The irony of the military trend.

Items on the High Street, from left to right: Erickson Beamon Swarovski crystal Victoria Cross brooches; Stretch cotton camouflage pants by Balmain; Cotton and silk-blend military shirt, Alexander McQueen; Dress by Diesel; Cracker Jacks cargo pants by Sass & Bide; Ladies' Waxed Cotton Utility Overnight Bag by Barbour; and Damisi Boots, All Saints.

The military trend resurfaces every now and again and is easily assimilated into high street stores. Scores of people wear both these designer and high street items ignorant of the wider implications. I cannot help but find it ironic that the military is glamourised through clothing, while soldiers are dying every day fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Chilcott trials are questioning the very right to go to war. So what are the political implications of glamourising the military like this through fashion? Is it the role of the consumer or the designer to be discerning about the clothes they wear or produce?

Buberry AW10



Marc by Marc Jacobs AW10

The collections by Burberry and Marc by Marc Jacobs this Autumn / Winter draw on the military trend. However, both seem to draw on wars from the distant past. Do they circumvent political implications by grounding their historical context in wars that only a handful of living people bear first-hand experience of? Are we all guilty of implicitly glamourising the 'heroes' of war, without questioning the right to intervene in the affairs of other countries?

I don't pretend to have the answers, yet I believe that we need to make sure that we don't become passive followers of the catwalk. We may not dictate the clothes that fill the rails of our favourite retailers, but we do exercise the choice to wear what we feel we should. Plenty of people chose not to wear fur, and slogan t-shirts are a simple way of coveying our opinions. So next time you see a military-themed item, be it a shirt, skirt or piece of jewellery, just consider the message that you'd like to convey. Let your style be in your hands, not those of the retailers or designers.