Alpha industries jackets have been very popular amongst people of all age groups ever since Alpha Industries started manufacturing jackets for civilians to wear. Alpha industries jackets were initially manufactured for the Air Force and had very specific qualities that were best suited to the needs of jet pilots.
However, alpha jackets became popular after the Korean War when they started finding their way into the public domain through military surplus auctions. Alpha industries jackets created an instant wave amongst civilians. These lightweight, warm, water resistant and fire-repellant jackets were not only utilitarian, but also looked sexy and lent a macho appeal to the wearer. The alpha jackets also featured regularly on the covers of the fashion magazines of the era of 1970s and thus gained popularity as a fashionable, yet useful piece of clothing.
Alpha industries jackets were manufactured because the Air Force was looking to replace their fleece leather jackets with something that was lighter, warmer and did not allow water to seep into the inners layers of the pilots’ clothes. These requirements had emerged with the introduction of the jet engine propelled fighter planes in the US Air Force during the 1950s. The jet engines could attain more speed and height than propeller based airplanes. Water froze at these heights and thus, water repellant jackets were needed. With all these requirements in mind, Alpha Industries launched a series of alpha jackets. The MA-1 is probably the most popular alpha jacket launched to date.
The first Alpha Industries Jacket was manufactured in 1959. The company had started its operations in a rented basement factory in Knoxville Tennessee. The factory remains the company’s headquarters to date. DOD contracts were hard to come by in those days and the company worked on whatever small contracts it had been able to procure. The company kept functioning in obscurity with its few employees working on leased machines till the Korean War broke out. This was the “golden” era for Alpha Industries and the company was producing more Alpha Jackets than it could sustain. Eventually the company started hiring more people. By the time the Korean War had concluded, Alpha Jackets had become the standard across armies and Alpha Industries had started working on international assignments.
Alpha Jackets were ordered by various armies of the allied forces in the Europe and in Australia. The jackets were very comfortable and were well accepted by civilians once these Alpha Jackets started making their way out through military auctions and surplus stores. Looking at the unprecedented demand from the civilian section of the society and the dwindling army orders after the cold war, Alpha decided to go commercial. The MA-1 became the most successful Alpha Jacket after its commercial launch. The best features of these bomber jackets have been preserved in the commercial versions, making them the main reason for the instant success of the commercial Alpha Jackets several decades after its original introduction during the Korean War.