Avirex

Avirex is an American apparel brand founded by Jeff Clyman in New York City in 1975. The brand became known for leather flight jackets and bomber jackets modeled on military aviation garments, particularly the A-2 jacket associated with the United States Army Air Forces and later the U.S. Air Force. Its identity rests on the combination of historical aviation references, substantial leather construction, and fashion-oriented military styling. Avirex was not a World War II supplier to the United States military. Its historical association with military aviation developed through later commercial production and reproduction work. During the 1980s, the company supplied aviation apparel for the U.S. Air Force through the reissue of the A-2 jacket. This activity helped connect the brand’s commercial products with recognizable American flight-wear traditions while keeping Avirex primarily positioned as a civilian clothing label rather than a defense contractor. The brand’s best-known product territory includes A-2-style flight jackets, B-3-style bomber jackets, leather outerwear, flight suits, and other military-inspired garments. These products draw on aviation uniforms and service clothing but are designed for consumer wear and fashion use. Avirex’s visual language has also been shaped by popular culture, where oversized leather jackets, embroidered aviation graphics, patches, and military motifs became associated with streetwear and music-related style. In 2006, Jeff Clyman sold Avirex to entrepreneur Marc Ecko. The transaction moved the brand into a broader contemporary fashion environment associated with Ecko’s apparel interests. The Avirex brand in the United States is currently owned by Centric Brands. Publicly available reference material identifies Centric Brands as the current U.S. owner, while detailed information about the brand’s present corporate structure, leadership, revenue, retail footprint, and international licensing arrangements is limited. Avirex occupies a heritage-inspired, mid-to-upper-market position within fashion apparel. Its differentiation comes from the combination of aviation history, leather craftsmanship, military styling, and recognizable archival silhouettes. The brand should be distinguished from actual military procurement entities: its products use military references and, in some periods, have been connected to official aviation-apparel programs, but Avirex is principally a consumer fashion brand.

Avirex was established by Jeff Clyman in New York City in 1975. From its beginning, the brand focused on civilian clothing influenced by military aviation, especially leather outerwear and flight-jacket silhouettes. Its commercial identity was built around the visual and functional language of aviation garments rather than around the manufacture of a broad range of standard military uniforms. A central part of Avirex’s reputation came from its leather bomber jackets. The company helped popularize flight-jacket styles for the U.S. consumer market, using references to historic aviation clothing such as the A-2 jacket. These references gave the products a strong heritage character while allowing the garments to operate as fashion pieces. Avirex products were therefore positioned between historical reproduction, contemporary outerwear, and military-inspired lifestyle apparel. The relationship between Avirex and military aviation requires some qualification. The brand was not a supplier to the United States military during World War II. Its connection to official aviation apparel developed later, including work in the 1980s supplying aviation apparel for the U.S. Air Force through the reissue of the A-2 jacket. This later activity reinforced the brand’s authenticity in the flight-wear category but did not make Avirex a World War II military contractor. Over time, the brand’s aviation vocabulary expanded beyond individual jacket reproductions. Its product territory included leather jackets, bomber jackets, flight suits, and other garments using military details and aviation imagery. Popular culture also contributed to Avirex’s visibility. Flight jackets and oversized leather outerwear became associated with music, streetwear, and broader fashion trends, giving the brand relevance beyond specialist military-collecting circles. A major ownership transition occurred in 2006, when Clyman sold Avirex to entrepreneur Marc Ecko. This placed the label within a contemporary fashion context and ended the period in which its founder was the principal owner. Reference material identifies Centric Brands as the current owner of Avirex in the United States. The available sources do not provide a complete account of subsequent management changes, current sales channels, manufacturing arrangements, or the brand’s full international licensing structure. Avirex’s enduring positioning is based on recognizable aviation heritage, leather outerwear, and military-inspired design. Its historical narrative is strongest when understood as a consumer brand that interpreted flight clothing for the apparel market, with some later official aviation-apparel involvement, rather than as a continuous military supplier. The brand remains associated with flight jackets and related military-style clothing, although publicly available information about its current operations is comparatively limited.

• 2006

  Ownership passes from Jeff Clyman to Marc Ecko

  [1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  Jeff Clyman sells Avirex to entrepreneur Marc Ecko.

• 1980

  Avirex supplies aviation apparel for the U.S. Air Force

  [1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1980s, Avirex supplies aviation apparel for the U.S. Air Force through a reissue of the A-2 jacket.

• 1975

  Avirex is founded in New York City

  [1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  Jeff Clyman establishes Avirex as an American apparel brand focused on military- and aviation-influenced clothing.

• Centric Brands becomes the current U.S. owner

  [1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identifies Centric Brands as the current owner of the Avirex brand in the United States.

Heritage-inspired, mid-to-upper-market apparel centered on leather flight jackets, aviation history, and military-style fashion.

• Flight jacket

  A-2 flight jacket

  Avirex’s A-2-related products draw on the classic leather flight-jacket pattern associated with American military aviation. The brand’s 1980s reissue work for the U.S. Air Force is an important part of its connection to this style. In the consumer market, the A-2 functions as both a heritage reproduction and a recognizable everyday outerwear item.

• Bomber jacket

  B-3 bomber jacket

  The B-3-style bomber jacket represents Avirex’s broader use of historic aviation references in leather outerwear. It belongs to the brand’s military-inspired product territory and is associated with substantial construction, cold-weather flight-wear imagery, and a heritage-oriented fashion presentation. A specific launch date is not established by the available sources.

• Leather apparel · 1975

  Leather aviation outerwear

  Leather jackets and related aviation outerwear form the core of Avirex’s identity. These garments translate flight-clothing shapes, military detailing, and aviation graphics into consumer fashion. They are the product area most closely associated with the brand’s reputation in the U.S. market.

• Aviation apparel

  Flight suits

  Flight suits extend Avirex’s aviation theme beyond jackets into one-piece apparel influenced by service and pilot clothing. The available reference material identifies flight suits among the brand’s products but does not document a specific model range, launch date, or current distribution pattern.

• 2006

  Sale of Avirex to Marc EckoM&A

  Background

  After operating Avirex since its 1975 founding, Jeff Clyman transferred ownership of the brand to entrepreneur Marc Ecko.

  Action taken

  Clyman sold Avirex to Ecko in a change of ownership.

  Aftermath

  The transaction placed Avirex under new ownership and connected the label with a broader contemporary fashion business. Publicly available reference material does not provide detailed post-transaction financial or operational results.

  Source

• 2006

  Jeff Clyman sells Avirex to Marc Ecko[1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Founder Jeff Clyman sold the Avirex brand to entrepreneur Marc Ecko, transferring ownership after more than three decades of operation under Clyman’s leadership.

• Centric Brands identified as current U.S. owner of Avirex[1]Avirexen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Reference material identifies Centric Brands as the current owner of the Avirex brand in the United States.

1. 1Avirexen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Avirex official websiteavirex.com