Evening ensemble - dress, jacket and shoes

This woman's evening ensemble features a striking camouflage print. The wearer might have blended into a sun-dappled forest, but not into grey city streets. There are no enemies about, so she can afford to attract attention. This irony lies at the heart of camouflage in fashion.

 

Military camouflage

 

Camouflage uniforms were introduced during the Second World War for special military units to make soldiers less visible to enemy forces.  Camouflage fabrics (known as disruptive pattern material) are ideal for concealment as camouflage deceives and misdirects the eye.  Camouflage was widely adopted during the Cold War and refined during the Vietnam War.  Desert versions were introduced during the first Gulf War.  Camouflage remains an essential military tool today with hundreds of patterns used by armies throughout the world.

 

Political camouflage

 

Camouflage patterns entered civilian wardrobes in the late 1960s as part of counterculture’s ironic appropriation of military surplus clothing for street wear.  Camouflage clothing was worn by anti-Vietnam War protestors and became part of the ‘radical chic’ of the early 1970s.

 

Fashion camouflage

 

The trend then faded but resurfaced in the street styles of the 1980s influenced by American hip hop bands wearing military-style clothing as part of their ‘urban warfare’ look.  Camouflage clothing became popular again in the wake of the Gulf War in the 1990s, especially combat trousers with deep side pockets (i.e. cargo pants).  By the mid 1990s, camouflage had been incorporated into the collections of many prominent designers.  Camouflage clothing is now worn mainly for aesthetic rather than political reasons. 

 

This outfit illustrates the curious fusion of military clothing with contemporary fashion.  Is the creative and commercial appropriation of a pattern which facilitates military combat an ironic counter-culture statement?  Is the use of camouflage in everyday life a vilification or glorification of war?  Does fashion neuter camouflage’s military associations?

 

Whatever the answers are, camouflage patterns are everywhere – from high fashion to street fashion, from battledress to children’s clothing.  It is one of the most popular forms of decoration on the planet.  It is so ubiquitous that we don’t even notice it – another form of camouflage at work.