 
Mister Freedom® mfsc RANCH KERCHIEF, selvedge cotton.
SS2020 mfsc “DUDE RANCH” collection, made in Japan.
We dug-out some vintage Old West-related silk scarves from the Mister Freedom® archives for inspiration, and put together this original “RANCH KERCHIEF”, in full 1950s-60s “dude ranch” tenderfoot fashion. Like the singing cowboy Rex Allen once confessed sometime around 1958, in regards to his TV fancy wardrobe: “I recon I wear seersucker suits. Sears made ‘em and a sucker bought ‘em.” Cowboy wisdom.
Cinema and music have reinvented the American West since the 1930s (or earlier), often depicting an “on the range” reality that might not have been everyone’s experience of it.
To keep things light, our bandana sticks to that romanticized version of cowpoke life, a bit more “Oklahoma!” than “Dead Wood”. Its novelty artwork does not incorporate any “cool” Native American symbols or references, a minefield these days. Save for the obscur “MF” and “SC” branding iron repeats, there is no maker mention either, but that’s just because we were so busy picking colors that we actually forgot to include our brand name!
The print is made on an all cotton plain weave selvedge fabric base, using water-based ink. A bleed-thru effect guarantees that both sides display the graphic with equal sharpness and vibrance.
Like most traditional 1950s-1960s fashion or promotional bandanas, our RANCH KERCHIEF features three sides machine-hemmed and one side using the fabric selvedge, an old sign of fabric yield maximizing. Modern mass-produced generic bandanas tend to be hemmed on all four sides (fabrics milled on wide looms with frayed edges), sometimes unattractively serged (overlocked), and, ultimate deal-breaker, cut from polycotton for some. Besides the few attractive vintage replicas/interpretations available today from discerning labels, selvedge bandanas are not the norm.
We opted for a classic average square size of 23 x 23 inches, so that our RANCH KERCHIEF can be used as neckwear, do-rag, dust mask, hankie, wall display, sling, pocket square, napkin, field tourniquet, pet scarf, furoshiki etc…
This SS2020 release comes in four colorways we are calling red, navy, gold and green to simplify.
We devised the original kraft paper packaging as to not include a PVC plastic window, playing around with the concept of a vintage souvenir brought home from a guest ranch vacation.
The mfsc RANCH KERCHIEF is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by SugarCane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Fine 100% cotton, traditional selvedge “bandana” lightweight fabric, milled and printed in Japan.
Four classic colorways: red, navy, gold or green.
DETAILS:
* Vintage-inspired 1950s-60s dude ranch cowboy/western artwork.
* Fabric selvedge featured on one side, with other three edges finished with narrow hem.
* Water-based ink for soft-hand print.
* Approximate size 23 x 23 inches ( about 58 x 58 cm.)
* Packaged in an original vintage-like kraft paper envelope, a fun present for your significant cowboy, cowgirl, cowperson, or pet.
* Made in Japan.
CARE:
These bandanas come raw/unwashed. We recommend a full wash before using, to remove the starched finish and soften-up the fabric.
The RANCH KERCHIEF is low maintenance and should be laundered when needed.
Machine wash on normal cycle, cold or warm water, minimal eco-friendly detergent. Line dry of tumble dry.
Available Raw/Unwashed.
One size, four color options.
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles red brick HQ, and fine retailers around the World.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support,
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2020
 MF® Boro Shorties “Aizume”  MF® Boro Shorties “Checks”  MF® Boro Shorties “Kasuri”  MF® Boro Shorties “Katazome”  MF® Boro Shorties “Stripes”  MF® Boro Shorties “Nihon”  MF® Boro Shorties with sliders.
 “Thankyaverymuch”
Mister Freedom® “BORO SHORTIES”, antique Japanese textiles.
Up-cycled in USA.
These ties are the shorter version of our Indigo Boro Ties, originally introduced in 2011.
We put together another fresh batch of these shorties this week. They are made from antique textiles loomed in Japan (some over 100 years ago, see original release post here), and hunted down during a recent trip.
These narrow shuttle loom fabrics are of assorted patterns, textures and colors, all one side selvedge and the other side frayed. Their vintage ranges from turn of the century to the 1960′s. A mixture of home spun, cotton, hemp, natural indigo, katazome prints, kasuri weave, plaids, solids… each scarf is pretty much one of a kind.
Although the MF® Boro Shorties all vary from one another, with specific fade/condition/size/repairs/holes/yellowing due to age, we loosely classified them by textile family groups (there are obvious cross-references):
* Boro Shorties Aizume: mostly solid indigoes.
* Boro Shorties Kasuri: fiber-dyed woven patterns.
* Boro Shorties Katazome: resist-paste dyeing.
* Boro Shorties Nihon: Miscellaneous Japanese patterns.
* Boro Shorties Stripes: striped patterns.
* Boro Shorties Checks: Check/plaid patterns.
Wrapped once around the neck with a simple single knot, they’ll work with different outfits, dressed up or down, worn out or tucked inside the shirt, ascot-style, bolo tie-style or á-la J. Depp. We do insist on the ‘rough and rugged’ nature of the kerchiefs, this is not Brooks Bros neckwear. Think “Salaire de la Peur” rather than “The Great Gatsby“.
Our Shorties come with a Mister Freedom® original vintage metal slider, bench-made in our LA atelier. Sliders are all one-of-a-kind, with different shapes and sizes, up-cycled from antique silverware.
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“Le Salaire De La Peur” (“The Wages of Fear”, 1953)
Of notice, displayed atop our jovial and debonair friend Rudolph Valentino’s head, is a fine assortment of casquettes “La Deffe” and “Scuttler” caps, currently in stock.
The Mister Freedom® “Boro Shorties” are up-cycled in USA, and made from antique textiles loomed in Japan.
Retail: $129.95 (including MF® vintage slider)
CARE:
Hand washable, cold water, eco-friendly detergent. Line dry.
The condition of some of these fabrics are beyond the wabi-sabi of a little imperfection, and feature fraying, occasional holes, repairs, fragile spots, etc…As the fabric continues to age with wear, your own hand-made repairs will add character.
Available from our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and soon from www.misterfreedom.com.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
 Provence Landscape by Henri-Edmond Cross (1900) 
 Hi ? 
 Recommended fashion applications of the versatile MF® Carré Provence. 
Mister Freedom® Carré Provence, Indigo Blue & Rouge Turc.
Gypsy Blues mfsc Spring 2017
Made in Japan
Textile printing allegedly originated in India, but i’ll spare you the 4000 years old odyssey.
Paisley designs have their roots in the Persian Empire (modern-day Iran), and made their way West in the 17th century, via textile cargoes of ships from the East India Company. With the popularity of these exotic motifs growing with locals, the city of Marseille, France, pioneered bootlegged renditions, printing cotton “Indiennes” as early as 1640…
For more interesting textile History, visit the Musée de l’impression sur étoffes (Mulhouse, France).
Whether headwear or neckwear, printed colorful scarves are a staple in Romani culture imagery.
We combined several antique French regional scarves to come up with our MF® Carré Provence. The nod to Provence, is in the ‘olive floret’ center repeat, a motif familiar to the connoisseur of traditional textiles from the South of France.
Although our scarf is not a straight-up replica, similar cotton shawls featuring leaves and boteh in bold red and blues were produced by textile printing factories in the Alsace region, France, around 1820’s-30’s. One of the typical color was the famous Rouge Turc or Rouge d’Andrinople (Turkey Red or madder red), which involved a then-challenging and stomach-churning dyeing method. We assumed some of you might object to wrapping their neck in a cloth dyed in a concoction of sheep’s dung and olive oil, so we went for a traditional bleed-through silk-screening method for the printing instead.
Our Carré Provence comes in two color options. The red version is very much Rouge Turc-like, and the blue accents are actual indigo blue. The second version is also actual indigo blue, with Rouge Turc and other vibrant accents.
The carré (pronounced ka-ray, meaning a square shape) features two selvedge sides and two hemmed sides. It measures 34.5 inches x 34.5 inches, much larger than a regular bandana.
With this handsome versatile accessory accompanying our Spring 2017 Gypsy Blues story, we are guaranteeing endless hours of fun. Indeed, explore its boundless fashionable reincarnations with friends, family, and neighbors! Do the Marius, the Django, the Jean Gabin, the Manitas De Plata, the Highway Bandit, the Carmen Miranda, the Lawrence of Arabia, the Tom Mix, the Toothache, the Geronimo, the Fortune Teller, the Calico Jack, the Burka Provençale, the You-Name-It…
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Pierre Fresnay, Marius (1931)
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Jean Gabin (1949)
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Django Reinhardt (1949)
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Carmen Miranda, 1940’s
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From “As Gypsies Wander” (1953) Juliette De Bairacli Levy
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Peter O’Toole (1962)
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Manitas De Plata LP (1968)
The Carré Provence is re-imagined in California by MISTER FREEDOM® and manufactured in Japan by SUGAR CANE Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Printed fine 100% cotton fabric, bleed-through silkscreening, 34.5 inches selvedge to selvedge, milled and printed in Japan.
Two options:
* Indigo Blue.
* Rouge Turc.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by antique French printed scarves from the 1820’s-30’s, and traditional and regional motifs.
* Actual indigo print.
* Two selvedge sides.
* Large format for your headwear or neckwear preference (34.5 inches x 34.5 inches, about 87cm x 87cm).
* Made in Japan.
CARE:
Low maintenance. We recommend initially washing in cold water, delicate cycle, machine or hang dry. Fashion to taste.
Available raw/unwashed.
One size.
Retail $129.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
We have cooked up this little accessory to wrap around your neck this winter: The MF® “Boro” Tie
Boro is a Japanese term describing patched up textiles. Repairing and patching was a necessity in early Japan, when new fabric was scarce and expensive.
A garment may have had many lives, often ending up in small pieces to repair a futon cover, monpei pants, yukata, furoshiki…
I came across some original folk indigo boro in the early 1990’s, while in Japan, and have been an admirer since then. Although not originally done for aesthetic reasons, some surviving examples are to me Folk Art at its best.
This is the background story of our little neck ornament here.
We have used some ‘scraps’ of rare antique Japanese indigo textiles to put together our “Boro” Tie (boro~ bolo…get it? and yes, I’ll be here all week…)
The fabrics are assorted, ranging from circa 1850’s~1930’s, and selected from our textile archives. Home spun, cotton, hemp, natural indigo, katazome prints, plaids, solids… We have mixed some red cotton antique japanese
fabrics on some of the ties, red being the sugar if indigo is the tea.
We also hand made those leather ring sliders, using vintage recycled leather, some tooled, some plain.
Very limited edition, all one-of-a-kind, none are perfect, hand made in our studio in Los Angeles, CA.
Retail $229.95
Please call John or Jordan at (323) 653-2014 or Email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last.
Thank you again for your support 😉
  
The first in a series of Mister Freedom® Original Bandanas for 2010. We’ll have some cool original designs and colours coming up, starting with the MF-103.
SPECS:
* MF® original artwork.
* Original MF® “Swallow” branding.
* Water based custom mixed ink. “Bleed thru” technique.
* All cotton squares, loose weave
* Hand screened in house, in our Los Angeles studio.
* Each piece is unique, with slight variations in registration, fading, colour, shrunken size.
* Colours will fade with repeat washing.
* Made in USA.
(Available RINSED. Approx size 21” x 21”. Retail $69.95)
Call (323) 653-2014 or mail john@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally.
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