Articles of Interest Releases Season Finale of "Gear," Culminating Years-Long Investigation Into The Connection Between United States Military & Outdoor Clothing Industry

"Trufelman finds seemingly hidden meaning in ubiquitous everyday items. She's also a great narrative presence—casual but wise, curious but authoritative, friendly but respectful of our intelligence"

The New Yorker, Best Podcasts of 2025

After conducting more than two years of research, recording 70+ different interviews with designers, soldiers, veterans and civilians, crossing dozens of state lines and entering a myriad of places previously barred from press, host and producer Avery Trufelman has reached the culmination of Articles of Interest's most ambitious and revelatory season to date. Titled "Gear," the seven-part series has spent the past six weeks investigating the connection between the United States Military and the outdoor clothing industry, while diving deep into history and far beyond the world of high-tech performance wear. "Trufelman shoots clay pigeons and learns surprising stuff about camouflage; delves into the co-opting of military gear by sixties and seventies counterculture; and examines 'gorpcore,' 'the yuppification of the field jacket,' and the fact that military uniforms, owing to national-security concerns, must be made in U.S. factories," writes The New Yorker, when naming Articles of Interest's "Gear" one of the ten Best Podcasts of 2025. 

Today, with the release of the seventh and final chapter of "Gear," Avery Trufelman brings Articles of Interest listeners to the Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, OR, reflecting on the soldier-civilian divide, and the ways in which outdoor equipment can better serve those who rely on it for survival – those who live outside, unhoused, or in a much different reality than the upgraded lifestyles this clothing is marketed towards. 

Listen to "Gear" on all major podcast platforms, in partnership with Radiotopia from PRX: HERE

In addition to the Functional Fabric Fair, "Gear" has taken Avery Trufelman to the militaria collection of Buck Mason, a military convention in Washington, D.C., the Outdoor Recreation Archive in Utah, the Quartermaster Corps Archive in Virginia, the corporate archives of REI in Seattle and more, with each location further unraveling the deep entanglement of military aesthetics with fashion and culture: from the luxury buckskin suits that were once a form of Indigenous wear, to everyday t-shirts, hoodies and rubber-soled shoes that were once the uniforms of soldiers, to the new high-tech garments that are increasingly expected to "perform" in a changing climate, to the idea that America is fundamentally a nation of shoppers.

Earning praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Times, The Observer, GQ, ELLE, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Atmos and many others, "Gear" has not only explored how almost all clothes have something to do with the military, but also the way the field jacket heralded a new philosophy of dress; the veterans who seeded the early movement of lightweight comfort and durability into the outdoor industry; the counterculture and anti-war protesters who turned surplus into fashion; the emergence of brands like Patagonia, North Face and Banana Republic; the invention of modern camouflage and the prevailing influence of special ops teams; the introduction of "gorpcore" and the COVID-era boom of sweat-wicking, sunproof and breathable fabrics; and the pressing needs facing the country. 

Articles of Interest is available free on-demand across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pocket Casts, and Overcast. For more Articles of Interest updates, subscribe to the companion newsletter at articlesofinterest.substack.com.

Praise For "Gear"

"A sharp-eyed observer of clothing and its cultural undercurrents...helps listeners find meaning in the fabrics, silhouettes and garments that have shaped American life"

The New York Times

"Trufelman finds seemingly hidden meaning in ubiquitous everyday items. She's also a great narrative presence—casual but wise, curious but authoritative, friendly but respectful of our intelligence—with a velvety, fun-to-hear voice"

The New Yorker

"A narrative of extraordinary scope...a grand, sweeping story about who we are, what we value and how we project those values to the outside world"

The Times

"Dense with nuggets that will blow your mind in small and large ways. For example: The U.S. military didn't start layered dressing until WWII. And the concept was developed by the military in consultation with Eddie Bauer and Leon Leonwood Bean and with a copper mannequin named Chauncey"

Washington Post

"One of the smartest fashion podcasts around...This spin-off keeps the bar high, as Trufelman looks at how military gear inspired the high-end outdoor clothing we now wear to buy milk"

The Guardian

"Immersive audio deep dives into niche fashion histories...a series that's as deliciously nerdy about design as it is about US war history and the national parks movement"

GQ

"Trufelman couldn't have picked a more apt time to premiere the new season...And whatever unsettling connections she may have uncovered during her ongoing reporting, she has also found joy in the process"

ELLE

"Her reporting uncovers function over fashion in its truest sense -- at least initially...Her narrative traces how this world, which seems to be the antithesis of fashion, became fashionable"

Harper's Bazaar

"Avery Trufelman explores the roots of the faux-outdoorsy let's-go-yomping-in-a-small-beanie look in her always fascinating podcast...Every episode is a delight"

The Observer

"Following two years of research, Trufelman traces how the United States military has shaped North American outdoor wear -- and by extension much of global fashion -- connecting the sweatshirts and sneakers that fill our closets to the laboratories of military research and development"

Atmos

"A deep dive into the connection between the US military and American fashion -- two seemingly opposed industries which, you may be surprised to learn, have an immense overlap"

Glamour