Military Designs Back in the Limelight – The Catwalk is a Battlefield
It seems like bold prints are back for the Autumn/Winter season! First, it was the floral print that stepped into the spotlight. This time, it’s the good old classic military print that’s taking over the catwalks the world over.
Also known as ‘The Camo Trend’, camouflage designs are sneaking up back on display in top designer windows in Europe. While most people have forgotten this ode to the military, fashion experts predict that the camo print will boom as the fashion year ends. Interestingly, the trend today involves different types of the print – from subtle and traditional to bold and vibrant.
True to its roots
Believe it or not, the fashion industry has ties with the military that go way back. It isn’t surprising that the original designers and inventors of the camouflage print were in fact designers involved in fashion and not warfare.
Back in the infamous World War I, it was the French military that started the trend that we see today. In the past, the Frenchmen wore red shoes in the battlefield. A stroke of genius led them to replace the obvious footwear with carefully painted knickers that mimicked the colors of the warzone. The people who did the design? Camoufleurs – civilians who had a knack with painting and illustration. They employed the strategy from their boots up to their upper and lower gear. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“The creation of camouflage was inherently an artistic process,” commented fashion history professor Daniel James Cole. The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York continued, saying that “[the boots] naturally came out of many 20th century artistic movements: post-impressionism, pointillism, and Cubism.”
The catwalk is a battlefield
The London Fashion Week saw some designs that were clearly inspired by the camo breakout. Not only that, even those that aren’t explicitly printed in the camo design seemed to be heavily drawn from the militaristic theme. Alexander McQueen showed a magnificent collection of jackets and men’s wear that thad crisp tailoring reminiscent of Navy uniforms.
Topman had a great line that screamed high-end rebel. Silk shirts were paired with leather pants and belts with studs for an overall military chic look.
Locally, certain lines already released their own collection of camo prints for daily wear. Kloke managed to deconstruct the splinter camouflage from Sweden (a more technical term would be the M-90). KAHLO also made great jacket designs that give off militaristic vibes. Both local labels are part of the Indigo8 Solutions stable, so picking up their designs shouldn’t be an issue in Australia.
The next big thing
Oversized coats are in. Midnight floral designs are still in. Pink is still in. Camo and military designs will be in the next few months. Stock up on your best Army or Navy inspired look and turn your lobby’s patio into a catwalk. If you’re wearing any of these, you’ll never have to worry about getting out of style for the season.