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19-01-2022

DPM: TIGERSKINS SS22

Within a series made for the Maha Tailor Shop, DPM reproduce a rare Tigerstripe camouflage variant dubbed ‘Golden Tigerskins’, which originated in 1960’s Vietnam. Tigerstripe was designed in Vietnam, but heavily inspired by the French lizard pattern, following a long term occupation during the French Indo Chine era. Although the French were the first to create a regiment of artists dedicated to camouflage, their Lizard pattern was based on the British Paratrooper’s Denison Smock.

The disruptive pattern became highly coveted after it was adopted by many of the U.S. Special Forces that were stationed in Vietnam as advisors to the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam). The U.S. advisors used the services of local tailor shops to reproduce their uniforms in locally printed / designed camouflage patterns that were never officially made available by the U.S. military.





The printing inks used in Vietnam at the time lacked sophisticated fixing technology, and so the uniforms faded heavily when worn in the extreme sun. DPM Studio offered reproductions of the original, almost impossible to find, ‘Mint’ colourway, as well as the more commonly found sun-faded variant.

DPM also produced ‘Subdued Night Tigerstripe’, an imagined Special Forces Black Ops stealth colourway, nodding to operatives who overdyed their uniforms black in order to hide in cover of darkness at night, and separate themselves from the general army ranks as an elite force.

The pattern was also applied to an Italian full spectrum reflective cloth, reinforcing DPM’s philosophy that camouflage is a celebration of art, design and nature.