It’s good to be king. The ‘King of Camo,’ that is. MultiCam® has certainly solidified its place in camouflage history. The offshoot, MultiCam Black™ is no stranger in popularity either. It’s no wonder we selected it for our next Limited Edition Frogskins™.
Crye Precision
MultiCam is one of many creations from Crye Precision. Co-founded in 2000 by Gregg Thompson and college pal Caleb Crye, Crye Precision has designed and engineered everything from body-armor and helmets to camouflage patterns and combat pants. Based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Crye Precision has been endlessly dedicated to a higher echelon of design, committed to enabling Special Operations Forces (SOF) across the globe.
When asked: Why did they focus on the military, as opposed to the civilian market? “Because it would be rewarding and I actually like the military,” Crye said. “I’m a huge fan of freedom and see our military as a big part of what safeguards that.”
MultiCam Origins
Despite some amazing innovations in Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), the company is most famous for inventing MultiCam, released in 2004. The original pattern works well in varied terrain but is highly effective in the desert, and gained immediate acceptance and interest from the SOF community during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). “The previous camouflage hadn’t been updated since the Vietnam War era,” Thompson said. Also, “it featured darker greens and browns to blend into the jungle. The old design stuck out in the sandy terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“I’m a huge fan of freedom and see our military as a big part of what safeguards that.”
A pattern’s geometrical design is like the foundation of a building. It’s the starting point for everything. In the case of camouflage, geometrical design serves the purpose of breaking the wearer’s outline at closer distances. It so happens that the base geometry of MultiCam does this quite well.
In 2010, MultiCam became the standard for soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. Crye also redesigned the style of shirts and pants the soldiers would wear, to make them lighter, removing unneeded pockets, and to make the clothing more rugged.
But if that weren’t enough, in 2013 Crye went on to release a few additional iterations of MultiCam: Black, Tropic, Arid, and Alpine. All even more specific to the various operational environments our men and women in uniform operate. These were intended to make MultiCam suited for extreme environments, such as those found in the deserts of the Middle East as well as in dense tropical forests and snow-covered fields.
Multicam Black is defined: The MultiCam Black™ pattern was developed to meet the unique requirements of law enforcement officers operating in high-risk environments. It projects a distinctly authoritative presence appropriate for domestic operations. MultiCam Black™ is designed to complement an officer’s existing equipment and present a sharp, professional image for top-tier law enforcement units.
Not to mention, it just looks cool. One reason why we have expanded our entire MultiCam Collection.
Oakley Frogskins™ – Limited Edition
With the latest edition of Oakley Frogskins™, wrapping it in MultiCam Black was no easy task. Using a process called ‘hydrographics,’ or water transfer printing, each frame is dipped by hand and achieves it’s own individual look. No two are the same. Next, to compliment this dark pattern we went typical Oakley: over-the-top. We chose Oakley PRIZM™ Sapphire lenses. These lens not only pop aesthetically, but enhance everyday color with improved contrast.
Last thing: we only made 500 units. So, grab one as soon as they release on the 31st of January. For EARLY ACCESS to purchase, Click HERE
