Italy
Italy has one of the longest-standing military traditions of employing camouflage printed fabrics for concealment purposes. Although many nations experimented with camouflage schemes during the First World War, the Italians were probably the only nation to manufacture clothing in significant quantities for issue to military personnel in the form of one-piece all white coveralls worn by Alpine Troops.
The Italians also have the distinction of developing the first mass-produced camouflage pattern for military usage, the M1929 telo mimetico. This pattern saw widespread usage by paratroopers throughout WW2, and was even utilized by the German Army towards the end of the war. The original design was later modified in the 1950s and 1960s for general issue to Italian Marines and some units of the Italian Army in at least three distinctive color variations. Yet, following a NATO tradition of the Cold War, the majority of the Italian Armed Forces did not wear camouflage during the postwar period, instead utilizing dark olive green or other solid colored service clothing.
Given their long tradition of employing the M29-based camouflage uniform, it is no surprise that the elite marines of the Reggimento San Marco were the first unit of the Italian Armed Forces to be outfitted in an entirely original camouflage pattern in the late 1980s. This pattern incorporates unique "airbrush" style design that has spawned a number of variants for use in beach assaults, mountainous regions, desert operations, and for wear by the ultra-elite Navy Special Forces (COMSUBIN). The Italian Army retained its use of the M1929 variant, but copied German camouflage for issue to its Alpine troops in the 1980s, and by 1990 had begun work on its own series of general purpose camouflage patterns, including a woodland variant for general issue, and a desert pattern for wear in deployments to arid regions.
Beginning in 2004, the Italians again re-evaluated the needs of modern combatants and replaced all of their older designs (excepting those of the marines) with a new series titled mimetico Vegetata (vegetated pattern). These patterns remain in usage with Army and Air Force personnel.