UF PRO is a Slovenian textile manufacturer who manufacture clothing for law enforcement and military. They create hybrid designs that optimize comfort of the soldier and allow them to complete their missions without hinderance.
BodyArmorNews.com interviewed Mr. Darko Radoš Roth, who is part of the sales team at UF PRO. Mr. Roth also served 19 years in the military and was deployed seven times. He now uses this experience to help customers who are still fighting on the field.
Founding UF PRO
The company was formed in 1997, as a small Slovenian company that provided solutions for government organizations in Slovenia, such as the police force and the military. It was founded by Milena and Armin Wagner and is run as a family business.
“In the special forces,” Mr. Roth said, “soldiers were always facing many issues regarding the garments that they were issued. It seemed that the clothing caused more problems than solutions.
“In 2012, Mr. Wagner and his spouse, Milena, started actively working on development to find a solution for the problems that the soldiers pointed out. And so, they created the first of out series of pants with a hybrid design in 2013.”
Hybrid design
Hybrid design is a core component of UF PRO’s philosophy. All the clothes that UF PRO produces are anatomically cut, which means that they are as close to the body as possible without compromising upon the wearer’s comfort.
“Certain parts of your body,” Mr. Roth explained, “let’s say your buttocks to your knee, cam extend up to 40% in certain movements. This happens when you kneel, when you squat. This creates a problem because if you have a tight fit, it will pull the pants down when you do this movement.
“In the case of hybrid design, we incorporate different materials with different properties that work to give the user maximum comfort. We mostly do this by using stretch material where it’s needed, and we focus on durability.
“We use the Cordura material where it needs to be, such as on the knees and on the instep. First, we put stretch material in certain places and then we combine all those materials to work together. At the end of the day, our users should not feel the garments or think about them, they should be focusing on their mission.”
Real-world applications
When asked whether his own experience in the military might have been different with access to UF PRO’s products, Mr. Roth replied with the following. “It would make a huge difference,” he said, “I remember that one of my hardest deployments was, of course, Afghanistan, and my last deployment there was in 2011.
“For me to have pants like that in that environment would have been hugely beneficial. Since I’m a sales representative now, it’s normal for me to wear the UF PRO pants. They’re so comfortable and they make you forget that you’re wearing them.
“Even if I have a heavy-duty belt, like when I go on a shooting range with my friends, there are never any issues since the durability is good and they don’t tear easily. It would have been a lot easier for me, on deployments with these kinds of items, rather than what I was wearing at the time.”
UF PRO’s biggest clients
Since the company is based in Slovenia, they have a lot of government clients. This includes the Slovenian military and the Slovenian police force. Outside of the country, the Danish police are one of their biggest clients.
“We’re very proud that the police officers in Greenland will be wearing our products,” Mr. Roth said, “It’s not warm up there, so you need high-quality warm clothes. Germany is also one of our biggest clients, where special forces officers are wearing our uniforms.
“We’re equipping around 80 SWAT teams in the United States, we’re equipping special units in Spain and we’re also equipping French special forces, and a lot of other countries. We’re honored to be able to provide them with solutions. We want to make it easier for them to do their job, to protect us and the rest of the population.”
