1980s: Camo as a True Fashion PrintAs the print garners mass acceptance and sheds its masculine symbolism and

utilitarian-only appeal, an increasing number of fashion designers use it as a

source of inspiration. The period of the 80s also saw the importance of the print in

music-driven subcultures, whether it was hip-hop, punk, or techno. We thus see

one of the most vital perceived attributes

of the print that allowed it to enjoy such a rapid rate of adoption: its high degree of compatibility with the specific values

diverse potential adopters.

.

Model Lily Cole wears a silk-tulle, camo-printed gown

from Jean Paul Gaultier’s 2000 collection.

early 20th Century:Mass Consumer Appeal

“Normally reserved for battle-fields, hiding in duck blinds, or

hipster irony, camo is now being spotted everywhere.” wrote NY

Daily News journalist Shiela McClear back in December of 2013. And as celebrities - who importantly enjoy the role of

opinion leaders in today’s fame-obsessed world - took up

the trend and mass media spread the information to the consumer masses, a torpedo

effect on the innovation’s rate of diffusion was triggered.

A mens’ suit from Stephen Sprouse’s 1988 collection, in

which Warhol’s colorful take on the

camo print has obvious influence.

T-shirt design from politically-charged Americanhip-hop group Public Enemy.

19801995

2000NOW

Maharishi designer Hardy Blechman sitting in front of some of his

creations, proving that he’s one of the experts of camouflage.

from left: a shot from Patrik Ervell’s Fall 13 mens’ wear show; Glee star Naya Rivera wearing the print back in 2013 during a casual coffee run; Michael Kors’ blue-gray variation of the pring

during Fall 13’s NY Fashion Week is a prime example of designer experimentation with

camo-chic.

from left: a shopping / wardobe guide from Vogue Paris’ S/S 13 issue demonstrates how the print’s purpose has undergone a full 180-degree turn - that is, from concealing its wearer to making him (or her) stand out; a fun camouflage design from Alternative Prom Dress illustrates how the print’s now ideal for teen formals as well as battlefileds; a pair of ‘RealTree’ pink

camo shades from Southern Sisters Designs is a prime example of how women have made the innovation their own; a boy’s jacket by John Galliano shows how kids can rock the print as well.

From her Spring 1940 collection, a camo-printed taffeta by Elsa Schiaparelli,

one of the first fashion designers to use “modern” camouflage in her work.

1939 - 1945: WWIIAdvancements in weapons and technology - that is, innovations which made hiding from one’s enemy more difficult - made invisibility

a priority to soldiers. Armies thus recruited artists to utilize their knowledge of color theory, abstraction, etc. to design more

effective disruptive camo prints. The result was a more mass spread adoption of the

innovation on military apparel, but the diffusion of the print within one homophilous

social system importantly triggered another group - that is, the fashion industry - to

recognize its value as creative inspiration and in self-expression.

1914 - 1918: WWI OriginsInterestingly, the idea of concealment for the sake of warfare was first seen not on people, but on ships - Mediterranean pirates, for instance, painted

their vessels blue-gray to blend in with the high seas. However, during WWI, the French Army realized that the concept could just as well be utilized to hide their soldiers. Adopting the disruptive pattern to another form - that is, the human body - was in itself an innovation, and created the playspace

for future designers of both military and consumer apparel to generate future ones.

1956 - 1975: The Vietnam WarPreviously confined to special military units, the print breached other social systems and became

more of a cultural phenomenon during the Vietnam War. Anti-war protestors, for instance, sported the pattern during their demonstrations, adopting the innovation to fulfill their own needs - ironically,

ones which were counterintuitive to the print’s initial patriotic symbolism.

Vogue’s March 1940 issue reveals how wartime impacts

the fashion world.The print on the USS West Mahomet circa 1918 allows the vessel to hide

from enemies’ perception.

During the Chelsea Arts Club’s “Dazzle Ball”on March 12, 1919, the prints on the costumes of

attendees mirrored that of dazzle camouflage.

19141939

1956

from left: young, anti-war protestors during the Vietnam War; visitors at the Honor Fraser Gallery enjoying Andy Warhol’s “Camouflage Series”; dresses by Finnish designer Marimekko; design by “King of Cartoon” Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

The innovation’s proves to be irresistable to the masses, and its role in any kind of anti-establishment statement proved its ability to merge subcultures. It was quickly adopted by various social systems, whether it was young, urban

rebels, artists, or fashion designers.

a change in canvasfrom ships to the human body

a change in social systemfirst signs of the fashion world’s interest

a change in social systemadoption by other groups

a change in purposefrom concealment to self-expression

a change in meaninga reflection of high fashion

a change in degree of saturationfrom niche markets to a global phenomenon

NOW: A Wardrobe Necessity for EveryoneThe print has conquered the mass consumer fashion marketplace; seen on products ranging from prom dresses, childrenswear, sunglasses, etc., it is also a regular feature in trend reports from various fashion publica-tions, who offer their readers camo print styling tips. Though its meaning

has regularly transformed - and will certainly continue to do so - as different social systems exploit its flexibility via reinvention and personal

customization, the camo print enjoys is sustainable success as an innova-tion thanks to its ability to be both shape and be shaped by cultural and technological changes. Previously confined to only localite social chan-

nels - such as the armed forces, scientists, artists, and the more fash-ion-conscious elite - the print has since profited from close system-system

interplays, as well as advancements in mass media, which markedly created the effective information-spreading platforms through which

our innovation could reach a larger audience more rapidly.

a change in... everythingused on and by a full spectrum of objects and people

189018801870 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Escaping Criticism, by Pere Borell del Caso, is an oil painting which uses the ‘trompe l’oeil’ technique, introducing the principles of camouflage to the

public for the first time.

1874 Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, by artist Abbott Handerson

Thayer, is published. Thayer, who conducted multiple counter-shading

studies, developed the ‘how-to knowl-edge’ of camouflage in his Thayer’s

Law.

1909

Zoologist Sir Edward Poulton writes the first book about animal camouflage.

1890

The Cubist Art Movement is popu-laized and significantly influences the

future of the camouflage print.

1908 - 1917Early camouflage print emerges

during WWI in response to aerial and trench warfare,

1917

Kidney-shaped splotches of contem-porary camouflage print emerges.

1931 Mark Hartford of Vietnam Veterans Against the War uses the print as a

press tool to promote peace.

1971Ian Hamilton creates a screenprint of a tank, named after a rural paradise, Arcadia. Ironically, he uses the print

on a military tool. Anti-military art thus establishes its role as a ‘Cue to

Action’.

1973 Andy Warhol’s Camouflage Series takes advantage of the print’s symbol-

ism, though the artist injects vibrant color experimentation into his designs. This would especially influence future

fashion designers who also were inspired by the print.

1986

Hip-hop culture, which originiated in the Bronx, makes the print its own, as artists and listeners

alike began rocking the pattern. Musicians are

important change agents in the diffusion of

the camo print across different social classes.

1970s

The US Army introduces the Universal Camouflage Pattern, which was

designed to be suitable for all environ-ments. Instead, it worked in none, and

was a massive failure.

2004

The print reaches reaches the mass consumer market thanks to the reality TV show Duck Dynasty, which turned

the gun-toting, God-fearing, camo-print into overnight celebrities.

2012

The US Army introduces ‘Dual Texture’, a camouflage print developed by Dr.

Tim O’Neill. The innovation is highly unpopular, but serves as the prece-dent to contemporary camouflage.

1970

1920 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

This spot camouflage pattern was developed by German innovators,

influenced by the German WWII “pea pattern”. The term, “flecktarn”

comes from the German words, fleck meaning spot, and tarnung meaning camouflage. “Flecktarn is a five-color

pattern consisting of black, reddish brown, olive, dark olive, and moss

green spots to effectively disrupt the eye.

FLECKTARNCountry of Origin: Germany

Year: 1930

During WWII the German military developed, the “falling rain con-

cept”, where rain drops / straits were isolated on solid background to

distract the eye. This concept has been adopted by many other military forces. During the 1960s - 70s, revolu-

tionary movements in Africa organiza-tions used this pattern.

RAINCountry of Origin: Germany

Year: 1935

One of the earliest versions of camou-flage created by an early adopter of the print, Major Denison of the British

Army. The term “brushstroke” refers to Denison’s idea of using mop brush to paint over khaki-colored smocks. This

technique has been adopted by various countries in Africa, the Middle

East, and Asia.

BRUSHSTROKECountry of Origin: Britain

Year: 1942

The “lizard” camouflage pattern is essentially the French’s version of the “brushstroke” pattern developed by the British Army. This pattern adopted

the name “lizard”, referring to the paratroopers that originally wore this

pattern. The French used many versions of this pattern over a course

of ten years.

LIZARDCountry of Origin: France

Year: 1950

This pattern was highly influenced by the French “lizard” pattern from 1950.

The term “tiger stripe” refers to the collection of camo patterns made in Southeast Asia. This pattern is more

dense than the lizard one, and incor-porates darker colors and smaller

brush strokes to mimic the forests of Vietnam.

TIGER STRIPECountry of Origin: Vietnam

Year: 1960DPM, or Disruptive Pattern Material,

was a term coined by the British innovators of camouflage. This print is

used in temperate climates and consists of black, brown, and bright

green shades.

DPMCountry of Origin: Britain

Year: 1960This variation of camouflage was not

used in warfare; rather, it was created by American companies and was marketed as hunting apparel for

sportsmen. Today, there has been many variations of hunting camou-

flage.

DUCK HUNTERCountry of Origin: US

Year: 1960

Designed for the Califiornian desert terrain by the US Army, the original design of this pattern consisted of three colors, and has been since duplicated and widely used for

desert warfare The most prevalent use of this pattern was during the Persian Gulf War (1981 - 1991) and Operation Desert Storm. The print’s popularity - and association with ‘patriotic’ expression - during the

latter was largely due to the fact that it was worn by Barbara Bush during

one of her trips to Saudi Arabia.

CHOCOLATE CHIPCountry of Origin: US

Year: 1971 The most widely diffused camou-flage pattern, this print has been

duplicated and modified more than any other pattern in history. It was developed by the US Army - since

then, it’s been used by military forces around the world.

WOODLANDCountry of Origin: US

Year: 1981Digital camouflage patterns are

designed using computer algorithms to better fool the eye. The Canadian Forces patented the digital pattern

(CADPAT) in 1997 - despite this, similar derivatives of this pattern have been

diffused and widely adopted by many armed forces. In 2001, for instance, the Marine Corps introduced its pixelated MARPAT uniform; in 2004, the US Army

attempted to create a single print that could conceal wearers in all environ-

ments, and released the Universal Camouflage Pattern.

DIGITALCountry of Origin: Canada

Year: 1997

1950

INFLUENCE: art

INFLUENCE: military SUBCULTURE: anti-military

SUBCULTURE: hip-hop/music

mid-1990s:Haute Couture Appeal

By the mid-1990s, the camo print is not only seen in urban apparel, but in the creations of haute couture designers. From Jean Paul Gaultier, to Christian Dior, to Yves Saint

Laurent, renowned names in the global fashion industry recognized the aesthetic

power inherent in the pattern, and thus showcased the

innovation in their collections. The highly observable format of runway shows, combined

with the masses’ general desire to emulate the elite,

thus furthered the print’s diffusion on a more wide-

spread scale.

MARKET SHARE: 100% penetration

PURPOSE: concealment PURPOSE: self-expression PURPOSE: fashion design PURPOSE: profit/sales

Artists & Scholars Research the Camo ConceptBefore this point, there’s a complete lack of information concerning how the principle of camouflage actually works. Keen to address this, biologists begin studying camouflage in nature, as well as the science behind how

the human eye discerns objects and shapes. Psychologists also develop theories, such as Gestaltism, on how visual forms and patterns determine the information that our eyes send

to our brain.

WWI as a “Cue-to-Action”Artists and millitary researchers work together to

create the industry of “Visual Subterfuge”. In the beginning, it is used and experimented with on ships, vehicles, and buildings in order to hide

from aerial perception.

The Print Reaches the Student DemographicStudents protesting the Vietnam War are

especially important reinventors of the innovation, changing the meaning of the

print to suit their anti-war position and advocation for peace.

Hip-Hop Brings the Print to Low-Income Classes

The rise of rap and hip-hop music parallels further playful and aesthically-driven reinven-tions of the print, but camo’s natural ability to

be used in statement-making continues as “conscious hip-hop” groups such as Public

Enemy realize its invaluable role in achieving change and reaching once untouched social

groups.

Mass media communication channels, such as reality TV, Twitter, and Instagram, expose individuals in all social systems to the innovation. Now armed with

awareness, mass consumers are more likely than ever to inject some camo into their wardrobes. Further, the

print’s presence can be seen in not just fashion, but other industries - from authomobiles and electronics, to artistic works and architectural installations, camo can be found on nearly anyone, anything, and anywhere.

Mass Media Cranks Diffusion Rate to Turbo Speeds

On June 6, 1944, the print has a huge role during D-Day.

1944