Specialty Fabrics Review January 2021 - 34

from IEDs [improvised explosive
devices] and blasts at lighter weights,
while not jeopardizing the soldier's
mobility, " he says.
Working to NIJ standards, the
company prototypes and tests in-house
at its own ballistics range. The Core
Matrix Technology is sold as roll goods
to body armor manufacturers.
Warwick Mills Inc. launched its
TurtleSkin® SoftPlate™ NIJ IIIA-rated

FILLING A VOID

nnocent Armor is a recent addition to the growing roster of direct-toconsumer brands specializing in ballistic fashion, or as the company
has termed it, " Discreet Body Armor™. "
Founded in 2019, the company offers streetwear-inspired, bulletresistant outerwear and gear for men and women featuring ShieldTec®, the
company's own brand of lightweight, soft armor panels made of UHMWPE
or aramid uni-directional fabrics. The garments meet NIJ IIIA standards.
The Los Angeles-based company has hired a designer to work up a
new collection, which will offer a more comfortable fit using four-way
stretch fabric with water resistance and UV protection. Everything will be
made in the U.S. While Innocent Armor initially targeted law enforcement,
undercover law enforcement and executive protection, founder and CEO
Mike Wang believes that everybody in the U.S. is a potential customer.
" Everyone is afraid of civil unrest, " he says. " We are trying to do what
we think is the right thing.... It's a void that needed to be filled. "

ABOVE: Innocent Armor's Discreet Body Armor™ is designed to look like streetwear.
Photo: Innocent Armor.

technology in 2008, offering improved
concealable ballistic and blunt trauma
protection. Founded in 1870, the
New Ipswich, N.H.-based company
specializes in weaving protective and
technical textiles and in developing and
integrating complex fiber composites.
Warwick developed TurtleSkin Metal
Flex Armor (MFA) to solve the need
for a knife, spike and slash product.
It combines soft and hard armor via
a mosaic of interlocking metal tiles
within an aramid fabric. Combining its
SoftPlate with MFA technology offers
ballistic, spike and knife protection in
a single concealable vest. It's the best
way to maximize performance while
optimizing for weight, thinness and
comfort, according to Amanda Battisti,
segment manager.
The company's newest development,
TurtleSkin Limber, offers flexible slash
protection in a concealable undershirt
or comfortable polo.
" It is often assumed that ballistic,
stab and cut-resistance protection are
provided by the same materials, when
in fact these are all very different threats
which require different materials, "
Battisti says. " Both Limber and MFA
can be combined with ballistic material
sets to maximize performance all
around, solving this unique set of
problems to fully protect our soldiers,
police and security personnel. "

MARKET POTENTIAL
Like many manufacturers of body
armor, family-owned U.S. Armor
Corp. offers custom-fit, concealable
and tactical protective apparel for law
enforcement, security guards, military
and other branches of government.
" It's trying times out there, but
it's really good for us, " says David
Miller, director of engineering for the
35-year-old company based in Santa Fe
Springs, Calif. Product offerings at NIJ

34 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / January 2021

0121RV_p30-37_F2.indd 34

12/17/20 10:36 PM

Specialty Fabrics Review January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Specialty Fabrics Review January 2021