Mister Freedom® “DUNE BUGGY” Jacket, cotton-rayon sateen-back , SS2019 mfsc “Yucatán” Collection, made in Japan.

Mister Freedom “DUNE BUGGY” Jacket.
SS2019 mfsc “YUCATÁN” collection.
Made in Japan.

The making-of this next number is a long – brace yourselves – and soporific story, harking back to my Los Angeles days of relentless thrift-store-hunting and flea-market-prowling…
As a rule I learned during my “American rag Cie” boot camp years as a picker, I’d usually pass on poly-cotton garments. But there was something about that 60’s black and white racing jacket I couldn’t leave behind, despite its large modern-looking “Solar Productions” chest patch that threw me off at the time. That was no STP coolness, I thought. Late 1990’s…
If I remember well, this number came out of  Aadvark´s, a today-defunct SoCal vintage clothing store chain with reputedly low-priced hidden treasures, if one took the time to weed through the ocean of run-of-the-mill garb, and knew the trade. The jacket, manufactured by ¨Bowler’s Shirt and Uniform¨ of Los Angeles, was intriguing. No iPhone to google it up on the spot, so i shelled the $20 bucks or so, and took it home, saving it from its Halloween costume fate…

Sported it around town on several occasions, as all I owned were vintage duds at the time. Unsure how I eventually figured out that ¨Solar Productions¨ was Steve McQueen´s own film production company, established around 1965, later located on the CBS lot in Studio City, California. Score!
This piece is one of the very few lucky find that I managed to hold-on to, in my 30 years in the vintage schmatta. The hunt is exciting, but collecting and hoarding less appealing, to me.

Fast-forward to 2018. While working on our ¨YUCATÁN¨ SS2019 mfsc capsule collection, pulling-out that old jacket out of the closet made sense. Quick research had yielded several photos of McQueen himself sporting his, along with other members of the Solar crew. These on-set pictures were mostly captured during the 1969-70 scouting and filming of ¨Le Mans¨ in France. Check-out the book “Le Mans in the Rearview Mirror“.
I’ve always wondered who initially owned that jacket scored some 20 years ago. How many were produced and distributed for promotional purposes? Solar Productions HQ consisted of a staff of about 25 people in 1968. Did mine belong to one of McQueen’s buddies, or employees, or, could it be… ??!
I’ll never know, but that thing sure is a keeper!

Back to the MF® Design Dept… It was of course out of the question to replicate that vintage piece verbatim, for obvious Intellectual Property concerns, and because McQueen Racing, Chad McQueen’s company, should obviously be first to release a replica or reissue of the original “Solar Production” crew jacket design.

For our project, we merely used the jacket as an inspiration spark and for its Costume History value, following instead the usual might-have-been MF® design approach. We did borrow the cool snap-on throat-latch stand collar detail gimmick of the original jacket.
For the rest of the design, we tapped into vintage military gear and decided to merge racing with a 1970´s USAF classic, namely a CWU-7P (Cold Weather Unit) ground crew jacket. The Frankenstein result is a contemporary wearable with a classic, timeless vibe.

For the shell fabric, we opted for a double-face woven textile, cotton face and rayon reverse aka cotton-back sateen, an original fabric inspired by vintage 1950’s ‘weatherproof’ McGregor® Scottish Drizzlers we previously featured on our BREEZER Windbreaker. The “DUNE BUGGY” is cut cotton side-out, with the sateen rayon twill side visible on the tonal ‘racing’ chest stripe. The fabric face is rather matte, contrasting with the rayon sateen sheen.
The lining is an elegant British-style woven plaid, cotton/linen blend, milled in an attractive indigo blue and white tartan.

Our “DUNE BUGGY” jacket’s demeanor is quite sleek and unassuming, with an understated 60’s racing vibe. Unless… you decide to rev-up your speedster street credit overnight with a DIY job, sticking on the jacket all kinds of vintage grease monkey-related patches! Pismo Beach dune-riding Baja Boot special, or motorcycle racing à-la “On Any Sunday” desert-rat… Go, Speed Racer, Go!

The MF® “DUNE BUGGY” Jacket is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:
FABRIC:
Shell: Tightly woven blend of 50% cotton (matte face) and 50% rayon twill sateen (shinny reverse, visible on chest racing stripe), aka cotton-back sateen, milled in Japan.
Lining: Cotton/linen blend woven plaid, indigo and white tartan.
DETAILS:
* An original mfsc pattern blending 1970’s USAF  CWU-7P ground crew jacket, vintage 1960’s racing crew gear, and old Hollywood history.
* Fully lined.
* Understated single racing stripe on chest, displaying the shinier rayon side of the fabric.
* Snap-on throat-latch stand collar 1960’s design.
* Zipper front, 1960’s style vintage Mil-Specs heavy-duty metal zipper.
* Wide lower wrap pockets with slanted snap flaps.
* Single chest pocket with slanted snap flap.
* Wind-flap with zig-zag stitching.
* Snap-on cinch tabs on sleeve cuffs.
* USAF flight jacket-style rear panel shoulder darts.
* Original mfsc “YUCATÁN” rayon woven label.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® “DUNE BUGGY” jacket comes raw/unwashed.

We recommend our usual method for raw washable garments:
* 30-40mn cold soak with intermittent hand agitation, in washing machine or bath tub.
* Spin dry cycle (if using a machine).
* Hang dry.

This garment is is cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry.
The noticeable difference of shell/lining shrinkage will result in the attractive plaid lining discreetly peeping on the bottom, a subtle cool detail familiar to vintage clothing aficionados.
I opted for a MEDIUM in the “DUNE BUGGY”, my usual size in mfsc jackets. The fit is quite slim but comfortable, with an old-school racing crew jacket silhouette.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.

CARE:
Wash separately on delicate (do not use the heavy-duty machine settings, as the metal zipper and pull may damage the fabric during the rapid agitation), cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Line dry.
Do not use hot water or heat dryer.

Available raw (un-washed)
Sizes
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles 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®
©2019

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