NOIR BASIC

The original MA-1 jacket was first issued in 1949 to US Air Force and Navy pilots and flight crews. The need for such lightweight flight jackets appeared with the invention of jet aircrafts that flew higher and in colder temperatures than the propeller aircrafts: the earlier heavy fleece-lined jackets could retain water from perspiration and freeze at very high altitudes. And also, the new jets’ cockpits were even smaller and filled with equipment.

 The new jackets provided safer, faster and unimpeded access to and exit from cockpits. Additionally, the former jackets were also uncomfortable on the ground under warm weather. Therefore the USAF designed this all-year jacket that is comfortable when worn open during summer, but also is insulated when worn closed during the icy flights. 

 Because of its practical features, the MA-1 jacket became extremely popular in North America and Europe where it is commonly known as the “bomber jacket”. In the late 1970s, “skinheads” and “doormen” adopted the garment in the United Kingdom. Eventually, during the 1980s, the jacket became trendy in London clubbing culture. And consequently, the bomber jacket enjoyed extensive media hype in magazines like Face or I.D.

 Today it is still worn by pilots, police forces, bouncers and 1980s vintage fashion amateurs. At last, Noir Basic imagines a highly refined silk-lined version of this garment ordinarily found in military surplus.