When it comes to designing for the military, there's not a huge distinction between industrial design and apparel design: Gear is gear. Whether it comes out of a sewing machine or an injection molding machine, form follows function, function is everything, and aesthetics don't matter worth a damn. That makes military design appealing to me (independent of the politics of warfighting).
I'd been hearing good things about this design & manufacturing company called Tactical Tailor, based in Washington state. Here's an example of what they design and make, and some of the thinking that goes into it:
In addition to that plate carrier, they produce literally hundreds of tactical products ranging from pouches, bags, holsters, slings, vests, armor, apparel, you name it. The customer base ranges from individuals to law enforcement entities to government orders that come in the tens of thousands.
(more...)