Mister Freedom® MATTOCK Jacket, Camel Brown 14 Oz. Corduroy, FW2019 mfsc Surplus Catalog. Made in Japan.

Mister Freedom® “MATTOCK” Jacket, 14 Oz. corduroy.
FW2019 mfsc Surplus catalog.
Made in Japan.

The MF® MATTOCK jacket got its moniker from the classic vintage mackinaw coat that inspired our original design. The inspirational piece, an old 1940’s wool plaid jacket, bore two labels. One barely-readable, featuring what looks like the familiar white sheep trademark of its maker, WOOLRICH®, and one sewn-on by the original owner, a certain Ray Mattock.

Our ‘interpretation’ ended-up having very little in common with the vintage red/black buffalo plaid garment, so we just kept half the name.

For those inclined, what follows are the usual ramblings about the design process, and how we turned a classic piece of Americana into a jambalaya of Old and New World à la MF®.

The Mattock features details inspired by early American and French workwear/outdoor jackets, blended into a classic mfsc vintage “might have been.” On that note, should our Mattock pop-up in the collection of an inspired contemporary fashion label next season, as “designers” sometimes assume we simply lift patterns verbatim from vintage garment, we would of feel nothing short of tremendously flattered.

The shell fabric we opted for is reminiscent of vintage “Velour d’Amiens”, a type of heavy wide-wale cotton corduroy that the connoisseur of old 1930’s~40’s French outdoor/work/hunting garments will be familiar with.
Sadly, the grade of high-quality sturdy corduroy that originated in Amiens, France, sometime in the 18th Century, is no longer being manufactured. Cosserat, a textile mill founded around 1793 and one of the last velour côtelé manufacturer from Amiens, permanently closed its doors in 2012. After several restructuring attempts, and with low-cost corduroy manufacturing coming out of China flooding the market, management of the long-standing Coserrat mill eventually gave up. Another collateral damage of the average consumers’ addiction to a plethora of cheap disposable garments rather than a curated and durable wardrobe.

For this project, our friends at Toyo Enterprise sourced a cord fabric that is somewhat reminiscent in texture of traditional Amiens workwear corduroy. We opted for a rich camel brown color, expertly matched by a Japanese dyehouse to the specific shade of brown of a 1930’s vintage French hunting coat from our archives.

The French vibe was then “americanized” by lining our jacket with a striped “Troy” blanket, sometimes referred to as “Alaska” blanket.

The choice of removable “shank” (or “ring”) buttons, is a nod to the original mfsc front closure of our McKarsten jacket. Instead of stitched eyelets, we went for metal grommets, a feature that I have personally never seen on vintage jackets but probably already exists.

We worked out a chin strap in the top closure, played with facing and lining on the collar, threw in some attractive patina-prone leather trim accents, and spiced-up the jambalaya with mismatched pocket lining. We used Sugar Cane Co vintage replica woven plaids, left-over yardage from recent heavy cotton flannel Toyo production. This concealed feature is sometimes seen on vintage pieces, when linings and pocketing could be cut from whatever surplus fabric was on hand, to save on production costs and delays.

Time to end this novel by mentioning that the upside-down neck labeling featured on above product photos was the funny blooper of an early prototype. Production differs, unless you get lucky and score a rare and collectible UFO that eluded QC.

The MF® Mattock Jacket is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:

PATTERN:
An original mfsc pattern inspired by 1930’s~1940’s mackinaw jackets and vintage outdoor coats, blending New World and Old World flavors.

FABRIC
Shell: 14 Oz. Heavy wide-wale corduroy, 100% cotton, milled in Japan.
Lining: Soft-hand “Troy Blanket” wool blend fabric, 60% re-used wool, 28% cotton, 12% rayon). Woven in Japan.

DETAILS:

• All original mfsc pattern.
• Full “Troy” recycled wool blend blanket lining.
• Leather trim accents on pockets and cuffs.
• Four pocket front, hand warmer and flap slash pockets combo.
• Pocket linings cut from mismatched vintage-style cotton woven plaid heavy flannel.
• Original mfsc removable painted brass “shank” buttons.
• Rear cinch tabs.
• Chin strap.
• Original mfsc “Surplus” rayon woven label.
• Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® MATTOCK Jacket comes raw/un-rinsed, and can be worn as-is as it is true-to-size and does not need to shrink to fit.
For a subtle puckering of the stitching and fabric torque, with minor to unnoticeable shrinkage, the jacket can be cold soaked for 30mn, spun dry and line dried.

Do not use a full washing cycle or heat dryer.

I wear size 38 in most mfsc jackets and opted for a size 38 in the Mattock, for a trim yet comfortable fit. Refer to sizing chart for raw measurements, with our measuring method explained here.
To figure out which size will best work for you, a good system is to compare our measurements with those of a similar, lined, ¾ length jacket you own and that fits you well.

CHART

CARE:
Professional dry cleaning recommended, at an eco-friendly facility familiar with leather-trimmed garments.
This is quite a heavy jacket that might get damaged if laundered in a home washing machine.
Remove all shank buttons before cleaning.

Available Sizes:
36 (Small)
38 (Medium)
40 (Large)
42 (XLarge)
44 (XXLarge)

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®
©2019

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