How Realtree Became the Coolest Camouflage Ever

Italy, Germany, United States, England, France, and so on: the armies of all countries have their own camouflage. The common denominator of the camouflage patterns that distinguish each armed force is the combination of green and brown, the quintessential camouflage colors. Despite military uniforms being designed for use on the battlefield, in the period spanning the '50s and '60s, they began to permeate mainstream culture. It's important to note that this applies not only to uniforms with camouflage patterns but also to monochromatic ones, such as the M65 model seen in Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese and famously worn by Robert De Niro. Despite this type of military jacket having little in common aesthetically with true military patterns, especially due to its simplicity, it represents a focal point that facilitated the entry of camouflage jackets into the mainstream wardrobe.

The Birth of Realtree

In 1983, entrepreneur Bill Jordan entered the hunting sector by founding the company Spartan Archery Products. However, this venture proved not to be particularly profitable for the entrepreneur. One day, Jordan conceived an innovative pattern based on layering leaves and branches, with bark serving as a background to create a three-dimensional effect. This pattern is Realtree: today, we see it printed on pants, long-sleeve shirts, outerwear, and various accessories, but it faced difficulties in the past. The Realtree print struggled to adhere to garments, and to solve this problem, Bill Jordan turned to Eastbank Textiles, a textile company that found the solution to an obstacle in the marketing of the pattern, which soon became the distinctive symbol of the company. Bill Jordan followed every chapter of the Realtree story, starting from when the brand's first warehouse was located inside an abandoned deconsecrated church.

Realtree's Arrival in Fashion

Although Realtree was never a pattern used for military purposes, it has become one of the most popular among the cool kids, as evidenced by countless fit checks shared on TikTok. This is mainly attributable to its three-dimensionality, a unique characteristic lacking in other military patterns, giving the Realtree pattern a truly distinctive quality. Realtree is so recognizable that those who wear it often use the company's name as a sort of metonymy to refer to various patterns offered by the brand, such as the Advantage Classic Camo and Advantage Timber Camo. Regarding its presence in fashion, an honorable mention goes to Virgil Abloh, who has contributed to consolidating its popularity by wearing it on various occasions in famous shots. Added to the figure of Virgil Abloh are also Drake, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Lil Yachty, and many others fascinated by the uniqueness of this pattern. However, Realtree's entry into fashion is also due to impeccable management of its license. GQ reported a statement from Jill Slocumb, the company's sales director: "As a brand, we are authentic because we always ensure there is balance," referring to the fact that Realtree, while partnering with brands like Stüssy, Wrangler, Carhartt, and Crocs, has never lost sight of its DNA and core business.

Wearing clothes is often a statement: certain garments can evoke freedom, self-expression, authority, irony, and much more. The Realtree pattern has been commonly and unironically considered, albeit briefly, a politically charged statement in the United States. Born primarily as a pattern used for hunting, it is associated with the rural states of the country with stars and stripes, such as Idaho, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas - the so-called Red State America - and thus with Republicans and Donald Trump. This political connotation lasted just long enough to arise and disappear immediately after, succumbing to the strong impact that the pattern had in the street scene between 2017 and 2018, as well as in the following years and today. This demonstrates how the aesthetic impact of Realtree in street style has managed to divert attention from a sterile connotation rooted in American cultural prejudices.