Chasing the chameleon
Camouflage. An optical illusion, created by an eminent inventor - mother nature. In natural environment, fairy-tale animal coloration - of zebras, ocelots or chameleons for instance, primarily has to guarantee natural protection, which is nearly perfect blending into the landscape. Camouflage not only helps vulnerable wild game to hide from its executioner, but also facilitates hunting of powerful predators. They can easily prowl for prey with use of a natural cloak of invisibility.
The rule that reigns over animal kingdom had been spotted and then transposed into the human world by military strategists in 19th century. Just then people noticed that military attire can help in achieving an advantage of surprise on the battlefield. The British Army employed green-hued rifle gear for the very first time during the Napoleonic Wars. It gave them an advantage of invisibility, while the enemy was clad in scarlet uniforms.
At the beginning, plain colors of military attire were utilized - they had to blend in with surroundings. British troops under the command of Sir Harry Lumsden were the pioneers in wearing khaki regimentals in Peshawar in 1848.
Masking pattern with cubistic pedigree
Masking patterns appeared not earlier than during World War II. Back then, French Army created a specialized unit of… painters under the command of Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scevola. They were asked to design camouflage motif for weaponry and military equipment.
Andre Mare belonged to that brilliant cluster. He cherished cubistical forms that were designed to distract observers with their irregular shapes and make it hard to recognize an object they are looking at with a naked eye.
Camo has many names
Classical military disguise pattern - today known as camo (often incorrectly) - has been shyly developing during World War II, yet the most popular one - known as ERDL - was created by the US Army in 1948.
Also known as leaf pattern, ERDL was not used until the sordid Vietnam War, where it had a great chance to test its strategic appropriability.
ERDL gave birth to the whole family of camouflage patterns known as Woodland - they imitated forest. Next to them, we can also identify: digital (reminding pixelated background), tigerstripe (coloration formed of tiger stripes) and also famed frog skin (spotted fabric similar to frog coloration).
Each of them features specific color scheme and layout. Woodland family favours green, beige, brown and black. An immanent attribute of camouflage is an adaptation to the colors of the surrounding the soldiers are in. To blend into a desert, US Army wears uniforms named chocolate chip and Chinese soldiers who are stationed on the sea are clad in blue uniforms.
What then is camo, so popular in Poland? Camo is a name of one of the disguise patterns in green-hued pixelated design. The name was tastefully imported and it now refers to all of the concealing pattern.
When camo became popular?
How did camo print win the hearts of civilians? Usefulness of concealing patterns was appreciated by Vogue’s editors as far back as in 1943! Camo had to wait 30 years for another mention though, when a young girl appeared on the magazine in 1971, wearing that print with blue jeans.
Civilians wearing military clothing, especially in camouflage colors of Vietnamese jungle, was also vital to convey a noble idea in 60s and 70s of the 20th century. It became a protest against unfair and protracted Vietnam War.
Also Andy Warhol contributed to the popularization of the camo-printed clothing - he infused it with a unique character by adding pop-art colors to the pattern.
In 2020 Jean Paul Gaultier introduced camo print to the runway by designing collections of the ball gowns in camouflage hues. John Galliano and Louis Vuitton followed the designer - they once and for all teared out camo print from menswear by incorporating it into sensual and feminine creations.
