Avirex B-3 Sheepskin Flight Jacket, Ivory with Hand-Painted Polar Bear, Elmendorf AFB Alaskan Command Back, Size M

A B-3 style flight jacket from Avirex in ivory sheepskin with a wool-side lining, carrying a hand-painted polar bear and the words Elmendorf AFB and Alaskan Command across the back. Size M, with two sleeve patches and a paw-print stencil on the chest.

The Piece

Avirex built its reputation on faithful reinterpretations of American military flight clothing, and the B-3, the heavy sheepskin bomber made for aircrew in the cold of high altitude, is among the most recognisable of its forms. This example keeps the form entire: a broad shearling collar, a front zip flanked by dark brown leather piping, two leather neck straps, slanted hand pockets and waist adjusters, with deep shearling at the cuffs and hem.

The back is the reason to look twice. A polar bear rears above a pink and blue ice floe, bolts of yellow lightning crackling around it, framed by arched white lettering reading ELMENDORF AFB above and ALASKAN COMMAND below, with the Avirex name in yellow beside the bear. It is painted by hand on the pale hide and divided by the jacket's own leather seam lines, so that the picture reads as part of the garment.

On the front, a green paw-print stencil numbered 75 sits above the Avirex name, a leather name strip crosses the chest, and the sleeves carry two patches: an Arctic Warriors bear-face roundel and a blue shield with a star and the number 11. The wool side is a warm elk beige against the ivory leather.

Maker's size chart for size M: chest 114 cm (44.9 in), length 62 cm (24.4 in), shoulder 50 cm (19.7 in), sleeve 60 cm (23.6 in). These figures come from the maker's chart and were not taken from this piece, so please allow a margin of 1 to 3 cm (0.5 to 1 in) in real life.

Details

• Maker: Avirex
• Style: B-3 style flight jacket, front zip with collar straps
• Material: Sheepskin, wool-side lining
• Colour: Ivory leather with elk-beige wool and dark brown trim
• Artwork: Hand-painted polar bear, Elmendorf AFB, Alaskan Command
• Patches: Arctic Warriors and blue shield, one on each sleeve
• Size: M
• Chest (maker's chart): 114 cm (44.9 in)
• Length (maker's chart): 62 cm (24.4 in)
• Shoulder (maker's chart): 50 cm (19.7 in)
• Sleeve (maker's chart): 60 cm (23.6 in)

Condition

• Worn only once, briefly; no notable marks or damage are noted.
• The painted back shows fine age crazing, and the ivory hide has a naturally distressed, cracked grain, both visible in the photographs.
• Light creasing from storage may be present.

Condition grade A (excellent) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

The Avirex flight-garment label with its size M mark, the care tags, the chest stencil and the painted maker name on the back are all photographed. Sheepskin is best entrusted to a leather specialist; keep it away from damp and direct heat, and store on a broad hanger in a breathable cover.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Tokyo and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.

Every figure above is taken by hand with the garment laid flat, in centimetres. Lay a shirt or jacket you already love beside them and allow a centimetre or two of margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our size guide to tops and jackets turns pit-to-pit figures into US, UK, EU and Japanese sizes, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.