Valstar was founded in Milan in 1911, and became the first Italian company to produce water-repellent raincoats. In 1935 it introduced the Valstarino, a jacket adapted from the US Army Air Corps' A1 flight jacket into a civilian style, one of the earliest examples of military clothing reimagined for everyday wear. The Valstarino was included in Milan's 2009 exhibition From Sign to Dream, alongside other Italian design icons like the Bialetti coffee pot and the Fiat 500.