It’s a Friday night, you left work at 4:30 p.m…(just kidding, we know you left at 3!) You’re planning to go out for drinks with your friends, but don’t know what to wear. All you know is that it’s not the ratty military shirt balled up on the closet floor.
Well… what about a classy button-up? Maybe one where you can subtly brag on your airframe, career field, or business?
Say Hello to PATTERN OPS.
The Frontier for Classy Military Shirts
PATTERN OPS was founded by Ryan, a U.S. Air Force Fighter Pilot who wanted to bring a bit of class to normal military swag. In 2018 Ryan decided to make a prototype with his A-10 aircraft, and the rest is history.
What started as a side business, mailing out a few shirts here and there, has now grown to include almost all military airframes and other custom designs.
PATTERN OPS Expansion
Even though PATTERN OPS started with military airframes, they have now branched out into other businesses and organizations. They work with large companies, museums, and festivals outfitting them with custom, classy button downs to fit the brand.
They offer unique designs such as whiskey glasses, hot air balloons, and through a partnership with the Iowa State Fair, a custom shirt with corn cobs and ferries wheels…epic. They have also branched out into women’s sleeveless button downs and polos.
Recently, their incredible relationship manager, Lauren Burton, spent some time on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky pitching PATTERN OPS shirts to several well-known distilleries.
You might just find a PATTERN OPS shirt in a distillery gift shop or two in the future.
They also travel to a variety of different air shows to sell their military button downs with great success to airplane fans across the country.
Lauren said the coolest thing has been seeing PATTERN OPS in the wild. She said just a few minutes after arriving at the Langley Air Force Base air show in Virginia, she saw someone wearing a PATTERN OPS shirt and it solidified why she and Ryan love doing what they do.
PATTERN OPS and the Military Community
When talking to Lauren, she continuously expressed her gratitude for the military spouse community. She explained how the growth they’ve seen wouldn’t have happened without the love shown for their brand on social media, Spouse-ly, and word-of-mouth within military units all around the world.
As business has grown, and despite the logistical challenges, Lauren and Ryan bring PATTERN OPS with them every time they PCS to a new location. They still have an impressive inventory of military aircraft, but with amazing growth the bulk of their business comes from custom orders!
Order Your Own Custom Military Shirts
Scrolling their Spouse-ly shop you’ll see the 40+ designs they have, but you’ll also see a custom design option. For $35 you can get a shirt custom designed for your unit, business, or organization, and with a minimum order of 50 shirts, they’ll ship them right to your doorstep.
To learn more about PATTERN OPS and to place an order for your newest military button-down, visit spouse-ly.com/store/pattern-ops.
