// Overdyed with intent
French Desert Noir is the classic French Desert material overdyed in black to create a new pattern suitable for urban, maritime and covert environments while giving a nod to the history of overdyed camouflages.
// history
OVERDYEING - HISTORY
Overdyeing camouflage is believed to date back to the Second World War, when British special forces dyed their smocks black for night raids. While the purposes vary, the technique has persisted to the present, with a few well-known examples.
DPM "Greenzone", created by British troops in Afghanistan in the 2000s by dying their Desert DPM uniforms green to match the verdant urban areas they were operating in, with some bold results.
/ History
Lithuanian Opfor Miško, resolving the need for a "bad guy" uniform for training by simply overdyeing the standard forest green uniforms with a dark blue dye.
Many patterns are now designed with these varied needs in mind, either aiming to blend with as many theatres as possible or offering a selection of patterns for each use case. While more practical, we believe this loses some of the original charm of these overdyed garments.
// DEVELOPMENT
ENTER FRENCH DESERT NOIR
With these historical pieces in mind, we created French Desert Noir, taking the classic Desert "Daguet" pattern and overdyeing it black.
With its large irregular shapes and variety of tones, the darkened pattern performs in urban, maritime and covert environments, still retaining its NIR properties.
Originally desert camo, this piece has been overdyed for night/ops use, echoing old military practice. Due to the process, some dye rub-off is normal—especially at first. Pre-wash before wear and wash with dark colours. The tone will soften and settle, giving each garment a unique character.
