Perroz Designs: Interview


Hey Milan, first off I'd like to start with Perroz. Where did the inspiration for your name come from?
The conflict in Afghanistan has always interested me. I know that Pashto is spoken in the tribal region near the Pakistan boarder, and Perroz is a word that they use to describe a successful operation. That really stuck with me.

How did you get started, and with so many other similar companies out there, why did you decide to join the industry?
I originally got started making gear for myself. Saying, "Hey, I could probably make this! Or, I could make this better." So I gave it a shot and started small and progressed. I taught myself how to sew, no one taught me. I learned the hard way and made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from them and I'm better now. When it comes down to it, Perroz Designs was really driven by wanting to make something for myself. People started noticing the call sign patches and they became quite popular, so I said, "Hey maybe I can sell this."

Considering some of the other like minded companies out there, which ones do you draw inspiration from if any at all?
The industry is… not saturated but there are a lot of options out there. These days the conflict in Afghanistan is driving the industry, and driving innovation. Ten years of conflict has created a lot of great gear. If you see the progression from 2001 to this point, you think to yourself, "What were they wearing?” I enjoy companies like Crye Precision who are driven by innovation, and not by something that's already out there, but something new, something that's going to excel and help make a warfighter's job easier. Another company is LBT because they continue to recognize what needs to be developed and what the warfighter needs. Also, I really like OPS Core and how they've stepped up the standards for head protection. 


You already offer a lot of the mainstream camouflage patterns as options with your products. What do you think of the new Multicam patterns, and will you be incorporating them into your gear in the future?
I think Multicam is pretty interesting. I think if I had to choose any current, and relevant pattern, Multicam would be my first choice. I think it works the best in a wide variety of environments, but it also looks great too which is important [laughs]. With the new Multicam patterns, I'm 50/50. Initially I thought, hey it's just another set of camouflage patterns and there is already a huge variety. When I looked at it again though, I thought to myself, it's another option so why should I look at it negatively? So I think it's something I will embrace in the future, and would like to hear about what other people think too since a lot of product is driven by what other people think. If no one really likes it then there's no point in stocking it. 

Are there any new fabrics or materials out there right now that have caught your attention? Or are there any new things that you'd like to use in your designs?
A lot of the stuff I’m building these days incorporates the 3d spacer mesh, which really helps with airflow, sweat wicking, and is comfortable at the same time. It's incorporated into our new plate carrier, the headbands and plate carrier shoulder pads that I'll be working on in the future. I really like the hypalon material that Blue Force Gear is using in their helium whisper. It's super strong and when it rips, it doesn't tear. We should be getting some in, but it's pretty pricy so I have to be careful with my R&D. 

A lot of my products are driven by a need. Recently we've teamed up with Darren Cole from One Shot Tactical. He's been great and has been stocking a lot of our products. He's based out of Trenton, Ontario and gets a lot of feedback from Canadian Forces members. Some of the members he gets to talk to are from CSOR, the Canadian Special Forces. One of the items they've requested is a Velcro patch panel with a MOLLE backing. That way they can wear blood type patches, Canadian flag patches, unit patches or whatever. A lot of the new gear coming out is super lightweight, and they are trying to ditch as much as possible. This means that there usually isn't any Velcro. So these guys want the ability to put patches onto their gear. We will be teaming up with Blue Force to use their hypalon backing which is what I think to be the best backing currently available. It's the lightest, strongest and lowest profile material available. So that's what's in the works right now. 

The Perroz Designs War-room is definitely something to be coveted. 
So SHOT Show. Can you please shove me in one of your bags and bring me along with you?
[Laughs] Well ya, I'm really looking forward to SHOT show this year. Being the mecca of firearms and outdoor gear, it's something that I've really wanted to go to for a while now. This will be my first time attending, and I'm really proud to be going under my name and my brand. I'll be brining along my sales rep and VP, Temir Nurtazin, so it should be an amazing time!

Who do you want to go talk to?
Crye, Ops core, LBT, mystery ranch, you know, all the big guys. As much as I can really. I know it's massive, but I'm going to try my best. 

Do you think you'd like to go the route of fellow Canuck Ferro Concepts, and have your gear supplied to guys fighting overseas, or are you concentrating more on the civilian market?
I'd love to see my stuff in use. Whether it is Afghanistan or somewhere else in the world. I don't want to limit myself to just military or just civilian. Mayflower, which is another company that I really respect, makes things for the military athlete. I try to take a similar approach by making gear for athletes; for people who are active, who either enjoy sports or training; high performance gear with a specific purpose in mind. 


If you could choose three pieces of gear or clothing that you own as your favourites, what would they be?
Did I bring up Arc'teryx yet? I don't know how I missed them. They're probably one of my top three brands. The full zip Arc'teryx LEAF Atom LT, that's my number one piece. I think I wear that every single day. It's super warm and fits great. The majority of what I'm buying these days is not in military colours so I can wear them and not get that second look by someone looking at the MOLLE or the Velcro on the shoulders. 

Second would be my Patagonia Rain Shadow hardshell. It's super lightweight and that's usually my outer layer. When rain hits that it beads right off the H2No fabric, no problem at all. I've had it for a year or two now. 

The last piece would be my Solomon shoes. I've had them for over two years, and have to replace the insoles, but anything Solomon I recommend. 

If you had a blank cheque to buy one piece of gear or clothing, what would you get?
I really like my night vision toys, so it would probably be the GPNV18s. the four-tube night vision system. I think if I got a pair of those I’d just… my head would explode. [Laughs] ya, those are pretty cool. 

4 comments:

  1. If Milan is looking for a Design Consultant, please count me in...

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  2. Great interview! Was awesome to read.

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  3. I originally got started making gear for myself. Saying, "Hey, I could probably make this! Or, I could make this better." So I gave it a shot and started small and progressed. I taught myself how to sew, no one taught me. I learned the hard way and made a lot of mistakes
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