While serving in the French Foreign Legion, Jess Plaiter saw a photo in a magazine of two brothers, one in the British Army Royal Engineers and one in the French Foreign Legion. The Legionnaire (Alex Rowe) was wearing an Arktis chest rig.
Spotting that this would be an improvement on their issued body armour, he banded together with his platoon to buy a set each. Then, another platoon asked him to get some for them. And another.
"We got the OK for these mini chest rigs because they were so good. So the whole platoon had them, and we used them in Bosnia… really good for carrying mags and grenades. Then another platoon said, Hey, can you get us these mini chest rigs?"
The new company commander recognised the benefit of these rigs, especially once they were available in the same French CE they were issued. Jess's qualifications as a Brit with a credit card made him the source for 5 Combat companies, 150 chest rigs at a time.
After a motorbike accident on the way to work left him injured and out of action for six weeks, Jess was left pondering the uncertainty of his future, especially if the injury meant the loss of his parachute certification. Rejecting the idea of an administrative role in the Legion, he saw this as a golden opportunity to capitalise on his successful chest rig sales.
After making his recovery and one last tour in Kosovo, he set out to make the right contacts in French procurement, serving his last 6 months in his regiment's Ops wing. As his time in the Legion ended, he managed to wangle a trip to the French Army R&D centre near Versailles to present the Arktis range and discuss the future soldier program, he also invited Tim Holden, Arktis's (then) owner to attend. Over a couple of evenings, some bottles of red wine, and a handshake, Jess became a freelance agent, selling Arktis gear in France on a commission basis.
With sales to PX shops on military bases and specialist units asking for modified kits, Jess expanded his customer base and reputation until he was asked if he could develop a new snow camouflage for the French Mountain Brigade. Despite the initial requirement being only 300 uniforms, this was a significant breakthrough for Arktis. We developed the new pattern, starting with raw fabric and prints that would run when wet for the initial testing, eventually creating the Tundra pattern.
After hurriedly applying for copyright on the design, Jess and Arktis successfully created a new pattern that the French Mountain Brigade has now officially adopted.
Many other clothing manufacturers considered this tender too small to seem worthwhile. Still, that foot in the door was just what Arktis needed.
From success to success, Jess sold 14,000 Arktis Jungle Vests in just three and a half years, getting to the point around 2006 where he was working as an agent for a few companies, especially MP-SEC International in Sweden. Consulting with them and Arktis, Jess proposed that he run as an independent distributor based in France with its own warehouse and distribution. So, in 2007, MP-SEC France went live, able to keep the established MP-SEC that customers knew from shows and events.
As the 2008 financial crisis hit, MP-SEC France became a key retailer for Arktis, supporting each other through uncertain times and cancelled contracts. Since then, MP-SEC has gone from strength to strength.
"The times have changed; that's 20 years ago. Trends have evolved as armies strive to improve on issued equipment."
With equipment specifications becoming more demanding and the general standard of issued kit rising, Arktis has continued to push the envelope and look over the horizon, using our partners like Jess to develop and retail.
Jess's story is important to us at Arktis. Not just because of how we supported each other through the years, but also because of that first chest rig purchase. Having professionals see our kit and recognise its aim and benefits is something we are always incredibly proud of.
Many thanks to Jess Plaiter of MP-SEC France for the interview and for allowing us to share some of his stories.
