During a cold winter there is nothing quite like a genuine vintage bomber jacket to keep you warm as you trek back and forth from work day after day. These stylish jackets are usually made of leather or nylon and will sometimes have a sheepskin lining to provide that added warmth.
       So where did these originate from and how did they get their name?

       The initial bomber jackets were pretty heavy things made from leather and designed for pilots sent out on to conduct bombing raids. The first sheepskin genuine vintage bomber jacket was made by Leslie Irwin in 1926, which he then went on to supply to the RAF during the Second World War.
       In fact these early versions were worn by both the British and the Americans and were called flight jackets.

       These were of great benefit to the pilots of both countries as the cockpits weren’t airtight and as a result could be incredibly cold for the occupants. It was probably quite enough for the pilots to be trembling from fear as they set off on these dangerous raids. So the last thing they would have needed was to freeze as well, which made the leather jacket a necessity.

Nylon Jackets

      After 1942 many other kinds of genuine vintage bomber jacket were designed for the military and generally made from nylon. However, the leather bomber jacket never went out of fashion with many pilots continuing to wear them given they were durable as well as stylish.
       The most widely collected genuine vintage bomber jacket from those early days is the A-2 design, which was available in either black or brown and first made back in 1927.

       The A-2 leather bomber jackets were often decorated by American crew members with squadron patches and different styles of artwork. They were designed to fit the thinner male of the time so when the original jackets are worn by men these days they look a little tight. However, they remain very popular for people in all walks of life as they have been immortalised in many films and TV shows through the years.

A-2 for Pilots

       Usually it was only the pilots who wore the A-2 jackets with other flight crew wearing sheepskin-lined jackets as they were most exposed to the elements.
       Curiously this meant the guys actually dropping the bombs did not wear a true bomber jacket. The U.S Air Force stopped issuing the A-2 leather jackets in 1943, but after much lobbying from pilots they reintroduced it in 1988 and it remains part of the uniform to this day.

       The leather bomber jacket worn by the pilots of the British and American Air Forces are almost a symbol of the bravery of these men during the Second World War.
      Whether it is the A-2 jackets of the American Air Force or the Irvin sheepskin flight jacket of the RAF pilots, they are all highly desired by collectors of not just bomber jackets, but also World War II memorabilia.
       While styles and trends change of the years, the genuine vintage bomber jacket will never go out of fashion.

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