How many times have you felt unsafe walking down the street at night? How many times have you quickened your pace fearing dangers lurking around every corner? Someone has come up with a solution. It's called Armor-Tex and it's a jacket that promises to protect you from stabs, spikes and cuts in any direction. I'm not talking about a war uniform (although these days...): it's a simple black windbreaker that hides inside a 3,9mm thick carbon fiber vest. An invisible armor to face the dangers of the urban jungle. But are we sure it is really necessary or is it just marketing that plays on our deepest fears?
A success on Kickstarter
Armor-Tex is becoming very popular with his campaign on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. It has already raised more than $160.000 in just a few days, well beyond its initial goal. It seems that many are willing to spend $269 to feel safer on the streets of our cities. After all, we are told that violent crime is always lurking, ready to strike at us at any moment. Better not to risk it, right? This masterpiece of materials science and paranoia is there for us.
A barrier against theomniviolence
This vest, as mentioned, promises total torso protection against any type of sharp or pointed threat. The secret is the high ballistic modulus carbon fiber, a high-tech material capable of stopping even bullets and shrapnel. Too bad it doesn't protect arms and limbs, but then again, you can't have everything in life. The important thing is to save your vital organs, right? The rest is a detail.
Armor-Tex: Fear Marketing or Real Necessity?
It makes you wonder if we really live in a world so dangerous that it requires such personal protection. Statistics say that violent crime is actually decreasing in many Western countries. Yet the perception of insecurity seems to be increasing, also thanks to alarmist media campaigns and an increasingly tense social climate. Armor-Tex skillfully exploits these fears to sell a product that perhaps we don't really need. Or maybe yes, who knows. Just in case, someone wears a jacket. And you?
