Urban camouflage isn’t about blending into the physical city around you but to appear as if you’re from and belong there like a local.
In the wilderness and combat, camouflage (crypsis) is used to be visually concealed by matching the patterns of the immediate background. For urban camouflage as a foreigner, mimesis is the way. Instead of remaining hidden from view, the purpose is to mimic a lifestyle.
Urban camouflage is about blending in with the people and culture. Wilderness camouflage is about blending into the nature and physical surroundings.
So it’s not about being unseen but to be seen yet go unnoticed within a collective of a city. The secondary objective is to not stick out in a crowd.
The primary objective is to be like the local people of a foreign country – to look and act like them.
Being perceived as a local is advantageous to looking like an outsider whether as a traveler or expat;
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