Entrepreneur invents stab-resistant fabric vest

A Shanghai entrepreneur with a master's degree in textiles has invented a new type of polymer compound that creates a soft, light, stab-resistant layer of protection in an ordinary jacket.

Bodyguards, bank security teams and doctors fearful of disgruntled patients are among the early customers of Ma Feifei's Shanghai Saint Armor Safety Protection Technology Co Ltd.

Ma, who received his degree from Donghua University in Shanghai, said his invention had received a government patent and passed quality tests conducted by the country's public security authority.

Wang Xinhou, a textiles professor at Donghua, says Ma's invention will make a significant contribution to the industry.

"I believe the stab-proof jackets based on the material invented by Ma is the best one regarding both comfort and stab resistance in the domestic market," Wang says.

A marketing video provided by the company showed how several powerful stabs from a bayonet from different angles tore the exterior fabric of a jacket constructed of the material, while the special interior layer and the mannequin remained intact.

"The jackets can render uttermost protection to people when they run into attacks from a dagger, bayonet, kitchen knife or chopper," Ma says. "Generally speaking, if an assailant is not a retired soldier or has extraordinary skills in committing a physical assault, the wearer can be protected from wounds in the majority of cases."

The company's products, which have different stab-resistance levels, abide by national standards, Ma says.

Lu Danni, a doctor at a hospital in Shanghai's Xuhui district, expresses interest in the material. Incidents involving attacks on doctors have been well-documented in China.

"If their products really prove to be effective, I'm interested in having my white gown tailor-made with a layer of the special material stitched inside," Lu says.

The key to the textile is a 2-millimeter-thick interlayer made of a polymer compound material composed of macromolecule resin and chemical fibers that are very strong and knittable. Ma says his pre-production research included thousands of experiments.

The material's softness and comfort provide the product's major edge over competitors in the domestic market, since those mostly use a hard metal layer that inconveniences the wearer, Ma says.

The company's stab-resistant jacket weighs around 1 kg and costs about 600 yuan ($95). A vest weighs around 700 grams and costs range from 300 to 800 yuan. Sales records for the company's online store on Taobao, a major online shopping platform, indicate more than 1,000 jackets and vests are sold every month.

"Around two-thirds of the orders come from foreign countries, such as in the Middle East and Southeast Asia," Ma says.

zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/06/2015 page26)