

Her craftsmanship is undeniably unique.  Rather than work with common materials like silver and gold, Isha's pieces are constructed out of colorful threads intertwined with beads and semi-precious stones.

Isha's unusual approach to jewelry-making quickly gained her notoriety.  And now, 25 years after she began Nomadic Knotwork, Isha works out of a beautiful home/studio in Bali, accompanied by three Balinese

 women who assist with her eagerly sought-after creations.

Isha travels all over the world looking for inspiration and rare stones to incorporate into her pieces. "I think of it as modern tribal jewelry," she says.  Most of the time she spends traveling throughout parts of Asia and South America.  But each year she makes a quick but necessary stop through Tucson for its annual gem show.

You won't find Isha's designs in department stores or chain stores of any kind.  Nor will you find Nomadic Knotwork written up or featured in any mainstream fashion and design magazines.

Isha prefers to sell only a few pieces at a time and only to select boutiques and stores, which specialize in rare trinkets and baubles.  And since her creations are in fact art, she sells them to galleries all over the world, from Clouds Gallery in New York to Far Horizons Gallery in the U.K.

From the nomadic manner in which she buys her supplies to the nomadic distribution by which her pieces find boutiques and buyers around the world, her art certainly lives up to its name.  

A Tubac Gem: Old Presidio Traders

Nestled between Tucson and Nogales, the little town of Tubac is an enclave for some of the most fantastic art galleries and pottery shops.

And while it is a flourishing marketplace, a Southwest souk of sorts, filled with exciting and unique finds, on Sundays Tubac resembles somewhat of a ghost town, and after 3p.m. consider yourself lucky if you find a store open or a restaurant serving.

I got lucky.

I stumbled across the Old Presidio Traders, and was greeted by Garry Hembree the store's proprietor of 25 years.

Old Presidio Traders sells incredible Indian jewelry and

 Navajo sandpaintings and other artwork.  But Old Presidio's real specialty is "dead pawn" jewelry.

Dead pawn jewelry refers to jewelry that Indians pawned to local pawnshops, which were used as collateral for loans.

If the loan wasn't paid by the date agreed upon, the contract became "dead" and the jewelry was put up for sale.

The unique and valuable aspect of dead pawn jewelry is that they are typically family heirlooms and one-of-a-kind pieces that can't be replicated or reproduced.

Garry's store has three large cases of dead pawn jewelry that range from necklaces to rings, to bolos and cuffs. The majority though are sandcast cuffs.

Most of the dead pawn pieces are hallmarked-- inscribed with the artist's name and tribe, and sometimes a census number.

I fell in love with Garry's collection of dead pawn sandcast cuffs so

 much that I couldn't leave without a nice purchase.  My piece (photographed on the right), was created by Ansel M Wallace,

 an Indian artist of the Zuni Tribe, whose census # is B1317.

Designer Spotlight: Lee Downey of Artifactual

For the last 30 years, Lee Downey has created unusual baubles, jewelry, belt buckles and sculptures.  Born in Barstow, CA, Lee now lives and works out of Bali.  The designer/jeweler/sculpture gains much of his inspiration from his frequent trips to Mexico, Central America, Tucson and Santa Fe. 

Lee is often recognized for his pieces that feature the skull symbol.  While Lee realizes that people often attribute the skull with death, for him,  "...Hells Angels, lots of Asian and Mexican reference, skateboarders, and the Grateful Dead will always be the ultimate absconders of the symbol.  The artwork of those musical times was resplendent with skeletal forms, both new and ancient, blending in the old religions with the new awareness of expanded horizons".

Most recently, Governor Schwarzenegger was photographed with Mayor Bloomberg for the cover of TIME Magazine wearing one of Lee's bold sterling silver skull belt buckles.  Guv Terminator clad in a conservative suit with a massive skull belt buckle peaking out from behind his tie...now that's pretty bad-ass...

Skull art is Lee's "thing", but it doesn't stop there.  On 

perhaps the other end of the spectrum, he has produced

some amazing one-of-a-kind butterfly pendants. 

In creating these butterflies as well as his other designs, Lee has been known to work with unusual materials such as prehistoric walrus ivory, excavated by Eskimos on the Bering Sea Coast.

Welcome!

Join me as I explore local designers, boutiques, trends, and all things fashion.  As a native New Yorker and self-proclaimed fashion junkie, I am excited to discover the border's many hidden treasures, from vintage cowboy boots to hand-carved jewelry to indigenous Mexican textiles.  Check in each week as I profile the border's rising and celebrated designers, describe the inspiration and craftsmanship behind their creations, and reveal my favorite finds.

Also be sure to check out my "Look Book", dedicated to highlighting local street fashion.