From January 2009, Alpha Industries is presenting its collection for the company’s 50th jubilee. The cult label was founded in 1959 by Alan Cirker in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, and remains, until this day, the biggest supplier of flight jackets for the US Air Force.
The first jackets were developed for pilots and made out of special nylon which made them light and comfortable to wear in the cockpit but also warm at the same time – all essential features. The smooth surface of the nylon enabled pilots to get into the cockpits quickly and easily. Furthermore, the material guaranteed the lowest possible resistance if, in an emergency, the pilot had to use the ejector seat to catapult himself out of the cockpit. The fit and the design of the jackets are unique and perfectly meet the special needs of pilots. The distinctive pucker of the seams and the jacket’s resulting form is created in a complicated process known only to Alpha Industries. The flight jackets are still used by the US Air Force and US Navy today. Alpha Industries has, meanwhile, been the epitome of authentic military streetwear for five decades.
The collection has also been enhanced from a fashion viewpoint with the use of various nylon qualities in the core models and greater use of flight nylon, two tone nylon, liquid nylon (which has a shiny metallic look),Oxford nylon and pigment dyed nylon. The field jackets incorporate canvas and nyco satin.
The collection has grown continuously over the years and now incorporates around 120 items and offers a complete streetwear range alongside the legendary jackets.
21 January 2009
