Web pilot…..don’t think its a “fashion” item,this is the second set i have come across in thirty years of collecting.both sets were different but were almost identical to rfc wings [more below]

One explanation [and the one i tend to believe]is that these were produced in 1918 and are “mistakes”….both sets are identical to genuine RFC wings ,in the types of materials used,weaving patterns and stylistically.

The wings were produced on automatic machines,using jacot card programming,now if a manufacturer were to reprogram his machine why not keep the letter “F” in the same place and style as the r F c wings he had been weaving on his last batch?……a wartime rush production????
We must also remember that at that period there were three RAF uniform colours ,and many tunic styles being made