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Vinichenko I.V. From uniform to runway: the evolution of military aesthetics in global fashion. Journal of Clothing Science. 2026; 11(3). Available at: https://kostumologiya.ru/PDF/02IVKL326.pdf (in Russian).

From uniform to runway: the evolution of military aesthetics in global fashion

Vinichenko Irina Vladimirovna
Omsk State Technical University, Omsk, Russia
E-mail: irvin61@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9031-9458
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=565760
SCOPUS: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=57215730905

Abstract. The article traces the evolution of the «military» style in global fashion over four centuries — from the standardization of army uniforms in the seventeenth century to the latest collections by haute couture houses. Based on the material of military uniform reforms in Great Britain, Russia, the United States of America, and France, the process of transforming utilitarian army attire into an aesthetic prototype for civilian clothing is revealed. Special attention is paid to pivotal stages: the birth of modern militaria during the First World War; the rethinking of army symbolism in protest fashion of the 1960s–1970s; the establishment of militaria as a symbol of power during the era of 1980s «power dressing»; and current trends including historization, minimalist revisions, hybridization with denim and streetwear, and ecological upcycling. The fundamental semantic duality of the style has been identified: militaria acts simultaneously as a sign of authority and status, and as a gesture of protest, with these meanings coexisting synchronously and actualizing depending on the sociocultural context. A segmentation of the contemporary militaria apparel market has been conducted across five directions: tactical segment, street fashion, casual-military, high fashion, and niche eco-projects. From an art history perspective, the compositional and coloristic principles of transferring military aesthetics into civilian dress have been analyzed. It is shown that in the twenty-first century, militaria loses its direct political affiliation and becomes a universal element of the global wardrobe, while retaining symbolic richness and the capacity to adapt to the demands of the time.

Keywords: military style; military uniform; fashion and power; protest fashion; haute couture; upcycling; uniformology; semiotics of dress; camouflage; costume design

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