Alpha Industries x Slam Jam: CWU-45

Another icon, hacked. Alpha Industries x Slam Jam present the CWU-45 Heritage Bomber Jacket. CWU stands for Cold Weather Uniform.

When first introduced in the 1970s, the CWU-45 marked a turning point in aviation design. It replaced the MA-1 flight jacket inside the cockpit – trading shiny nylon for flame-resistant Nomex and the knitted collar for a fold-over version made from the same material as the jacket.

It was a safety upgrade, pure and simple – and what emerged was a new icon. In our previous collaboration, Slam Jam reimagined the Alpha Industries MA-1: its classic silhouette was reworked with reflective graphics inspired by Italian police uniforms. We called it “a counter-take on its own significance.”

That’s Slam Jam’s MO. They intervene on classics once they’ve become the code. Workwear, sportswear, uniforms: their function is clear, their meaning collective. Slam Jam steps in once the story is complete, alters a few details, and sends the signal back to culture. It’s not about making new versions of great garments – it’s a commentary on how symbols circulate.

The removable patches on the CWU-45 read Chaos Is Order, 1989, and Do Not Panic — slogans that operate somewhere between instruction and philosophy. Like mission badges for a different kind of flight.

For Slam Jam, the gesture is always the same: take what’s untouchable, touch it lightly, and return it altered. For Alpha Industries, it’s another conversation about longevity – what happens when a uniform meets a subculture, and both still look forward.

ALPHA INDUSTRIES EUROPE

OFFICIAL U.S. DEFENSE DEP. CONTRACTOR
EST. OCTOBER 1959