Despite it's widespread use during wwi, the first mass produced camouflage pattern wasn’t seen until Italy’s 1929 pattern ‘Telo Mimetico’ — Italian for “camouflage cloth.” It was utilised in square ponchos that could double as shelter, some being produced as special smocks for parachute units.

It saw use with Italian special forces during the second world war & later was adapted by German forces fighting in Italy. A revised version of the pattern designed in the 1950s was still in use up until the 1990s. While previously uncommon it has popped in several designs by Japanese brands this season. It offers an appealingly obscure alternative to the more common designs.