When Hushkit "winged" over some planes for me to find comparative details from fashion collections in a spot-the-difference investigation, it occurred to me how apt the timing is. Print is currently the omnipresent trend across international menswear to womenswear from high-end to high-street, with camouflage making a reappearance as part of the pattern portfolio. Camouflage in its essence and invention is an optical allusion of invisibility but only in a fashion context does it have the transverse effect of being LOUD! The most successful specific exploration into the sartorial application of foliage is 90's British label Maharashi, founded from a background in military and industrial clothing. Since this time the streetwear label has started a subsidiary business "DPM" (Distruptive Pattern Material) with the aim to detach camouflage from its adopted military associations and promote its natural and artistic roots from where it initially came. They have even put together a 944 page encyclopedia of camouflage for your every camo query! A recent collaboration with Casio G-Shock on a "Bamdazzle" watch fits perfectly into context of the disguise in this study with the "dazzle" pattern. However, the nearest "Dazzle" reference employed in the fashion industry was in stylist Simon Foxton's work for Fred Perry drawing on the original Norman Wilkinson geometric patterns of World War 1. As for the designer to come closest to incorporating actual aviation engineering in their garments, is Hussein Chalayan in 2007 with a dress that had sliding panels operated by remote controlled animatronics.
In this vein of contextualising aircraft dynamics into the craft of clothing, I have analysed the models and aligned each one with a brand and season in a non-scientific, just for laughs exercise. Is it a bird, is it a plane................. no it's Prada!
Mikoyan MiG-29A Slovakian air force vs. Pixelated small squares like the PREEN print from S/S 2012:
Preen's digitised geometric square pastel prints came from an extreme close-up of a vase of peonies and lace in reference to
looking at Virginia Wolfe and her lifestyle with the Bloomsbury set:
"We loved various aspects from that period but felt to replicate them would be too retro, so we tried to take it to a new level by computerising everything. We took the lace from that period and digitised it so it became very geometric and black and white, almost to the point where it didn’t feel like lace any more."
Prototype Sukhoi Su-32FN vs. Bright pop colour camo like the Dior bag with camo print by Berlin artist Anselm Reyle:
The Parisian House gave free reign to Berlin fine artist Anselm Reyle to shake up the codes of Couture with his signature style inspired by the agitprop of eighties punk graphics. His prints for accessories reworked camo in bright, saturated hues & fluorescent colour ways.
“I am interested in irritating the viewer’s eye.”
Sukhoi Su-35BM vs. Geometric design knit from PRINGLE S/S 2012 designed by Alistair Carr:
Carr's first collection designing for the British heritage brand updated their traditional argyle and jacquard patterns, playing on the function of knit as a brilliant tool for color, texture, and pattern. The opening look of the show was this gray crewneck sweater with multicolored intarsia bands based on the patterned upholstery of London Underground tube seating.
Sukhoi Su-30MKM vs. Aqua colour camo print like Tommy Hilfiger S/S 2012:
Hilfiger's collections are always preppy but this season he made preppy more modern, inspired by contemporary art. He chose the artists he collects himself and focused on Andy Warhol and Basquiat for this Warholesque camo print. He applied the pattern onto jackets and shorts in a red/purple/pink mix and a cropped jacket and sweater in blues and blacks seen here.
Northrop P-61 Black Widow vs. Black patent sheen with spherical form like Giles Pac-Man Headwear from S/S 2009
To accessorise this 80's theme collection Giles worked with milliner Stephen Jones on enormous Pac-Man metal helmets to complete asci-fi sadomasochism scheme.
"I was just looking at the graphic designers of the late eighties and early nineties who I grew up admiring: Ben Kelly, Peter Saville, Mark Farrow. Pet Shop Boys videos, The Hacienda club. What they did was ridiculously simple but incredibly graphic." Pac-Man (the precursor of every modern computer game) dates from the same sort of vintage"
The SK-37 Viggen vs. Pattern like Jeremy Scott x Adidas Originals A/W 2011 camouflage sneakers.......... with wings!
