Maharishi explores its mythological roots in 1960’s Vietnam, where the arrival of over 400,000 U.S. soldiers resulted in a huge increase in demand for the services of tailors.
Uniforms were not designed for the local tropical climate, so many soldiers sought modifications to make the uniforms more appropriate.
The original 60’s spec Cotton Sateen has been reproduced with organic yarns and used to create faithful reproductions and modified versions of Utility suits, as well as creating Eastern-inspired silhouettes using excess military cloths and trims.
Badged versions of Utility and Jungle uniforms are offered in Poplin and Cotton Sateen in the original OG-107 Olive colour standard, as well as in black – in reference to the Special Forces custom of overdyeing their uniforms to allow them to move like ninjas during night time covert operations.
Sister company MAHAPATCHCO. provided embroidered patches and branch tapes for various units – this season focusing on the U.S. Navy River Patrol Section 513 unit celebrated in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’, itself based on Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’.
As advisors to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), many U.S. soldiers showed their solidarity by adopting local camouflage patterns – mostly Tigerstripes that were inspired by the French lizard patterns worn during the French Indochina period. The Maha Tailor Shop table-printed small batches of camouflage and this season offer a re-issue of the rare ARVN pattern known as ‘bullet-proofs’ or ‘purples’.
