Fashion Army by Matthieu Nicol
**Fashion Army** delves into the fascinating evolution of military attire and its transformation into an iconic element of global fashion. Spearheaded by French visual researcher Matthieu Nicol, the project offers a compelling catalogue of over three hundred and fifty documentary images sourced from the declassified US Army Natick Labs archive. These images span the late 1960s to the early 1990s, a pivotal period in the history of military innovation. The visual archive meticulously documents the development of soldiers’ clothing and gear—designed not only for the battlefield but also for everyday military life—underscoring the intricate relationship between fashion, power, and functionality. The progression of these designs reveals the deliberate balance between practicality and aesthetics, a balance that has quietly but profoundly influenced contemporary style, blurring the lines between protection, authority, and personal identity.
As we move through the archive, the sterile, staged imagery—captured primarily on 4x5 medium format film—evokes an almost clinical detachment, reminiscent of industrial photography. Yet, there’s an unexpected intimacy in the way these images depict the subtle human moments between the rigid structures of the military: a fleeting smile, a tentative glance, or a gesture that feels strangely personal. These visual elements, seemingly neutral, expose the tension between the personal and the institutional, the individual and the collective, reflecting broader cultural shifts. The juxtaposition of these decontextualized images challenges viewers to consider how military attire, initially a symbol of power and authority, has transcended its original purpose, creeping into everyday civilian fashion through influences as varied as utilitarian streetwear and high fashion runways.
The narrative that emerges from Fashion Army is not merely a visual history of military clothing but a meditation on the deeper cultural and social implications of these designs. From camouflage patterns now seen in urban fashion to the structured, minimalist silhouettes of high-end couture, Nicol's sequence reveals the paradoxical blend of allure and violence encoded in military aesthetics.
The photographs, with their detached compositions, echo the evolution of "clean war"—aestheticizing conflict, obscuring the brutal reality of violence while elevating it to a symbol of efficiency and precision. In doing so, the work raises questions about how deeply militarism is woven into the fabric of everyday life, not only in the material sense but in the cultural imagination of style, authority, and identity.