Fascist uniform designer. Form of the Waffen SS: the history of creation and insignia of the military uniform of the Wehrmacht

Guess who was the designer of the fascist uniform?
Hugo Boss :)

World brands - accomplices of the fascists

The political oversight was helped to prevent a certain vigilant citizen who complained that he was given documents for a car with the fascist abbreviation of the long-defunct NSB party. The Dutch Ministry of Transport immediately assured that the error was due to a malfunction in computer program, which is engaged in tracking car signs, not allowing registration of numbers of cars with some prohibited combinations of letters. Now all the normal signs are ready, and the owners will receive them soon.

In addition to NSB, the following abbreviations will not be used in license plates: KKK (Ku Klux Klan), PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), as well as letter combinations denoting any political parties, curse words and the short name of the Dutch football club PSV Eindhoven. The letter combination Philips Sport Vereniging (PSV) in Dutch means just "Philips Sports Union". On August 31, 1913, a football club from the Dutch city of Eindhoven was founded by a team of Philips employees. "

If you live in Amsterdam and are a passionate fan of the Ajax club in Amsterdam, you will probably not be comfortable driving in a car with a PSV license plate, "the ministry's press service said.

The story with the letters on the license plates still looks like "flowers" in comparison with the vinaigrette of political correctness and economic competition.

In 2006, the Austrian magazine Profil issued a sensation, they say, the world famous brand HUGO BOSS defiled its reputation during the Second World War. The company of the same name sewed not only uniforms for soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, but also for the SS. The International Tribunal in Nuremberg recognized the SS as a criminal organization, and its employees were subject to trial. In addition, a magazine article noted that the company used the labor of concentration camp prisoners. A year later, Hugo Boss's son, Siegfried, confessed that his father was a member of the Nazi Party. "The entire industry worked for the Nazis," added the 83-year-old scion of the founder of the fashion empire.

Hugo Boss opened his sewing workshop in 1923 at the height of the economic crisis. Until 1931, she practically did not bring income, until the cunning fellow joined the Nazi party NSDAP. Two years later, Boss secured a government order for the manufacture of uniforms for attack aircraft, SS men, Wehrmacht soldiers, and the Hitler Youth youth organization. The uniform he developed is deservedly considered the best in the history of military uniform. After the war, Boss was fined 80,000 Reichsmarks as an accomplice of the Nazi regime. And in 1948, Hugo Boss finally retired from business, passing his company into the hands of the heirs.

In addition, prisoners of the "death camps" worked at many German enterprises, such as Krupp, Siemens, Bayer, at automobile plants Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, and even stood at the conveyors of the American company Ford. Logically, for the exploitation of the labor of hundreds of thousands of prisoners, these firms and their products should be boycotted.

And further. The black SS uniform (well known to our viewers from the TV series "Seventeen Moments of Spring" directed by Tatyana Lioznova) was invented by 34-year-old heraldry specialist, member of the "Imperial Association of German Artists", Professor Karl Diebitsch with his assistant Walter Heck. The latter also developed an emblem in the form of a double "zig" rune and a design of edged weapons for the SS. Atelier Hugo Bossa was engaged only in sewing uniforms for party bosses and senior officials of the SS and Luftwaffe. To create the SS uniform, Diebitsch was prompted by the Prussian "Hussars of Death" uniform (in colloquial German since the 18th century it is customary to call the 1st Life Hussar Regiment and the 2nd Life Hussar Regiment of Queen Victoria of Prussia with the word Totenkopfhusaren), whose Myrlitons were decorated with the Totenkopf emblem - "Dead Head". The combination of black and white is a tribute to the heraldic colors of the Kingdom of Prussia. Ironically, the Russian Empire had its own black hussars, dressed in a similar uniform: the Fifth Regiment of the Alexandrian Hussars.

Black uniforms and caps for SS members were introduced on July 7, 1932, and after 1939, a massive transition of SS General members to gray uniforms began. In fact, from that moment on, they stopped wearing black uniforms, preferring gray and field ones. In 1944, the wearing of black uniforms was abolished in Germany. Soviet cultural figures turned it into a memorable symbol of the SS man.

The famous German fashion house has apologized to the international community for the fact that forced labor was used in its factories during the Second World War.

Hugo Ferdinand BOSS.

Why did Hugo join the Nazi party?

Back in 1997, the company Hugo boss publicly admitted the fact of her collaboration with the Nazis. The impetus for the statement by the representatives of the company was the disclosure of hidden bank accounts in Switzerland, in which the name of Hugo Boss appeared, which proved his connection with the Nazis. But then the statements contained a statement about the complete ignorance of the company's management about this fact - the argument was the absence in the company's archives of any mention of events related to the service of the Nazi regime.
In 2006, the Austrian magazine Profil wrote that Hugo Boss supplied the Hitlerite army with uniforms during World War II. And, even worse, she used the labor of prisoners from concentration camps and prisoners of war for this. The firm did not deny the allegations. Spokeswoman Monica Stylen said at the time: “The Hugo Boss factory made work clothes and, most likely, uniforms for the SS. " But since the company did not have more accurate data on its history, the supply of uniforms by the Nazis and the use of forced labor were left without comment. And only a year later, Hugo Boss's 83-year-old son Siegfried admitted that his father was a member of the Nazi party. “Who was not a member at the time? The entire industry worked for the Nazis, ”said Siegfried Boss.
To cleanse the company's image, it was decided to hire a historian to investigate the events of 60 years ago, as did many other German companies accused of collaborating with the Nazis.
The author of the recently published book "Hugo Boss, 1924-1945", a specialist in economic history at the University of the Bundeswehr, Roman Köster, to whom the company commissioned the study, had to check rumors about the use of forced labor in the factories of the enterprise, and also to find out whether Hugo Ferdinand Boss was really Hitler's "personal tailor".
After examining historical documents, the author of the book came to the conclusion that the founder of the textile company in the city of Metzingen (Baden-Württemberg) was a sincere supporter of the Nazi party. “It is clear that Hugo Ferdinand Boss joined the ranks of the party not only because of the opportunity to receive orders for tailoring military uniforms,” writes the author of the publication.
After the war, Boss, until his death in 1948, claimed that he joined the ranks to save his company, having received an order to sew uniforms, first for party members and then for SS units. “Perhaps this is true, however, judging by the statements of Hugo Ferdinand Boss, it cannot be said that his personal views disagreed with the views of the National Socialists, - says Köster. "This, most likely, did not happen."
Since April 1940, Hugo Boss began to use forced labor, mainly women, in his enterprise. In the factory, which served as the basis for the current Fashion House, 140 people from Poland and 40 from France were used as forced labor in those years. A camp was built especially for such women workers not far from the factory. Hygiene and food supply were at times very far from accepted standards.
As Roman Köster notes, in 1944, a year before the end of the war, Boss tried to alleviate the situation of female workers. He ordered some of them to be accommodated in his house, and also improved their nutrition. “We can only repeat what is already known: the attitude towards the forced laborers of the factory was at times very cruel and reached the point of coercion. At the same time, they were taken care of, so it is very difficult to come to unambiguous conclusions, ”writes the author of the book.
The management of the fashion house Hugo Boss does not deny its past. After receiving the results of Roman Koester's research, the bosses not only did not prevent the publication of the book, but also accompanied it with an official apology for the use of forced labor in the past. “We recognize all the hard-hitting facts and deeply regret that many people had to endure suffering while working in our factories during the war. We didn't even try to hide it or rewrite history. By funding Roman Koester's research, we hoped to see true story our company. Our expectations have come true, "- said in an official statement of the management of Hugo Boss.
Representatives of Hugo Boss claim that they did not subject the work of Roman Köster to any censorship and that the book was published in the form in which the author wrote it.

It all started with the postman uniform

Hugo Boss is one of the most famous fashion houses. Under this brand, classic lines of clothing, accessories and perfumes are produced. Clothing lines for men and women (there is also a children's line) from Hugo Boss are produced under two brands: the Boss collections are presented separately, the main one is called Boss Black, and separately - the Hugo clothing line. Unlike the classic Boss, the Hugo brand is more unconventional and progressive. Another brand for "sophisticated" men and women, according to advertising, Hugo Boss is positioning the Baldessarini brand. Also, under the Hugo Boss brand, accessories are produced: watches, sunglasses and even mobile phones (together with Samsung), as well as perfumes.
Hugo Ferdinand Boss founded his company in Metzingen in 1923, just a few years after the end of the First World War, at a time when almost all of Germany was in a state of economic collapse.
At first it was a family business, the company was a small shop that grew into a small factory that sewed uniforms for social services - police officers, postmen and overalls for workers. The post-war crisis in Germany affected the firm, and soon, in 1930, Hugo Boss declares bankruptcy.
But changes in the social and political life of Germany gave the company an opportunity for revenge. In 1931 (two years before Adolf Hitler came to power), Hugo Boss, like many Germans, joined the National Socialist Party of Germany. And soon the new party affiliation begins to bear fruit. One of the first major contracts awarded to Hugo Boss was an order to sew brown shirts for members of the Nazi party. Then he received orders for the manufacture of uniforms for the German armed forces, stormtroopers, SS men and the youth organization Hitler Jugend. He also proudly wore a party badge on his jacket, recalls Hugo Boss's son Siegfried.
In 1946, Boss was recognized as an activist and supporter of the NSDAP for his membership in the party, supporting the SS and supplying Nazi troops with uniforms - even before 1933; for this he was deprived of the right to vote, the ability to manage his own company and was fined 100,000 marks.
In the post-war period, the company returned to the manufacture of clothing for postmen and police officers. In 1948, the founder of the company, Hugo Boss, dies, but the company continues to develop, and in the early 50s, the first men's suit appears in its range. But it wasn't until the 70s that the company completely focused on men's fashion. The transformation of Hugo Boss into the fashion brand that we know it today was largely facilitated by the new management of the company. In 1967, the brothers Holi, Uwe and Jochen, the grandchildren of Hugo Boss, took over the management. In the wake of the post-war recovery of the German economy, Hugo Boss is rapidly developing and becoming the largest in Germany and one of the largest clothing manufacturers in the world, as well as an influential fashion house.

Heinrich HIMMLER in a suit from Hugo Boss.

Entrepreneurs of the Third Reich

The fashion house Hugo Boss has joined a long list of the largest German concerns that recognized the use of slave labor during the Second World War.
Equipment manufacturers Krupp, Siemens, medical firm Bayer, automobile firms Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche, and the American company Ford exploited the labor of hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war. For example, at BMW factories, 30,000 prisoners repaired the engines of military aircraft, but at Krupp factories, 70,000 prisoners, along with the manufacture of coffee makers and washing machines built ... gas chambers. This enterprise even had its own factory on the territory of the Auschwitz concentration camp. At Bayer's factory, prisoners made poisonous gases, and they lived for only three and a half months. Out of 35,000 workers
25,000 have died.
Enterprises explained the use of prison labor simply - all ordinary workers were in the army, there was no one to work. The money earned by the prisoners went to Hitler's party and to finance military action. Already in the 1950s, some former prisoners began to demand compensation from these German firms, and many of the claims were satisfied.
Not so long ago, Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the IKEA furniture company, was accused of sympathizing with the National Socialists. One of the richest men in the world, Ingvar Kamprad also collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. Moreover, as Swedish historian Elisabeth Osbrink argues in her new book, the founder of IKEA still does not hide his sympathy for the Nazis.

For that time, the uniform of the German troops, sewn by Hugo Boss, was very fashionable and functional.

SS fashion

The SS uniforms were carefully designed and looked intimidating. (SS - the abbreviated name of the German Schutzstaffel - "defensive division", the elite of the fascist troops.) The black SS uniform (well known to our viewer from the TV series "Seventeen Moments of Spring" by Tatiana Lioznova) was invented by a 34-year-old heraldry specialist, a member of the Imperial Association of German Artists »Professor Karl Diebitsch with his assistant Walter Heck. The latter also developed an emblem in the form of a double rune "zig" (the rune "zig" - lightning - in ancient German mythology was considered a symbol of the god of war Thor) and the design of edged weapons for the SS.
Diebitsch's SS uniform was inspired by the Prussian “Hussars of Death” uniform (in colloquial German since the 18th century, this is how the 1st Life Hussar Regiment and the 2nd Life Hussar Regiment of Queen Victoria of Prussia were called), which was decorated with the Totenkopf emblem - “dead head".
Ironically, the Russian Empire had its own black hussars, dressed in a similar uniform: the Fifth Regiment of the Alexandrian Hussars.
Black uniforms and caps for SS members were introduced on July 7, 1932, and after 1939, a massive transition of SS members to gray uniforms began. In fact, from that moment on, the black uniform was no longer worn, preferring gray. Also for operations in Italy and the Balkans, SS units were dressed in yellow uniforms. In 1944, the wearing of black uniforms was abolished in Germany. Soviet cultural figures turned it into a memorable symbol of the SS man.

- Yes, I know that the Nazi form was invented by Hugo Boss, but objectively, the form is very beautiful. Stirlitz immediately comes to mind ... And our soldiers now, they say, are wearing Yudashkin's uniforms. So feel the difference, as they say. In general, I believe that art should be judged separately from the temporary circumstances in which it was created.

Alexey GOLOVIN,
psychologist (Krasnoyarsk):

Eduard PINYUGZHANIN,
TV journalist (Kirov):

Igor NELYUBIN,
press secretary of CJSC "VyatkaTorf" (Kirov):

Lyubov MOZHAEVA,
artistic director of the creative association "Union of Creators of Russia" (Irkutsk):

Sergey PLATONOV,
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Management in Construction (Irkutsk):

Hugo Boss - Nazi uniform maker and Hitler's personal stylist

What can I say, the Nazis created a great visual background for themselves: events, symbols, clothing. I remember as a kid I looked at Stirlitz in a German uniform - spectacularly!

Several years ago, a scandal erupted around the published facts about the involvement of the world famous brand "Hugo Boss" in the creation of military uniforms for soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht. The famous designer Hugo Boss was accused of aiding the Nazis and personal connections with Hitler. The company even turned to historians for help to sort out the issue. And although the results of scientific research refuted many of the popular myths about the designer, the company had to admit the fact of creating the Nazi uniform and apologize for the exploitation of prisoners of war and prisoners from concentration camps in the factories.

But back to Hugo ...

In those days, the name of Hugo Boss was not yet a well-known brand. He began his professional career as an employee of a garment factory in 1902. 6 years later he inherited a textile shop from his parents, and in 1923 Hugo Boss opened his own sewing enterprise - a workshop for sewing workwear, windbreakers, overalls and raincoats for workers ... In 1930, his firm was on the verge of bankruptcy. To save her from ruin, he took up the tailoring of the Wehrmacht uniform

Rumors that the world famous company "Hugo Boss" profited from cooperation with the Nazis, appeared in the late 1990s., Stirred up society and caused a scandal. In 1997, the company publicly acknowledged its collaboration with the Nazis. Since this negatively affected the brand's image, the company sponsored a scientific study of these facts, which was carried out by the Munich historian Roman Kester. In 2012, he published a book called Hugo Boss, 1924-1945. A garment factory between the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich ”, in which he detailed the results of his research.

As it turned out, Hugo Boss was really engaged in sewing military uniforms for the Wehrmacht and received large profits from these orders. And the factory used the forced labor of 140 immigrants from Poland and 40 French prisoners. However, no written evidence has survived that Hugo Boss was Adolf Hitler's personal tailor. In addition, the designer did not participate in the development of sketches and creation of patterns, and his factory was one of many, far from the largest, of all the companies that were engaged in sewing uniforms.

Karl Diebitsch - designer of the black SS uniform

In fact, the designer of the black SS uniform was not Hugo Boss, but Karl Diebitsch, a German artist, designer and SS officer, and the SS emblem in the form of two runes "Sieg" was designed by graphic artist Walter Heck. The black color of the uniform of the SS officers was intended to evoke respect and fear, but it soon turned out that this color has significant disadvantage: v summer time it absorbs solar radiation and induces profuse sweating. Therefore, the black color was soon replaced by gray, although black continued to be used in the ceremonial uniforms of officers of the highest echelon of the SS. Hugo Boss's factory was engaged only in the tailoring of uniforms designed by Karl Diebitsch.

Diebitsch's SS uniform was inspired by the Prussian * Hussar of Death *

But the fact that Hugo Boss collaborated with the Nazis not under duress, but out of personal convictions, was confirmed even by his son. In 2007, Siegfried Boss publicly admitted that his father was a member of the Nazi party and commented on this fact: “Who was not a member at that time? The entire industry worked for the Nazis. " Back in 1931, the designer voluntarily joined the National Socialist Workers' Party of the NSDAP and was himself a staunch Nazi. It has become the main reason, according to which his factory was registered as an important military enterprise and received a large order for tailoring the Wehrmacht uniform. The German historian Henning Kober claims that all of the Hugo Boss management were Nazis and Hitler's supporters.

After the end of the war, the factory again began to manufacture overalls for postmen, police officers and railroad workers. And its owner was tried, he escaped prison, but was sentenced to a fine of 100 thousand marks. However, later Hugo Boss was partially rehabilitated, and his status was changed: from the "accused" he turned into a "sympathizer". In 1948, the designer passed away at the age of 63. His company became a world famous brand after his death.

Many still, and not without reason, believe that the most beautiful military uniform in history was precisely the form of the Third Reich. (Although, in my opinion, our single-breasted generals' uniforms from the times of Victory or the uniform of the domestic airborne forces (tough in its minimalism) and the excellent uniforms of sailors and officers make up worthy competition for it Navy). One way or another, but few people know that interesting fact that such a well-known brand company as ... "Hugo Boss" was directly involved in the creation of the military uniform of Nazi Germany. Poles and French prisoners of war worked at its enterprises. They sewed uniforms for the military of the Third Reich.

In those distant times, "Hugo Boss" was not yet a world-famous brand. Hugo Ferdinand Boss opened his outerwear workshop in 1923. They sewed different things: overalls, windbreakers, raincoats - mainly for workers. There was also tailoring of sportswear. In 1930, the factory was threatened with bankruptcy, and then on April 1, 1931, Hugo Boss decided to join the National Socialist German Workers' Party (member number 508889). Thus, he saves his enterprise, having received a party order for the production of uniforms for the SA, SS, Luftwaffe and Hitler Youth. By that time, the Nazi Party was already receiving large donations from overseas ... from the Wall Street bankers there!

But a different person became the author-developer of the SS uniform, as well as many regalia of the Third Reich: on July 7, 1932, black uniforms and caps were introduced for SS members, sewn according to the patterns of the artist and adviser to the Reichsfuehrer SS on "art issues" Karl Diebitsch (Karl Diebitsch) who was born in 1899. He will die much later - in 1985. His ancestors were from Silesia. Diebitsch was a designer by training, but also served as SS Oberführer. By the way, it was Diebitsch who designed both the famous Ahnenerbe logo and the design of the crosses for the SS officers. Diebitsch also developed the design of edged weapons for the SS. In addition, he was director of the Porzellan Manufaktur Allach porcelain factory in 1936, before the factory was taken over by the SS and moved to Dachau. As one of the researchers of this issue writes, “Hugo Boss’s firm only carried out sewing (the things of his atelier can be recognized by the brands“ VA-SS ”,“ besteMassarbeit ”,“ vomReichsfuehrer-SS befohleneAusfuehrung ”, etc.). The Boss's atelier did not produce uniforms for the rank and file SS, it was only for the ruling elite and the highest ranks of the SS and the Luftwaffe. "

Diebitsch designed the SS uniform together with the SS Sturmhauptführer (captain), graphic artist Walter Heck, who helped him. It was the latter who, in 1933, developed the now famous SS emblem, combining two "Zig" runes (the "zig" rune - lightning in ancient Germanic mythology was considered a symbol of the god of war Thor). He also created the SA emblem.

The model for the creation of SS uniforms was probably the black color of the Prussian hussar "dead head" (Totenkopfhusaren) uniform, which the latter wore from the 18th century until 1910. (Recall that the Prussians are Germanized Slavs. The entire population of Eastern and, partially, Central Germany has a haplotype identical to the inhabitants of Kostroma, Arkhangelsk, Smolensk, Orel, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Ryazan, etc., as well as all Russian settlers in Siberia and In this sense, the slaughter provoked by the "behind the scenes" between the Germans and the Slavs - both in the First World War and the Second World War - should be considered as a CIVIL WAR - the most ridiculous (in the highest, Church Slavonic sense of the word!) and JOY for hell! I saw who he and his SS units were actually fighting with, much later, after The great war, hung in his office a portrait of the Russian and German soldiers - valiantly facing each other! .. It remains to add: alas, FRIEND is against the FRIEND!)

"Black Hussars" covered themselves with immortal glory on the battlefields. Later, many SS men were proud of the similarity of their form with the form of these reckless daredevils, whom everyone in Germany knew about.

The first mention of the Prussian "black hussars" can be attributed to the reign of Frederick II (the Great). The 5th hussar regiment ("black hussars", "hussars of death") was created in 1741 from the squadrons of the 1st and 3rd hussar regiments. The combination of black and white in the uniform was a vivid display of the heraldic colors of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Why myrliton hussars were decorated with a "dead head" is still not known exactly. But historically, this sign meant fearlessness in battle and was the emblem of the most courageous.

It is also important to note that in the Russian Empire there were also black hussars (only not “hussars of death”, but “immortals”), differing in a similar form. Strange coincidence: it was also ... the 5th regiment, "Alexandrian Hussars".

Having taken part in many battles, after participating in the Napoleonic wars, the miraculously survived regiment was divided into two regiments - the 1st and 2nd Life Hussar regiments. V German Empire these regiments were among the most prestigious - the guards; and in their composition there were many persons of the royal families. At the beginning of the 20th century, Crown Prince Wilhelm was the chief of the 1st regiment, and Princess Victoria of the 2nd (whose photo, we believe, can be seen above).

Of course, Diebitsch found this time (he was born in 1899), and remembered well the uniform of the "black hussars". It remains only to adapt the harsh aesthetics to the set goals, and - the most stylish uniform of the 20th century is ready! So the new elite became to some extent the successor of the old one, with the only difference that the aristocrats disdained to join the SS (unlike the Life Hussar regiments). The aristocracy of Nazi Germany preferred the celestial air force to the Luftwaffe. (Anyone interested in imperial Germany can recommend the ru_kaiserreich community!)

Tellingly, at the front, among the SS men there were cases of replacing the SS "dead head" on a cap, with a "dead head" from tank buttonholes. This "totenkopf" is very reminiscent of the Leib-hussar.

The originally designed uniform was worn exclusively by SS officers, but by the end of 1933, all ranks had it already.

It should be noted that the SS organization, as www.pravda.ru notes, had a three-member structure and consisted of the General SS (Allgemeine SS), units of the SS "Dead Head" (SS-Totenkopfstandarten) and special militarized SS units in a barracks position ( SS-Verfügungstruppe). The latter two, along with the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler, formed the backbone of the future Waffen-SS troops.

In fact, black uniforms were no longer worn after 1939 (with the outbreak of World War II), when members of the Allgemeine SS political party organization began to switch to gray uniforms, in addition, many SS men entered military service, including the SS troops (Waffen-SS), which since 1937 wore khaki uniforms. The main difference between the SS uniforms is the buttonholes with standard runes and the woven emblem with an eagle, sewn not on the right side of the chest above the pocket, like in Wehrmacht soldiers, but on the left sleeve. In 1938, army-style shoulder straps with edging appeared different colors depending on the type of troops.

In the wardrobe of Soviet film studios, copies of the black SS uniform could well have gotten, because in 1942 a large number of sets of black SS uniforms were transferred to the auxiliary police units in the occupied territories of the USSR, with the replacement of SS symbols and insignia. The rest of the kits ended up in the West, where they were handed over to members of local SS forces in the occupied countries. As for the female SS units, they had a uniform that consisted of a black cap with an SS eagle, a gray jacket and a gray skirt, as well as stockings and shoes.

The most observant TV viewers have long noticed that Shtrilitz appeared on the screen in an elegant gray uniform without a defiant swastika on his sleeve. In it, a Soviet scout goes to see Himmler. And he did the right thing, otherwise the Standartenfuehrer would not be able to get away from the Reichsfuehrer, and this would be a "puncture" for our agent. Types in black uniforms disappeared not only from the streets of German cities, but even from the building of the RSHA. People spoke of them caustically, calling them "black SS", in contrast to the brave "white SS", which they were proud of. Because they shed blood ...

Kits of light gray uniforms began to arrive in the SS reinforcement units back in 1935, but after three years its design was thoroughly redesigned. Having retained (except for the color) the cut of the black uniform, light gray, instead of a red band with a black edging with a white circle with a swastika inscribed in it, she acquired an SS eagle on the left sleeve above the elbow.

Prepared by Alexey Anatolyevich Cheverda

Controversy surrounding the form of the Russian army, developed by fashion house Valentina Yudashkin, do not stop from the very moment of her appearance, and Sergei Shoigu, becoming Minister of Defense, only intensified criticism. In this article, FURFUR looks back at seven designers and artists who designed military uniforms and talks about what they did.

Yudashkin for the Russian army

The uniform, approved by President Medvedev in 2010, in the popular mind is associated with the name of the fashion house of Valentin Yudashkin, but he himself has only an indirect relationship to it: the samples created there (according to both parties, absolutely free) were greatly changed by officials of the Ministry of Defense. It was at the stage of refinement that the uniform was simplified, shoulder straps were transferred from the shoulders to the chest (an innovation especially hated by the officers) and it was decided to use cheap Chinese fabrics for its production, which caused an increase in diseases due to hypothermia among conscripts.

This fact was not advertised until they tried to pin the blame for all the shortcomings on Yudashkin (Zhirinovsky even accused him of not serving in the army - in fact, of course, he did). But according to the results of the investigation by the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office, all responsibility for them lies with the department. resource provision Ministry of Defense. And the designer even tweeted photos of the model in the original form. Judging by them, the only significant similarity of his sketches with what came out is pixel camouflage, which replaced the traditional "Flora".

Hugo Boss for the SS

The Wehrmacht uniform, contrary to popular myth, was not created by Hugo Ferdinand Boss. However, the founder of the fashion house is still related to the uniform of the Third Reich. At that time, he was the owner of a garment factory, which went up the hill thanks to a state order for sewing uniforms for stormtroopers, SS, Hitler Youth and other paramilitaries of the Nazi party.

Having earned trust in the pre-war years, in the early 1940s, the Boss factory was already in the status of an important military enterprise, received a large state order for the production of uniforms. When there was not enough of their own workers, vacant jobs were obtained by the inhabitants of Eastern Europe and French prisoners of war who were driven into the Reich for forced labor. And yet it is difficult to make an evil Nazi out of the Boss - documents have been preserved that testify to his attempts to improve working conditions and better resettle the forced laborers. Nevertheless, in 1946 he was recognized as an active collaborator of the Nazis, deprived of voting rights and the right to conduct business, and also paid a huge fine at that time of 80 thousand marks.

Vasnetsov for the Red Army

One of the first experiments to attract artists and fashion designers to the development of military uniforms dates back to 1918, when by order of the People's Commissar for Military Affairs Trotsky, a temporary commission was created to create a new uniform for the Red Army (Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army), whose fighters had previously worn out the imperial uniform. army.

The commission announced a competition for the development of a new form, in which Vasnetsov, Kustodiev, Ezuchevsky, Arkadyevsky and other artists participated. Most of them already had experience in creating costumes for work in the theater. The competition did not have one winner - the commission developed new form based on several proposed papers. Those uniforms were mostly remembered for the absence of shoulder straps - a visual expression of the cancellation military ranks and officers. Budenovka entered the same uniform - a new helmet resembling the uniform of an ancient Russian warrior. True, it was made for the army. Russian Empire, but did not manage to enter the army before the revolution.

Michelangelo for the Swiss Guard

One of the most common myths in the field of uniform design is associated with the Vatican Swiss Guard (full name is the Pope's Holy Guard Swiss Infantry Cohort). Wikipedia, guides and even some art critics persistently attribute sketches of this form to Michelangelo's brush. There are indirect reasons for this, because the Swiss Guard was founded in 1506, during the peak of the Renaissance culture, and its red-blue-yellow camisoles have a typical Renaissance style.

But there is no evidence of Michelangelo's authorship. It is interesting that the official site of the Vatican, refuting the version about Michelangelo, nevertheless notes that another titan of the Renaissance, Raphael, influenced the shape of the Swiss, however, as well as the fashion of that era in general.

Armani and Valentino for Italian Police

A very similar story connects the two great masters of the 20th century. The fact is that there is a very popular belief on the Internet that modern shape the Italian police were either designed by Armani or Valentino. Like any other, this legend has several editions and versions - for example, that both fashion houses sewed for the police, but for its different units (the form of the Italian law enforcers differs significantly).

Authentic Apparel x U.S. Army

In November 2013, it became known that the Authentic Apparel Group was releasing a collection men's clothing, inspired by army uniforms and officially licensed by the US Department of Defense. The Pentagon gives permission for the branding and name of the U.S. for the first time in its history. Army.

This is not a franchise, but a real collaboration: representatives of the ministry checked each element of the collection to ensure that it meets army standards. And part of the money raised from the sale of the first collection will be donated to the program to help servicemen, veterans and their families.

Text: Grigor Atanesyan