THESE BOMBER JACKETS BALANCE
MODERNITY AND TRADITION
From Helmut Lang to Rick Owens, every designer has tried their hand at the bomber jacket. The most successful are style anchors that deserve a spot in your outerwear rotation.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, airplane cockpits weren’t insulated. In fact, they were mostly open air. The earliest forms of the bomber jacket—also known as the flight jacket—were designed to keep pilots as warm as possible during flight without obstructing the tight space within which they had to work. Over the years, as airplanes advanced and their operating spaces became narrowed, streamlined, and covered, bomber jackets evolved in tandem.
Some features have remained the hallmarks of the MA-1 flight jacket throughout the ages, though. As it happens, these are also the features that have made it such a popular design outside of military applications. First up is the cropped torso, which was originally implemented to ensure the jacket didn’t interfere with the minimal seat space available nor the various harnesses and controls that live around waist height in a cockpit. As well as being a functional choice, the cropped body makes for a very flattering silhouette that lengthens the appearance of the wearer’s legs. Second is the ribbed, elasticated waist and cuffs that emphasize the silhouette while also locking in warmth to maximize the jacket’s insulation.
These features have always meant that bomber jackets have appealed to the wider public. During the 1960s and ’70s, the style took off with the help of Hollywood. Names like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and countless others could regularly be spotted—on screen and off—wearing flight jackets. To this day, the standard bomber jacket silhouette is a transgenerational icon, connecting eras and subcultures.
Luxury fashion has never been far behind, with designers like Rick Owens and Matthew Williams adopting the bomber jacket as a seasonal essential. In the modern day, it’s hard to pinpoint a designer who hasn’t reappropriated the military jacket. This means that the variation in styles is expansive: From standard reissues from the likes of Reigning Champ or Alpha Industries to unique redesigns from names like The Attico or Stand Studio, this list features the full range.
Featured In This Image: Stand Studio jacket
Stockholm-based Stand Studio has an eye for reshaping classic outerwear. Using the bomber jacket’s recognizable silhouette as its starting point, Stand Studio’s Petula Bomber Jacket offers a new shape that removes the rib-knit cuffs, hem, and collar. The end product is a cleaner, arguably more refined take.
Featured In This Image: Reigning Champ jacket
Reigning Champ’s MO is the faithful reproduction of modern essentials. It’s an approach that’s perfectly embodied by the label’s fan-favorite Stadium Bomber Jacket. Returning season after season, this design features PrimaLoft® insulation and elasticated cuffs to prevent heat loss and an all-black finish so that it can be worn every day.
Featured In This Image: The Attico jacket
Cut from pure virgin wool, The Attico’s take on the black bomber jacket for women is a high-end affair. Blown-up proportions mean that the ballooning arms stand in contrast to the cropped body. That’s not to mention the oversized hood, which acts as the dramatic final touch.
Featured In This Image: WACKO MARIA jacket
Joining forces with workwear icon Dickies, WACKO MARIA adds a luxury spin to a staple foundation. A quilted nylon shell provides insulation without being too bulky, making this jacket a valuable mid-layer on colder days—a position aided by the classic shawl collar.
Featured In This Image: YMC jacket
Throughout the ages, bomber jackets have been adopted by many subcultures. One that stands out is the varsity prep scene whose corduroys and heavy wools brought a more refined touch to the style. Cut from a cotton linen–blend corduroy, the YMC Jets Bomber Jacket leans into the look with a spread collar and embroidered detailing to the chest.
Featured In This Image: the Shepherd UNDERCOVER jacket
In the world of bomber jackets, one name looms large: Alpha Industries. The company is, today, the largest supplier of flight jackets to the US military. Alongside supplying the real-deal apparel, Alpha Industries has an active collaboration arm. Working with the likes of fragment design and The Shepherd Undercover brings a new angle to the company that’s more focused on luxury detailing like grained deerskin trims.
Featured In This Image: Dime jacket
Characterized by the irregular quilted pattern throughout, this Dime women’s bomber jacket is eye-catching without shouting for attention. The all-black hue underlines the importance of subtle detailing, which this piece offers in abundance thanks to the quilting and velour build.
Featured In This Image: Helmut Lang jacket
Helmut Lang remains faithful to the archetypal MA-1 bomber jacket here, opting for the classic khaki colorway and a bank of original detailing like the chunky knit cuffs, zip closure with press-stud placket, and even a storm collar.
Featured In This Image: Rick Owens DRKSHDW jacket
Trust Rick Owens to design a double-breasted bomber jacket. It’s definitely left field, but that’s what Rick Owens is known and loved for. Complementing the double-breasted fastening is an oversized hood split down the middle by a zip to lay flat on the shoulders when not in use.
Featured In This Image: 1017 ALYX 9SM jacket
It's no surprise that Matthew Williams’s streetwear-leaning style connected early and meaningfully with the bomber jacket. The designer’s collections at 1017 ALYX 9SM and Givenchy have always made space for a bomber jacket. The 1017 ALYX 9SM Arch Bomber Jacket features the label’s signature chunky buckle at the collar which is, perhaps surprisingly, the only major detail of the piece.
- Date: November 30, 2023
