Hot-Zone Couture

A chic French import attracts U.S. attention.
French BSL 4 Suit Courtesy Delta Protection

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Leave it to the French to turn a biohazard suit into a runway triumph. A new laboratory getup from Delta Protection in Bagnols-sur-Ceze is made to measure, comes in burnt sienna and weighs half as much as the standard American-made rubbery blue “Moon” suit. “I have
yet to lay my hands on one,” laments virologist Scott Shearrer at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio. “But we are working on getting a couple.” Fashion aside, the new uniform is made of heat-resistant cloth-like plastic and sports a quiet air inlet. “I don’t want to say we are the best,” says Samuel Ozil, Delta Protection’s technical director. “But sales are increasing.”

Designer: Delta Protection, France

Inspiration: Michelin Man

Size: Made to measure

Materials: Polyamid with internal/ external PVC coating

Retail price: About $2,000