Crime prevention through fashionable disguise

Deceptively safe and super-odd is this new form of urban camouflage created by a Japanese fashion designer which she hopes will ease Japan's growing fear of crime.

See in Japan they don't shoot back or spray teargas at their criminals, they prefer to hide from them...or rather blend in with their environment. In this example, the wearer hides behind the sheet,  printed with an actual-size photo of a vending machine to avoid assault.

Take the “manhole bag,” a purse that can hide valuables by unfolding to look like a sewer cover. Lay it on the street with your wallet inside, and unwitting thieves are supposed to walk right by. There is also a line of knife-proof high school uniforms [ed: typical] made with the same material as Kevlar, and a book with tips on how to dress even the nerdiest children like “pseudohoodlums” to fend off schoolyard bullies.

A growing trend of world-wide crime or just the Japanese pushing the envelope again? Perhaps we could design a cellphone pouch to look like a boerewors roll, or a rugby ball.

Read: Fearing crime, Japanese wear the hiding place - New York Times

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Comments

[Miguel dos Santos]

The bad thing about the vending machine suit, it only comes in super xxxxl. However on the plus side, you might find some strangers trying to poke you with money, just cut a hole where the slot is, and make if fall into your top pocket. :) Bonus!