The enduring popularity of camouflage in (civilian) menswear and its recent spike thanks to a camo-filled Spring ‘13 season (the Dries, the Dries!) tend to obscure the fact that some camo-wearers aren’t wearing the pattern fashionably; they’re wearing it professionally. This week’s New York magazine spotlights two designers who have changed the face of clothing and camo—albeit from a vantage point far, far from the runway. Caleb Crye and Gregg Thompson, founders of the design firm Crye Precision, created “Multicam,” a camouflage pattern that works across a variety of landscapes, so soldiers traveling across diverse environments don’t need to change. (Monocle dropped in on their Brooklyn Navy Yard digs for a closer look at the pattern; see the video here.) As it turned out, military-issue camouflage had barely been tweaked since the Vietnam era. And while they’ve brought their innovations from conception to reality (and onto the bodies of every American soldier in the Army and Marines) in a mere decade or so, other new ideas are slower to take hold. Their patented, battle-ready “Crap Suit” is still on the shelf. You can guess.
—Matthew Schneier
Photo: cryeprecision.com
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