IMPERIAL ARMOUR

IMPERIAL ARMOUR CELEBRATES WOMEN, INNOVATION AND BUSINESS EXCELLENCE Resilient and EMPOWERING

It all started with a dream to come to Africa and build a company protecting people. Louisa Garland grew the now multi-award-winning company Imperial Armour from the ground up, armed only with passion, determination and belief in herself.

Arriving in South Africa with her two young daughters in 2000, the plan was to work in the family business. But things took a turn, and there was no business when she arrived. She was faced with a difficult choice; to either return to Belgium, or to stay and build a future. She decided to stay.

“I had never worked in the body armour industry, and I had no knowledge of manufacturing at the time. Little did I know that I would be standing here 21 years later, looking back on how far we have come,” says Louisa.

Louisa was motivated to build something great. The mission for success was to instil trust in and credibility for the products. She started the business without a single pattern, but began manufacturing body armour and ballistic helmets. Since then, Imperial Armour has saved many lives through fire protection, demining and antiriot gear. Quality is guaranteed

ABOVE: The farmers’ jacket – designed to protect our South African farmers. BELOW: A range of women’s body armour in pink. ABOVE: A few of the fabulous Imperial Armour team members, with Louisa in the middle.

through independent testing conducted in the U.S.

Imperial Armour was the first company to bring out the hugely successful farmers’ jacket – designed to protect our farmers from targeted attacks. Lots of other fun designs have showed up along the way – such as their famous ballistic underwear, featured on CNN and used in Afghanistan, as well as the creation of a range of women’s body armour in pink.

Imperial Armour was recently recognised at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards in the Business Innovation category. A meaningful award which highlights their purpose; to protect those members of society that are actively protecting us every day – supporting the doctors, nurses, and hospitals by providing PPE.

Unapologetically strong women empower other women, and this is particularly true of Louisa. The company is female owned and 99% of the employees are female. The Imperial Armour family is a place where staff are valued, empowered and given the tools to succeed. Louisa has also created a Staff Trust for four factory staff who have stood by her for more than 12 years; this was done to honour their support and loyalty.

“It is a passion to protect,” says Louisa.

FOR MORE INFO www.imperial-armour.com