The “dog tag” is a staple of the military uniform.

According to military historians, what we now commonly refer to as “dog tags” came into existence during the Civil War.

Jeweler-produced individual identification tags survived the Civil War and remained something of a tradition amongst soldiers until 1899. By 1913, the Army had followed Chaplain Pierce’s advice and set about issuing a pair of identification tags to every soldier.

Enter the fashion dog tag.

Ironically, the fashion dog tag has more in common with the dog tag’s origins than the modern military dog tag. Like the identification discs of the Civil War era, today’s modern fashion dog tag comes in a variety of materials.

The content of the fashion dog tag has equally expanded. Not being bound by military regulations, the fashion dog tag can carry whatever the wearer wishes – names, dates, and images. Like using unique materials, the contents of a fashion dog tag help to separate the wearer, not only establishing identity, but also individuality.

Not all fashion dog tags are a means to establish individuality, however. Many companies and groups are offering dog tags as a means of showing inclusion in a group. The highest profile use of fashion dog tags, however, belongs to Nick Jonas.

The charity dog tags of the Jonas brothers seem a world away from the simple wooden devices crafted by soldiers in the field during the Civil War, and they are.