The Pike Brothers Mitchell Pattern
Pike Brothers released their Mitchell pattern camouflage styles for this summer. The camouflage is used on three different classic styles: the 1962 OG-107 shirt, shorts and pants.
The Shirt, Shorts And Pants
The shirt and pants were originally part of the regular field uniform of the American armed forces from 1952 to 1963. The first ‘Type I’ model was issued to troops in 1952 and remained unchanged in shape and cut until production ceased in 1963. With slight modifications, the shirt remained in service until the early 1980s. Both styles proved themselves in the field especially because of their ruggedness and comfortable fit.
The Pike Brothers shirt has a loose fit and is therefore ideal in a colder season with another shirt underneath, while the shorts and pants are made with a loose fit too, and a button fly.
The Origin Of The Camouflage
This Mitchell camouflage pattern was issued to the United States Marine Corps starting in 1953 in the form of tents and helmet covers. The use over time was not limited to the USMC. The Mitchell, which was also called the Leaf Pattern, has been just as popular with U.S. Special Forces units such as the 5th Special Forces.
Since the original print and fabric was a reversible heavy canvas fabric for tent’s it proved to be too heavy and uncomfortable for uniforms. Therefore small runs were printed for uniforms by private manufacturers. These were non-reversible and made of a lighter fabric. The non-standard pieces could then be purchased privately, for example, from small tailors in Okinawa, Japan. For the Pike Brothers Mitchell print, they used exactly such a privately sourced set from a Japanese production of the 1960s.
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