The ultimate example of both form and function: military bomber jackets — particularly the United States Navy MA-1 jacket with its knit trim and recognizable right-arm zip pocket — have transitioned from technical garments to world-wide fashion staples. During the course of the past few decades, the silhouette has been adopted by high fashion, fast fashion and everything in between. During that time, the Alpha Industries MA-1 has become emblematic of this transition. The bomber’s military heritage, durable construction, and recognizable accents have made it the choice of designers around the world to customize, deconstruct and collaborate on. But the MA-1 isn’t the only piece of government commissioned clothing to have made it to the runway in recent years. Renditions of the M-65 field coat and takes on the N3-B and N2-B parkas are equally visible on blogs, in magazines, and on celebrities, having been repurposed both in terms of their aesthetic as well as what they represent.
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