I vividly remember exactly where I was when I first watched Destiny's Child's "Survivor" music video. I was 4 and blissfully unaware of the fashion moment I was witnessing unfold. Unbeknownst to me, Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle were convincing me that camo was the only print worth wearing. And looking back 20-odd years later, this formative moment was just a tiny piece of Beyoncé-coded (and Tina Knowles-curated) propaganda that helped to permanently alter the fashion chemistry of my brain. So, consider me thrilled when this summer, I noticed the motif quietly making a comeback once more.
Camo is back, baby, and for those of us who were influenced by the print before we would even spell "military," its return feels less like a trend and more like a long-awaited homecoming.
It's no secret that camo print started life as a strictly uniform-based motif, typically in shades of khaki, brown and black; it was created to do, well, exactly what it says on the tin. So, when it was picked up by the fashion set in the early 2000s, just as our favourite OG It girls began appearing on the front pages of every glossy magazine going, it was clear that the re-appropriation of the print was going to make its mark.
From Christina Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan's lace-up jeans to Gwen Stefani’s slinky little scarf (and lest we forget the seemingly endless supply of camo-clad looks served by Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Nicky Rothschild), the early aughts were essentially one long camouflage fever dream. I mean, must I remind you of The Simple Life’s iconic hunting episode, which, frankly, deserved an Oscar? The hyper-utilitarian print became an instant classic and just as legendary as the ladies who sported it.
But after taking over the wardrobes of Hollywood's most photographed women (and by extension, ours), by the 2010s, camo had taken on a different form: its hypebeast era. From the rise of Bathing Ape (BAPE) hoodies to colourful skatewear, the print evolved from military pattern to one adorned with logos, graffiti, varsity typography and cartoon motifs. Cool, sure, but as we headed into an era defined by quiet luxury, it felt way too boisterous.
Thankfully, fashion is cyclical. And with both Gen Z and millennial dressers turning to maximalist prints and dopamine-inducing patterns as a way to inject a little more personality into their looks, in 2026, camo has quietly become one of the most desirable print trends to wear. Remarkably, today's iteration seems to blend all its most influential eras into one. Balancing the effortlessly undone, slightly scruffy sensibility of '90s grunge, adding a little more dressy appeal from its Y2K years and updating them both with the bolder prints and patterns born of its streetwear era, the three now co-exist with very little friction.
Take Alexa Chung, whose camo-print trousers continue to make a compelling case for the print. Or Gen-Zer Ruby Lynn, whose distinctly off-duty, slightly chaotic styling of loose tops, tanks and calf-high Ugg boots feels impossibly cool. Of course, over in the country western corner of the fashion-verse, Orbella founder and cowgirl princess Bella Hadid loves a camo-print cap. And then there's Hailey Bieber, who recently gave the print her own cheeky stamp of approval via husband Justin’s Instagram. The message couldn’t be clearer (at least amongst the celebrity set): camo is very much back.
Scroll down to shop the best camo-print pieces on the market right now.
Shop the Best Camo-Print Pieces in 2026
from Latest from Who What Wear https://ift.tt/x3W605I
No comments:
Post a Comment