Club Obi Wan

I'm sorry to say this isn't completely Indiana Jones related and I apologise if anyone thinks this question has no place here.

I bought an A2 jacket back in 2002 from a local army surplous store. It was in great condition, but dirt cheap. I only paid 50 euro's for it.

Even though it's a bit large for me (it's a 48R) I have worn the jacket with a lot of pleasure both normally as well as on historical re-enactments or if I was just going for the Indy look.

However I have always remained curious as to the origins of the jacket.

The label sais:

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JACKET: FLYERS, LEATHER, U.S.A.F., A-2

SIZE 48R

8415-01-258-6409

DLA100-92-C-0346

BRANDED GARMENTS INC.

ORCHARD M/C INC

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With all the expertise on leather jackets here, I was wondering if anybody could tell me a little about this jacket.

Thank you.

The jacket you have is a modern day low end reproduction of an A-2.

Branded Garments Inc is out of Los Angles CA, and they make leather
goods and womens clothing.

They are owned by Orchard M/C Inc which is a motorcycle clothing distributor out
of New York.

Your jacket is only a few years old, and not a collectable or antique.

Its just a mall brand A-2 copy like the ones at LL Bean.

Enjoy it for what it is. A nice cheap leather jacket.

Flathead

Thanks Flathead!



I never expected it to be collectable or anything. Like I mentioned, I only paid 50 euro's for it, so I was actually surprised that it held up for this long.

But it has! And I really enjoy it.

The thing is I always remained curious about it.

Just to ad the DLA# will tell you the year it was made it was made in 1992.just a little fyi,but flat head is right about it not being a collectable.enjoy the jacket

Thanks Jacksdad!

That is nice to know.

And I do enjoy the jacket, very much so!

Actually, jacket finds like yours are a very nice thing.

You can beat the jacket all to heck, and wear it in the types of outdoor elements
and in places you would normally not want to wear an expensive leather
jacket, and have no fear of ruining it.

Enjoy it, and post some picks of it if you get a chance.

Flathead

hey if you need replacment cuffs and waist band go through G&B that's what I did and you'll get the real deal from them. Wool is the real sttuff on A-2's

The A2 is my favorite leather jacket for actual use. Interesting that it has the Defense Logistics Agency contract number, but Cockpit (formerly Avirex) is the only supplier for these. It is thought that Indy's character was made up from several real adventurers/archaeologists of the late '30s and into the '40s, along with other movie characters from the post-war period. One of these characters was played by Gary Cooper (I think) and wore a fedora and a veteran A2 jacket. This combination is very 'period-correct' whether or not it agrees with the Indiana Jones movies, so enjoy it and wear it well. The A2 has been hugely popular since WWII because vets wore them in the post-war years and every guy wanted one. My only A2 is an Avirex goatskin 'civilian' model, completely authentic except for the slightly more full sizing and the lack of the Velcro patch for ID. I sent it to the leather cleaners once just to try to preserve the cotton lining, and they DYED IT because it was getting wear! I thought I was going 'postal' on them - it really did look great but now had a little more 'red' in it than it should. I just left it alone and did my annual oiling with Obenauf's Leather Oil diluted with dry-cleaning solvent which gently cleans and treats the leather without permanent darkening. Now it's starting to get it's patina back. There are numerous alteration shops that can replace the knit elstic cuffs and waistband ot the lining, so if you have a good one that you like you can keep it going almost indefinitely.