Crye Precision
Crye Precision is an American apparel and accessories company based in New York City. They are a major manufacturer of Berry Amendment compliant items for the United States Armed Forces. Crye created the common camouflage pattern MultiCam in 2002.
History
[edit]
Crye Precision was founded in New York City in 1999 by Caleb Crye and Gregg Thompson, both graduates of Cooper Union. Its original office/production studio was in Chelsea Market. They expanded rapidly following 9/11 and the passage of the Berry Amendment which required the Department of Defense to give purchasing preference to apparel and accessories made in in America from American components.[1]
First unveiled in 2002, MultiCam was designed for the use of the U.S. Army in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a seven-color,[2] multi-environment camouflage pattern developed by Crye Precision[3] in conjunction with United States Army Soldier Systems Center.
The pattern was included in the U.S. Army's move to replace the 3-Color Desert and Woodland patterns, but in 2004 the U.S. Army chose the Universal Camouflage Pattern that came to be used in the Army Combat Uniform. Nonetheless, it remained in limited use by the U.S. Army special forces in the mid-to-late 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan. MultiCam was also continually trialed for its "Future Force Warrior" program demonstrations.[4][5][6]
MultiCam was officially re-commissioned by the U.S. Army in 2010, replacing UCP for units deploying to fight in the War in Afghanistan, under the designation Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OEF-CP).[7][8] It had already been used by some American special operations units and civilian law enforcement agencies.[9] On 25 November 2013, Crye Precision unveiled a family of MultiCam variants, which they claim can reduce the visual and near-IR signature of a person operating in different environments.[10]
In 2013 the company had 150 employees spread over 56,000 square feet in New York and New Jersey.[1]
The U.S. Army discontinued the use of UCP in October 2019.[11]
In 2020 Crye was awarded a contract to produce a new family of uniforms for the British Royal Marines.[12]
In April 2020, Crye collaborated with the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the NY Economic Development Council (NYEDC) and fashion house Lafayette 148 to manufacture surgical gowns for New York's front line medical workers during the coronavirus pandemic.[13][14]
As part of the introduction of the Belgian Defence Clothing System, it was announced that the Jigsaw camouflage pattern would be phased out by the Belgian Armed Forces in favour of Multicam from November 2022.[15] The contract was awarded to Sioen and Seyntex with Crye Precision under a budget of €410 million.[16]
In 2024 Crye and another defense contractor's operations at the Brooklyn Navy Yard were the subject of protests from pro-Palestinian groups.[17]
Legal issues
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In 2014 company was engaged in a dispute over intellectual property related to the Operational Camouflage Pattern project with the US Army.[18]
Crye has been targeted by Chinese counterfeiters, these products are often sold in the US on online retail platforms like Amazon (company). In 2018 an operation in California selling counterfeit Crye products made in China was taken down by American authorities.[19]
Products
[edit]- Combat pants
- G3[20]
Awards and recognitions
[edit]In 2012 Crye were selected by New York Magazine as one of their annual "Reasons to Love New York."[21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "AFTER COOPER: CRYE PRECISION". cooper.edu. Cooper Union. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Smith, Ned (5 August 2010). "New Army Camouflage Lets Soldiers Hide in Plain Sight". TechMediaNetwork.com. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ^ "MultiCam - Home". Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- ^ "Army displays latest warfighting innovations". U.S. Army. June 2005. Archived from the original on 18 June 2005.
- ^ Turner, Daniel D.; Carstens, Christian B.; Torre, Joseph (October 2005). "Future Force Warrior, Engineering Design Event Number 4". DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2007.
- ^ "Future Force Warrior: Advanced Technology Demonstration Update" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2017.
- ^ Bacon, Lance M. (23 August 2010). "Soldiers receive new MultiCam ACUs, gear". Army Times. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ Cox, Matthew (20 February 2010). "Army to replace camo pattern in Afghanistan". Army Times.
- ^ "Congress Cares About Camo". Soldier Systems. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
- ^ "Patterns". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Army Publishing Directorate" (PDF).
- ^ "NEW COMMANDO UNIFORM FOR ROYAL MARINES". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Sheehan, Kevin; Marsh, Julia (2020-04-06). "Fashion company partners with body armor manufacturer to make surgical gowns". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
- ^ "More PPE Supplies Being Made In NYC To Help Fight COVID-19". NBC New York. April 15, 2020.
- ^ "Les images des nouvelles tenues de combat pour les militaires belges" (in French). Le Soir. BELGA. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ Chini, Maïthé (3 April 2022). "Different camo, fit for women: what Belgium's military's new uniform looks like". The Brussels Times. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Dilawar, Arvind. "Anti-Genocide Activists Target Israeli Drone Manufacturer in Brooklyn". truthout.org. Truthout. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ BEEKMAN, CHRISTIAN. "The Army Can't Escape Its Camouflage Controversy". taskandpurpose.com. Task and Purpose. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Palmer, Annie; Tarasov, Katie. "Behind the scenes with the team of ex-prosecutors fighting Amazon's counterfeit problem". cnbc.com. CNBC. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ Friedman, Ed. "Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants". shootingillustrated.com. Shooting Illustrated. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Morris, Alex. "33. Because a Bunch of Kids From Cooper Union Are Remodeling American Military Camo Right in the Navy Yard". nymag.com. New York Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2025.