Ever since Aristotle wrote about how the octopus “seeks its prey by so changing its color as to render it like the color of the stones adjacent to it”, humans have seen the potential of camouflage as a method of concealment. In fact, both the Greeks and the Romans are thought to have camouflaged their ships, with Julius Caesar himself ordering his speculatoria navigia (reconnaissance boats) to be painted in bluish-green wax before scouting the wild and barbarous British Isles.
Camouflage clothing, however, took much longer to develop. While it is widely believed that ancient hunters used animal skins, mud, and foliage to help conceal their location from potential prey, there is no documented use of camouflage clothing until the 18th century. However, over the course of 200 years the study, development, and design of camo clothes has taken plenty of interesting twists and turns. So, for lovers of all things camo, we bring you a brief history of camouflage clothing.
A Call to Arms – Rifling and the Birth of Camo Clothing
The first camouflage clothing was introduced in answer to the fast-improving weaponry of the 18th century. As long-range rifles replaced muskets, shot accuracy increased, and dark green garments replaced traditional uniforms. The Roger’s Rangers of the Seven Years War were among the first units to be credited with the use of green and other drab colored uniforms, and soon after, The British Rifle Regiments of the Napoleonic Wars colored their uniforms in what became known as rifle green.
However, armies were generally slow to adapt to these innovative tactics, and while long-range rifles became standard around 1830, European colonialism is thought to have contributed to the lethargic uptake. Embroiled in multiple wars against less well-armed opponents, camouflage was simply unnecessary, with victory all but guaranteed for the European superpowers of the day.
All Things Tweed — Hunting and the History of Camouflage Clothing
At almost the same time as the military was developing camouflage uniforms, the British aristocracy saw potential in Scottish tweed for use in hunting. In 1848, Prince Albert laid the foundations for Balmoral Tweed after his purchase of the Balmoral Estate. Designed specifically to camouflage game hunters on the estate, Balmoral Tweed was based on a traditional grey weave but introduced black and white threads to mimic the local granite that was a predominate feature of the terrain.
As the Industrial Revolution continued apace, and the textiles industry became more advanced, Tweed camouflaging took on a life of its own. Pretty soon, Clan Tartans and Estate Tweeds were common throughout Britain and Ireland, with noblemen developing their own colorations and patterns designed to blend into the specific terrain of the estate. Today of course, Tweed is an important part of the history of camouflage in fashion, with those distinctive estate tweeds becoming the archetype for mass-produced Tweed garments that were no longer restricted to the British nobility.
Modern hunting gear has more or less moved away from Tweed in favor of military inspired patterns and designs, however, particularly in the British Isles, tradition dictates the use of these timeless garments on annual hunts or simply as a practical yet stylish garment for outdoor pursuits. The history of hunting camouflage then, plays a large part in the way clothing has been adapted to conceal the human form.
Camouflage in The Modern Era
By the time of the First Boer War of 1880, simple camouflage was common in armies around the world. British khaki, Italian grigio-verde (grey-green), and German feldgrau (field grey) were all standard by the outbreak of the First World War, with only the conspicuous blue coats and red trousers of the French Army remaining. The French finally adopted a greyish uniform after the extremely high casualty rate on the front forced their hand, but despite being late to the party, the French helped camouflaging technology and tactics to grow exponentially over the coming decades.
In 1916, French artist Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola introduced camouflaging observation trees. These steel trees with bark camouflage depended, not on blending into the terrain, but rather disrupting the outlines of objects with bold colors and/or contrasting patterns. The camofluer was born, with the Post-Impressionist and Fauve schools pioneering early camo patterns through disruption, abstraction, and color theory techniques. Cubist dazzle patterns followed, and even Picasso laid claim to inspiring some of the more counter-intuitive camouflage that, nonetheless, was generally quite effective.
Advancements in fabric printing techniques during the Second World War saw this disruptive style of camouflage become standard in uniforms. Digital camouflage, as it is known – despite predating the digital era by many years – is designed to disrupt outlines at a range of scales. Perhaps the most recognizable camo patterns were born in this era, with the iconic brown and green stripes, flecks, and brushstroke patterns proving effective for another 50 years. Patterns such as Woodland (USA), Lizard (France), and Flecktarn (Germany), all went through a variety of iterations until the development of computer aided designs at the turn of the millennium.
Despite the word “digital” previously representing hand-designed patterns, the introduction of computers ushered in a new era of digital design. Pixelated patterns such as CADPAT and MARPAT were created in 2000 by US Army officer Timothy R. O’Neill. The “digital” designation also includes non-pixelated patterns such as Multicam, with CAD providing an effective way to simplify design and reduce costs in printing—a particularly important factor when thousands of uniforms must be manufactured both quickly and at low cost.
CAD Camouflage and Dreams of Invisibility
Looking to the future, many people believe that camouflage will develop in new and exciting ways. Light-bending technologies and materials may even be able to achieve invisibility, while other exciting innovations in nanotechnology and graphene hope to push the boundaries of camo clothing to include thermal invisibility and camouflage on an infrared light scale. Today then, the dream of true invisibility may well be the next step in the intriguing history of camouflage clothing!
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.