The Camouflage Line.
A drop that started as an experiment and kept coming back. Hmong diamond geometry meets a muted camo colour field — olive, bark brown, dusty sage, off-black — on pieces built for everyday use.
Where the idea came from
The Camouflage Line grew out of a conversation Mai had with her younger brother, who had been asking for a Mai&Co piece he could actually wear — something that didn't read as overtly feminine or ceremonial. The answer wasn't to abandon the Hmong pattern vocabulary. It was to change the colour palette.
Camo's relationship to camouflage, to utility, to something that hides — that runs interestingly against what Hmong textiles are actually for. Traditional paj ntaub was designed to be seen: vivid reds, deep indigos, bright greens, all calling attention to the skill and identity of the wearer. Running those same diamond patterns, those same cross-stitch geometries, through a palette that recedes rather than announces — it creates a tension that Mai found interesting enough to pursue.
The first pieces were a pair of leggings and a boxy top in a four-colour camo ground with diamond cross-stitch in the same earth tones. They sold through faster than expected. The line has come back in updated colourways most seasons since.
The pieces
Camo-ground leggings
High-waist leggings in a four-colour camo print with diamond cross-stitch panels along the outer leg seam. Stretch poly-cotton. Sizes XS–3XL.
Boxy pullover
Oversized cotton pullover in camo-ground fabric with a Hmong geometric embroidered chest panel. Dropped shoulders, cropped at hip. Washes well, holds the print long-term.
Utility jacket
Unlined chore-style jacket in camo-ground cotton canvas. Four patch pockets. Diamond reverse-applique detail on both chest pockets. Sizes XS–3XL.
Kids' camo tee
Cotton jersey tee in a smaller-scale camo-ground print with embroidered geometric chest mark. Sizes 2T–14.
Kids' leggings
Scaled-down version of the women's camo leggings, with the same diamond panel detail. Sizes 2T–14.
Camo headband
Wide stretch headband in the camo-ground print. One size with elastic backing. A quick way to bring the palette into an existing outfit without committing to a full piece.
Colours in the current drop
The Camouflage Line doesn't use a conventional four-colour military camo pattern. The ground is printed in a looser organic shape — more like a landscape than a military print — in shades we pick season to season. The current drop uses:
- Field olive — a warm, slightly yellow-green that's a long way from military surplus
- Bark brown — a mid-tone brown that reads as neutral from a distance
- Dusty sage — the lightest value in the ground, a grey-green that brings some air into the palette
- Off-black — deep charcoal rather than full black, used sparingly as the darkest anchor
The embroidery and cross-stitch details are worked in thread pulled from the same palette, so the Hmong geometry reads as a tone-on-tone texture in natural light and becomes more distinct in direct light. The effect changes through the day, which was the point.
Fit and care
The leggings and tees run true to US sizing. The utility jacket cuts slightly relaxed — if you're between sizes and want a fitted look, size down; if you plan to layer under it, stay with your usual size. The camo-ground fabric is a tight cotton canvas that softens with washing but holds its shape well.
Wash cold, tumble dry low or air dry. The camo print is a screen process on cotton and holds well through repeated washing. The embroidery is reinforced at the anchor points, but turn the jacket inside out to protect the reverse-applique detail.
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