Avirex was originally founded by Jeff Clyman in 1975 as a brand for military apparel. Contrary to popular belief, Avirex was not a U.S. military supplier during World War II. In 1987 the company became an official Government contract supplier with A-2 jacket

A-2 jacket

The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket closely associated with World War II U.S. Army Air Forces pilots, navigators and bombardiers, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back...

s for the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

.

In 2006, Jeff Clyman sold the Avirex brand and trademark

Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

 as well as the Avirex sportswear and Hip-hop fashion

Fashion

Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...

 lines in Europe, Japan, and the United States. The new owner of the Avirex brand in the United States is Eckō Unltd.

Jeff Clyman founded a new company for military apparel called Cockpit USA.

In popular culture and media

• The East Staines Massiv in the 2002 movie Ali G Indahouse
  Ali G Indahouse
  Ali G Indahouse is a British comedy film directed by Mark Mylod and starring the fictional character Ali G, who is performed by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen...
  
  wear Avirex Jackets.
• Various members of the group Blazin' Squad
  Blazin' Squad
  Blazin' Squad were an English pop-rap vocal group. The group enjoyed significant success in the UK, achieving six top ten hits, including "Crossroads", a cover version of the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony original.-In The Beginning: 2002:...
  
  wear Avirex clothing.
• Tim Robbins wears an Avirex jacket in the 1990 movie Cadillac Man
  Cadillac Man
  Cadillac Man is a 1990 comedy film starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins.-Plot:Brooklyn car salesman Joey O'Brien must deal with the ever-increasing pressures in his life: he has an ex-wife demanding alimony, a daughter who's missing, a married mistress and a single mistress who are both...
  
  
• In the song entitled "Some L.A. Niggaz," Rapper Xzibit
  Xzibit
  Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
  
  uses Avirex in his lyric seemingly to show that he wears Avirex Clothing.
• In the popular British sit-com 2point4 children
  2point4 children
  2point4 Children is a 1990s British sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porter family; an average family that is persistently faced with surreal situations and sheer bad luck....
  
   Gary Olsen
  Gary Olsen
  Gary Olsen was an English actor.Olsen was born in London and lived with an aunt and uncle, after losing both his parents at an early age. He attended the Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School in Kennington...
  
   played a character called Ben Porter who wore a Avirex leather jacket in most episodes with in the 8 series

See also

• Avirex, Serbia
• Avirex, Japan
• Alpha Industries
  Alpha Industries
  Alpha Industries is an American clothing manufacturer founded in 1959 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Initially as a contractor to the United States military, the company grew into an international commercial seller of American military style and fashion apparel...
  
  
• Irvin Aerospace
• Schott NYC
  Schott NYC
  Schott NYC is an American clothing manufacturing company located in New York City. The company was founded in 1913 by brothers Irving and Jack Schott. Schott NYC was the first company to put a zipper on a jacket and they created the classic Perfecto motorcycle jacket, made popular in movies like...
  
  
• Al Wissam
  Al Wissam
  Al Wissam is a designer clothing brand based in Dearborn, Michigan, founded by Bassem Souwaidam, who is known for his art of embroidery. Al Wissam clothing has became popular amongst cultures associated with Urban, Grime/Hip-Hop/Rap Artists and NFL, NBA, Boxers and various...