Fashion trends are, technically speaking, supposed to reflect the times we live in. And so, when times are a-changing, the clothes generally follow suit. Take the biker jackets and safety pins of late 1970s/early 1980s punks, which were a rebuttal of the perceived pretention and clean-cut twee of mainstream music at the time, and their reverse-snob “Up yours, poshos!” appropriation of tartan. Or when everybody started wearing tie-dye and smiley faces because of acid house and drugs.

Like a canary down a mine, cultural shifts can be detected in the twills, checks and bulletproof vests (more on those later) that people are wearing. Lately though, things have become a bit more hostile. Combative and military-style clothing has been cropping up in menswear collections everywhere, and it has the fashion world rather rattled. It even has a name: “warcore”. Naturally, you’ll be gunning to find out what it’s all about.

OK, go on then…

This week, Vogue reported that warcore has replaced normcore as the trend of the moment due to all the dystopian, guerrilla warfare-style clothing that has been seen in designers’ collections as well as on some mask-wearing individuals spotted outside fashion shows.

Sounds nuts. What exactly is “dystopian, guerrilla warfare-style clothing” when it’s at home, anyway? Do you get paid to write about this stuff?

We’ll let that one slide. Basically, it’s clothing that looks like the kind of thing one might wear to chuck a few Molotov cocktails when the revolution inevitably comes. In other words, hardy-looking clothes with some military influences and a balaclava or two thrown in.

But wait – military clothing. Isn’t that something fashion editors claim as a trend every couple of years or so? What makes “warcore” so special?

Not quite. “Warcore” is something that’s come off the back of the utilitarian trend that’s been doing the rounds, but is a bit more aggressive. What this means is super-thick, anti-stab fabric, waistcoats in the style of bulletproof flak jackets, buckled belts and sportswear layered over more sportswear. Remember health goth, that trend for wearing all-black sportswear that gained popularity a few years ago? It’s a bit like that, but with more khaki and caution tape. Also add in some of the normcore and tech influences that have been popular in fashion recently, such as pimped-up dad sneakers and belt bags.

So basically, like what Mr Larry David would wear if he had been cast in Mad Max? 

You’ve got it.

I see. Who’s responsible?

The streetwear set – who else? Heron Preston, Off-White and ALYX are touted as the main culprits (see the latter’s hefty metal buckle caps and belts), but everyone from Givenchy to Balenciaga are also in on it. As some kind of wild trend-bonus, cult streetwear brand Anti Social Social Club has just started producing riot shields. Make of that one what you will.

Isn’t dressing like you’re going to war a bit problematic, however good it looks?

Well, maybe. The Guardian took aim at Ms Bella Hadid for strapping her Louis Vuitton bag to her leg like a gun holster as she attended a fashion show, saying it was a little much for the task at hand. Vogue also brought up the fact that a recent picture of the Taliban went viral on Twitter last month with the caption “Taliban went full rebrand”, and a few streetwear obsessives commenting with fire emojis in appreciation of their new T-shirts. So, yes, problematic might be a good word to sum it all up.

Eek. So I suppose fashion is reflecting the geopolitical apocalypse we’re currently suffering through?

Indeed – but this is not the first time that fashion designers have been taken with the apocalypse. Pseudo-survivalist gear is something that Mr Rick Owens has been dressing its cult followers in for decades, and Messrs Raf Simons and Helmut Lang have both flirted with the concept in past collections. See also: Mr Kanye West, Commes des Garçons and Mr Gareth Pugh.

So, what do I do with all this information?

That’s entirely up to you. Use the opportunity to get yourself a new heavy-duty belt bag if you wish – they have lots of pockets and are perfect for travelling, which will be useful for when Brexit happens.