Camouflage has become a global cult in today's fashion and design world. Its fascinating story tells of the interplay between military developments on the one hand, and the worlds of art, design and popular culture on the other. The animal kingdom provides examples of all the essential principles of camouflage: the chameleon, whose colours change to merge with its setting; the zebra, whose vivid stripes disrupt its outline and make it more difficult for predators to sight from a distance; the stick insect that pretends to be what it's not. Such strategies of visual deception have inspired human hunters since prehistoric times. New creativity in the military art of disguise was spurred in the First World War by the threats of aerial reconnaissance and long-range enemy fire. In the Second World War teams of artists, designers and scientists worked together to create ever more sophisticated modes of camouflage. By the 1970s, disruptive pattern uniforms were worn by soldiers of most nations, and had become as much a way of identifying allegiance as of protecting the wearer from detection. Today, as modern advances in radar, heat-seeking missiles and thermal-imaging techniques make straightforward visual deception increasingly redundant, scientists are developingsuper high-tech solutions. But camouflage has flourished through peace as well as war. Numerous artists and designers have explored the themes and extremes of camouflage and optical illusion, whilecamouflage patterns in clothing and accessories have filtered from the street to the catwalk and bock again.This wonderfully stylish and appealing book accompanies a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum. Together they are a dazzling revelation of camouflage's power in nature, war and design.
