Tracing The MA-1 Through Fashion And Subculture

No item better illustrates the cyclical nature of fashion than the bomber jacket – but who brought the humble MA-1 from the cockpit to the street? Who’s responsible for bringing it to the runway? And which influential British designer did Kanye base his Yeezy designs on? As it enjoys another renaissance, we trace its history. The story starts with the birth of the MA-1 flight jacket, first designed by the US Air Force around 1949. Made for the cramped cockpits and higher, colder altitude of the new jet planes, the jacket was a technical upgrade to previous leather versions, retaining functional details including a pen pocket on the sleeve and weatherproof finish in nylon. A new addition, now iconic, was the orange lining used as a visibility tool in case of rescue. In 1961, Tennessee-based company Alpha Industries won a contract to start manufacturing the jackets to US military specification, before introducing them commercially in small amounts from 1970, going wholesale with the style in 1984 and thus increasing their distribution. Now, Alpha’s ‘official’ versions can be recognized by their red ‘remove before flight’ tags – held by a keyring to the pockets. Read more at Dazed.