CNN
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Despite the ugly realities of war, military-adjacent aesthetics have long been associated with the fashion industry and pop culture in general. From the mainstream use of camouflage patterns and epaulettes on the shoulders of jackets to the prevalence of colors such as army green and khaki. These styles have also recently made cameos on stage at the DNC and Lollapalooza (the Harris Waltz campaign and Chapel Lawn’s “Midwest Princess” tour, respectively).
Matthew Nichol, whose unusual new book is called “Fashion Army,” isn’t particularly into the military. “Actually, I’m a food photography collector and image editor,” he told CNN in a video call. But this new title, recently published by SPBH Editions in parallel with a show at the French photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles (currently on tour), describes “the evolution of military uniforms into iconic fashion”, i.e. The work is based on his work, which is considered through the prototype of a uniform. 2022 food photo book “Better Food for Our Fighting Men”.
Both are the result of Nicol’s intensive research efforts, which led him to the U.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Systems Center (NSSC) several years ago. NSSC is an active military facility in the Boston area that deals in functional products (primarily textiles) rather than weapons. and a vast corpus of declassified photographs. Of the approximately 15,000 items he found in his online archive, “Fashion Army” recontextualizes and compiles 350 items, featuring images of non-models from various military branches in uniform.
Nicole’s starting point was photography, but as fashion critic Angelo Flaccavento states in his essay “Function is Form” in this book, there is a legacy of fashion. It’s a fashion statement, but it actually exudes today’s sparkling sensibilities. ”
Produced for reasons unknown (the U.S. military refused to answer Nicole’s numerous questions about the origins and purpose of the photos), the series has the sensibility of a fashion portfolio, with the clothes themselves following contemporary trends. Reflective in print, structure and silhouette. And vice versa (Nicol noted that the photos were taken from the late ’70s to the early ’90s, around the same time as the end of the Vietnam War and the start of the first Gulf War).
“They were never meant to be broadcast,” he said. “The U.S. military is a society within a society, with thousands of people working for it. And (on the one hand) these images are not propaganda, but an invitation to sell prototypes to various branches of the military. It was created for.”
The correlation between the images here and broader fashion trends is also clear. One photo of a man in red fleece paired with quilted pants feels especially relevant in 2024, while the same onion quilt pattern is a nod to the liner jackets pioneered by brands like Uniqlo and Marfa Stance. It tells the story of the trend. Unsurprisingly, camouflage is prevalent in the book’s pages, and the sunglasses featured are in keeping with the more experimental designer fashions.
“These images really resonate with what I’m seeing today. Some of the images look almost like a Carhartt campaign,” Nicole continued. “I have a 15-year-old daughter who wears baggies and camouflage, and[Louis Vuitton creative director]Pharrell Williams and other people at Vuitton are also wearing these camouflage patterns. It’s interesting that both fashion and streetwear take inspiration from it. Military research always has civilian applications.”
The front and back covers feature separate men and women wearing white protective vests, reminiscent of Helmut Lang’s widely praised 1998 catwalk show that featured a similar design (Timothée Chalamet) wore an archival black leather version to promote Wonka in Las Vegas in 2023). “Fashion items fascinate us primarily because they are pleasing to the eye, but also because they carry symbolic values such as status and modernity,” Flaccavento emphasized.
Of course, military style has been appropriated by various subcultures over the decades. The usually inexpensive military surplus stores influenced the counterculture style of the 1960s and later shaped the uniforms of ’80s indie bands like The Strokes. The multi-hyphenate also debuted a new camouflage mutation when Williams made his SS24 debut at Louis Vuitton, Billionaire Boys, the label he co-founded with Japanese designer Nigo in 2003. -It was a callback to the club’s (heavy camouflage-heavy) fabrics. Additionally, hero items from Italian brands CP Company and Stone Island directly reflect this relationship and reflect the innovation of the U.S. military.
“What struck me about these images, in addition to the fact that they were beautiful and well produced, was that they used the same production that we see today,” said Nicole. added, saying that he had first read about characteristics of the photo that matched the 90s. Aesthetics advocated by Juergen Teller and others. “I showed this image to a friend who works in the fashion industry, and he showed me the Acne Studios and Martin Margiela e-commerce sites. The clothes and models look the same, but these images are 40 years old .”
