Avirex in Japan: Flight Jackets, Back Paint and the Reversible Sukajan
Avirex did not make jackets for the wartime forces. It was founded in New York in 1975, and its most famous early contract came four decades after the war it drew on: in 1987 it delivered reissued A-2 flight jackets to the United States Air Force. That gap, between the history a jacket depicts and the year it was made, is the first thing to read on any Avirex piece.
Our thesis: Avirex is best collected as a brand of interpretations. Its jackets reinterpret military patterns, and in Japan, where it has been sold since 1986, it built a second life with its own lines and its own sukajan. A collector who reads the label, the model number and the back can place almost any piece.
At a glance
| Founded | 1975, New York City, by Jeff Clyman |
|---|---|
| Air Force contract | Reissued A-2 jackets delivered in 1987 |
| Ownership | Sold to Marc Ecko in 2006; the US brand is now owned by Centric Brands |
| Japan | Ueno Shokai, import agent from 1986; acquired by TSI Holdings in 2018 |
| Japanese stores | 31, in department stores and shopping centres, plus select shops |
The brand in brief
Avirex was founded by Jeff Clyman in New York City in 1975 and became a leader in leather bomber jackets for the American market. It did not make jackets for the United States forces during the Second World War, but in the 1980s it provided flight jackets to the Air Force by reissuing the A-2. It sold to the general market as well, and its jackets were taken up by hip-hop artists. In 2006 Clyman sold the brand to the entrepreneur Marc Ecko, and after the sale it took a street fashion direction; Clyman went on to found another military-inspired brand, Cockpit USA. The current owner of the brand in the United States is Centric Brands.
In Japan, Ueno Shokai signed as sole import agent in 1986. TSI Holdings acquired Ueno Shokai in 2018 and holds the trademark and management rights. Alongside the American collections, the Japanese company has produced its own lines combining military and street culture, from Frogman in spring and summer 2019 to Sky Heroes in autumn and winter 2020, inspired by films such as Top Gun.
The jackets
The A-2
The A-2, first made in 1931, remains the most recognisable American flight jacket, and our Lexicon entry on the A-2 jacket sets out its form. Avirex A-2s come in goatskin, cowhide and horsehide, and many carry painted backs. An A-2 in dark brown horsehide with a Flying Tigers blood chit is one example; an A-2 with a Wild Child pin-up back, a 1987 Air Force 40th edition is another.
The B-3
Sheepskin jackets were the warmest flight jackets, made for crews flying at high altitude in unheated aircraft, and the B-3 is the best known. A B-3 in russet brown with a Sweet Pea back paint, made in USA shows how Avirex combined the sheepskin with the painted back.
The G-1
The G-1 is the Navy's flight jacket, begun as the M-422 specification in 1940, with a mouton collar; Tom Cruise wore one in Top Gun, and the film boosted its sales. A G-1 Top Gun model in lambskin, made in USA belongs to that story.
Varsity jackets and the reversible sukajan
Avirex also made varsity jackets, some with chenille lettering, and in Japan it made reversible sukajan. A reversible sukajan with a Far East Tour dragon and a map of Japan carries the model number 783-5252023; our guide to reading a sukajan explains its motifs.
Back paint
Many Avirex leather jackets carry painted or printed backs in the manner of wartime nose art, with pin-ups, unit names and bombing tallies. Our guide to painted A-2 backs sets out the wartime tradition. In our handling, Avirex backs are printed, painted by hand or painted in limited runs, and we say which in each title.
How we read one
- Model. The type, A-2, B-3, G-1 or another, is usually on the neck label, sometimes with a style number.
- Origin. Made in USA or elsewhere, as the label states.
- Leather. Goatskin, cowhide, horsehide, lambskin or sheepskin, as labelled; we do not guess.
- Back. Printed, hand-painted or limited, and the subject.
- Size. We give measurements in each description, because in our handling sizes vary by line and era.
What we checked and left out
The brand history and Japanese lines come from the sources below, the Japanese material in our translation. We do not treat Avirex jackets as wartime issue, and we give no values.
Further reading
- Japanese heritage flight jackets: the reproduction makers.
- The Real McCoy's and the A-2.
- The Avirex shelf.
Looking for a particular Avirex jacket, size or back? Tell us what you are looking for, and we will look for it in Japan.
Sources
- Avirex, encyclopaedia entry, for the founding, the Air Force A-2 reissue, the 2006 sale and Centric Brands. wikipedia.org
- Avirex, Japanese-language encyclopaedia entry (our translation), for the 1987 delivery, Cockpit USA, Ueno Shokai, TSI Holdings, the 31 stores and the Japanese lines. ja.wikipedia.org
- Flight jacket, encyclopaedia entry, for the A-2 of 1931, the G-1 and Top Gun, and sheepskin jackets. wikipedia.org
- G-1 military flight jacket, encyclopaedia entry, for the M-422 specification of 1940 and its mouton collar. wikipedia.org
Last reviewed 15 November 2026. The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team, Tokyo, Japan.