Avirex Returns With the 'Icon' Jacket Nas Wore in 'Belly'

Avirex is back.

After months of teasers and growing anticipation, the American brand has formally announced its relaunch for fall/winter 2021. The company, best known for its top-tier leather jackets, was founded in 1975 as a supplier of aviation apparel for the United States Airforce. Avirex eventually became a cult-favorite brand thanks in large part to major co-signs throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Hip-hop heavyweights like the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Big Pun, and Snoop Dogg had rocked the brand’s classic designs, like the “Wildcat” and “Hero” jackets. Nas also rocked Avirex’s Icon piece in the 1998 film Belly.

“This new chapter will appeal to the original Avirex enthusiasts who value the heritage of the brand and to a new generation inspired by Avirex’s nostalgia and reflection of today’s luxury streetwear culture,” said the brand’s president, Andrew Berg. “These jackets are as unique as the people who wear them and are timeless cross-generational collector pieces.”

The fall/winter 2021 collection will deliver 27 units, including the A1 bomber as well as the aforementioned Wildcat varsity jacket and the Icon bomber. Mia Dell’Osso-Caputo, one of the original designers for Avirex, contributed to the upcoming drop, helping the brand retain the streetwear-meets-luxury aesthetic that made it famous.

The upcoming collection will available in August online and at select retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Stashed San Francisco, and Sneex in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While customers wait for the drop, they can get their hands on the Icon jacket at Avirex’s webstore. The design, which is available in black, red, white, and blue colorways, is priced at $1,298. Avirex will also release the piece in yellow, orange, and lime green. You can check out the jackets in the product shots below.