Mister Freedom® x Tailor Toyo original ” Apollo ’69 ” souvenir jacket, Limited Edition, Fall 2017.

 

 

 

 

Mister Freedom® x Tailor Toyo original “APOLLO ’69” souvenir jacket.
Limited edition, Fall 2017.
Made in Japan.
(not endorsed by NASA)

If you happen to shake your head in disbelief often, reading news headlines or witnessing high-speed Texting & Driving, avoid a permanent state of misanthropy by calmly repeating these words:
“OK… same species that went to the moon.”
It almost works.

????

For Fall 2017, we are at it again with the today-popular ‘souvenir jackets’, in the footsteps of our Saigon Cowboy “Party Jacket” (Spring 2015) and “Mururoa Jacket” (Anniversary Collection Fall 2016).
Blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate again with one of the World’s most legit manufacturer of Sukajan (スカジャン), “Tailor Toyo” (a branch of Toyo Enterprises, our long-time Japanese partners and friends), we decided to leave battlefields and nuclear testing behind, and look instead towards Cape Canaveral and the amazing moon men of NASA for inspiration.

If July 20, 2019 will mark the 5oth Anniversary of Man’s most famous recorded footsteps, we decided to celebrate a bit early. After a few cups of brain juice, we handed a handful of original doodles and scribbles to the “Tailor Toyo” sukajan experts, along with confusing instructions. Our choice of artwork , garment pattern, combination of colors and knit trims, aimed at creating a plausible ‘vintage’ piece, a jacket that never existed, but with a convincing authentic feel.

As a design anecdote, one will notice that we too added an olive tree branch to our landing star-spangled bald eagle (i.e. the Lunar Module), in the same way that Astronaut Michael Collins edited his original sketch of the Apollo 11 cloth patch. The added symbolic branch better conveyed the initial message of Peace, rather than the menacing attitude of an all-talons-out eagle. The mission’s intent was to “Come in Peace for all Mankind” afterall.
Watch this short PBS clip retracing how the iconic 1969 patch came to be, and featuring Collins’ original historical sketches.

Back to Earth… After submitting the artwork to our friends at Toyo Enterprises, it was time for the MF® team to sit back and resume daily routine, mostly waterskiing and zeroing in on Pokémon. After a lengthy R&D gestation, we are happy to report that our ‘moon jacket’ (how we referred to here) has now landed.
And we kinda dig it.

The “Apollo ’69” souvenir jacket is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Toyo Enterprises.

NOTE: This garment is not endorsed by NASA.
Historical photography courtesy of Apollo Image Archives ©NASA.

SPECS
FABRIC:
Luxurious and fine 100% rayon twill.

DETAILS:
* Inspired by vintage traditional Sukajan (originally manufactured in occupied Japan, these garments were tour souvenir custom-made for US military personnel).
* Fully reversible, no inside padding.
* Silk thread embroidery, featuring original MF® artwork relating to NASA’s Apollo 11 Moon landing that occurred on July 20, 1969.
* Vintage-style double-sided “TYE Tokyo” metal zipper.
* Double labelling (inside slash pocket on blue side), featuring both KOSHO & Co (the original name of the Yokohama fabric trading company that would merge with TOYO Enterprises around 1965, today the World’s most respected sukajan manufacturer under the “Tailor Toyo” label), alongside the MF® rayon woven label.
* Limited collector’s edition.
* Designed in USA.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The Apollo ’69 souvenir jacket has been carefully rinsed and steamed by experienced sukajan-expert garment professionals.
It has a vintage appearance due to the light puckering of the stitching and embroidery, and subtle shrinking of the rayon fabric. Do not attempt to hot-soak or wash this garment, it has already been processed and is ready-to-wear.
The Apollo ’69 is true-to-size, with somewhat of a ‘vintage’ fit, typical of the old original rayon Japanese souvenir jackets. I am usually a Medium in mfsc jackets, and opted for a Medium in the ‘Moon jacket’.

Please refer to sizing chart for approximate measurements. Note that due to the raglan sleeve pattern, arm length is measured from armpit (not shoulder seam) to knit cuff.

CARE:
Professional dry clean ONLY, in your local eco-friendly dry-cleaning facility.
Again, DO NOT wash this jacket! This is quite a fragile garment, due to both the nature of the fine rayon twill and the intricate delicate silk-thread embroidery that could snag easily. In other words, this garment is not intended for gardening.

Available professionally pre-rinsed.
SIZES:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)

RETAIL $989.95

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World.
Email [email protected] or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017

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