…the legend is that Buzz Rickson spent over a million dollars to prepare production of key elements of this MA-1 (the re-made crown zippers for example). Also stuff of legend was that the MA-1 was never produced in black by Buzz Rickson until the company began getting requests from loyal readers of Pattern Recognition.

“While Rickson’s had never made a black one, countless black jackets in the MA-1 pattern have been made over the years. It’s been a very popular, indeed classic pattern. These are not made to the specifications of the US military, but for sale to civilians. I gave Cayce one because I thought it worked for her, and I made it a Buzz, because that worked for me. I never stopped to think that Rickson’s didn’t actually make a black one, but if I had, that wouldn’t have stopped me. Hubertus Bigend doesn’t exist either, and I have my poetic license right here, laminated, in my wallet.

To my surprise, Cayce’s jacket immediately felt to me like a *character*, rather than merely a garment, and I liked that.”

“People who complain about the very high cost don’t understand the degree of sheer lunatic obsession that goes into these things. You are very unlikely to ever wear another piece of clothing this well-made. I know I never have. (They are actually better than the 1950s USAF originals, which were only finished to military contract standards.) They spent a million dollars, when the company started up, on machinery to reproduce 1950s USAF-spec Crown zippers. Nobody outside of Japan is very interested in paying for that, they told me, smiling. They have found their niche-market, bigtime.” 

– William Gibson

via http://www.thirdlooks.com/2013/03/third-looks-feature-the-best-mens-ma-1s/

// Love the Buzz Rickson manufacturing legend. Though I never bought into the ‘no labels’ Cayce Pollard thing. Haven’t really owned pieces that showcased logos. Also, I prefer my WTAPS green version…