HOULTON, Maine — A Maine man who has worked as a bodyguard for Rihanna, Jay-Z and other globally famous celebrities is now trying to grow another business that sells his own self-invented body armor backpacks.
Houlton resident Jeffrey Maguire — who worked with multi-Grammy-winning singer Rihanna on a recent trip to California — began exploring ways to offer personal protection several years ago. With the help of a local Amish saddler, he came up with his initial body shield backpack in 2019.
Now, he has opened a retail space in downtown Houlton where he’s selling the backpacks under the brand name Mundbora Body Shields.
Maguire said that many people no longer feel safe, and the body armor bags actually create a wall between a person and an attacker. They can be customized with attachments meant to provide defense against specific threats, including gunshots and stabbings, he said.
“I witnessed a critical need for everyday individuals to be equipped to protect themselves against unforeseen dangers,” Maguire said. “Recognizing that not everyone can afford a bodyguard, I was inspired to create the Mundbora bags.”
The personal protection body armor business has become a multibillion-dollar industry not just for military, law enforcement and first responders, but for individuals as well, according to recent market research reports. Among the reasons people seek out personal body armor are concerns about high rates of gun violence, random shootings, civil unrest and cross border conflicts.
The personal protection industry is projected to grow to $59 billion in the next decade, according to Market Research Future.
Today Mundbora Body Shields offers backpacks and computer bags made from a durable fabric known as 1,000 denier Cordura and hand-sewn at an Amish farmhouse in Easton. They are meant to serve as personal defense tools that can withstand high-impact situations, according to Maguire.
The bodyguard’s invention stemmed from more than 20 years of experience as a personal protection specialist, safeguarding royalty, dignitaries and celebrities. Other clients of his have included Beyonce, Linkin Park and the grandchildren of the Saudi crown prince.
He is currently working with a man in Boston to create personal protection instructional videos to help people use the bags and provide other self-defense tips.
The bags are easy to use and are equipped with the traditional vertical backpack straps, but also have two horizontal straps that a person can slide their arm into and hold across their body to protect themselves, giving them time to escape a dangerous situation, Maguire said.
“It’s designed to create a barrier between you and an attacker,” he said. “You can use it as a shield to create an opportunity to escape.”
While still developing the bags, Maguire was driving around Aroostook County and saw an Amish family in their horse-drawn buggy. That’s when he considered working with the Amish community to help him manufacture the product, he said.
An Easton Amish man who makes saddles worked with Maguire, and after several trials, they got the design the way he had envisioned it. As Mundbora has grown, the Amish family still sews the bags by hand, but because of demand, Maguire also works with a California company that is assisting with their production.
Still, Maguire wants to bring it all to Maine, and eventually Aroostook County. He met with a Maine duffle bag manufacturer recently who said they could make the bags, and he is still exploring his options.
The Mundbora bags have various inserts for additional protection, including shields that are meant to resist stabbings, bullets and blunt trauma.
Maguire recently opened the Mundbora storefront at 83 Main St. in downtown Houlton, across from the Cary Library.
“My vision extends beyond retail,” Maguire said. “I aspire to establish a manufacturing and shipping facility somewhere in Aroostook County.”
The name of his company comes from an old Norse word for protector.
At the heart of his goals is to get body shields into classrooms for teacher and student protection, he said.
“Our mission is to outfit every school across Maine with body shields,” Maguire said. “I firmly believe that a child’s safety should be the number one priority for every school and community leader.”
Recently, Maguire met with school officials in Lewiston about the body shields, he said.
Maguire still owns Maguire Protective Services, but eventually he would like to transition to running Mundbora Body Shields full-time.
