A rinsed Mister Freedom® Chandail “Saint-Malo” next to a worn/sun-exposed early prototype.
Mister Freedom® Chandail “Saint-Malo”, NOS indigo cotton Fisherman’s rib stitch jersey knit. “Sportsman” catalog, Spring 2017.
Made in USA
Hissez-haut matelots!
Some new nautical adventures and sea shanties from MF® this Spring 2017…
The small iconic harbor of Saint-Malo, was the home town of renown mariner Jacques Cartier, responsible for Céline Dion’s entertaining accent when she speaks French. The port city later became notorious as anchorage for 17th and 18th century corsairs and pirates, guaranteeing the French crown handsome revenues, and local taverns a steady flow of parrot-shouldered flamboyant return customers.
Manufactured nowhere close to Bretagnebut right here in sunny California, the Mister Freedom® indigo chandail is no less Seven-Seas-ready.
After scoring a loot of NOS indigo cotton jersey last year, we decided to turn the fancy fabric into boat-neck seafaring-inspired shirts. For the pattern, we adapted an old favorite, the MF® Boating Jersey. The technical term “Fisherman’s rib stitch” refers to the fabric’s specific weave, displaying a vertical pattern of fine ribs, with somewhat of a ‘waffle’ aspect reminiscent of vintage thermal shirts.
The specific horizontal mechanical stretch combined with fabric shrinkage made manufacturing this garment a tour de force. It took nearly one year of challenging sample-making and pattern-adjusting to get the fit and proportions right.Today, we are quite ecstatic to finally add this little guy to our ever-growing Sportsman catalog.
The MF® Chandail Saint-Malo is quite versatile and can be worn as a single-layer nautical shirt, as a thermal-type undershirt, as a light sweater over a summer-weight button shirt, like a chambray Tonkinoise or Ranger Shirt for instance.
As always with Mister Freedom® garments, this shirt is not available factory distressed. The subtle and attractive heather quality of the deep dark indigo will intensify as the garment fades with normal wear/wash cycles. Check out the photo featuring a rinsed shirt next to a worn/sun-exposed early prototype, for an idea of fading evo.
The MF® Chandail Saint-Malo is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA, from American NOS fabric.
FABRIC: New Old Stock 100% cotton “Fisherman’s rib stitch” jersey knit, deep dark indigo blue yarn-dyed, milled in USA. Note: It is the nature of indigo-dyed garments to transfer some of the indigo color to other surfaces, from abrasion. Be aware of potential color crocking when pairing the Chandail Saint-Malo with light color garments.
SPECS: * An original MF® pattern inspired by vintage nautical shirts and traditional French naval jerseys.
* Slim-fitting at first, relaxed fit after mechanical stretch.
* ¾ length sleeves.
* Side slits.
* Extended back tail.
* Concealed ID patch for custom markings, cut from vintage selvedge chambray fabric.
* Contrasting “Sportsman” green inside stitching.
* Made in USA
SIZING/FIT: After an initial cold rinse and heat dry cycle, the MF® Chandail Saint-Malo will fit pretty much like our popular Stanley T-Shirt, but with much more ‘elasticity’. If you are familiar with our Skivvy and Stanley T-Shirts, the Tricot Marin fits like a Skivvy, while the Saint-Malo feels more like the Stanley, due to similar fabric stretch properties.
I wear a Small in Stanley and Skivvy, and usually Medium in mfsc button shirts. I opted for a size Small in the Saint-Malo, with a snug initial fit that loosened-up gradually and rapidly while wearing the shirt. After a day of normal wear, the body expands a few inches in width, minimally in length. If the pattern has been specifically adjusted to avoid an unattractive “boxy” silhouette, a Small in the AM feels somewhat like a Medium in the PM.
This garment is meant to be laundered following each wear. It will shrink to a tighter fit after wash/heat dry, and expand again with wear.
Bottom line, if in-between sizes, or worried about the gradually overly-relaxed fit, we definitely recommend sizing down on the Saint-Malo.
As always, which size will work for you depends on your own aesthetics, body type, preference for ‘vintage’ silhouette or contemporary fit.
Refer to sizing chart for measurements, taken with the item laying flat and not stretched. Do keep in mind the mechanical stretch aforementioned. Think of it as a tube sock without Lycra or Spandex.
CARE: When laundering, we recommend cold wash with eco-friendly detergent, heat dryer. Wash and dry separately to avoid color transfer to light color garments.
Available raw (un-washed) Sizes X-Small
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
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.
“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.
Mister Freedom® Original ‘Stanley’ Shop Tees Made & Silkscreened in USA
From stitching appliqués or spray-painting hand-cut stenciled motifs on an assortment of vintage bodies in a small garage in the late 1990’s, to silkscreening our own T-shirts (the USA-made Mister Freedom® Stanley) in the heat of our 7161 Beverly sweatshop, playing with original graphics has always been a fun creative hobby for us.
The journey from hand-doodled graphic to final printed garment is not a dull one. We like having things done in a specific way, so we keep the process in-house, running small batches, scheduling frantic printing sessions in between water-sports activities. Save from having the screens burnt in a small Downtown LA specialized workshop, the whole silkscreening operation is handled at the MF® HQ.
Please note that we are definitely not a professional silkscreening service, and we are not claiming any expertise on the subject. Having said that, here are a few random behind-the-scene bits of intel on the Mister Freedom® way to do it:
* We are using a four-screen rotary printing press, custom jerry-rigged to our needs and available work space. No fancy automatic machinery, this single-operator device pumps them out one shirt at a time.
* Mixing our own colors without formulas results in color variations within each batch. We even mix our own color black, to get a ‘vintage’ black when the shirt starts fading.
* The old-school bleed-through effect (the faint negative of the print on the reverse side of the knit) depends on the squeegee pressure, number of passes, fluidity of the ink, weather, and will therefore fluctuates.
* For multi-colored prints, gaps between colors will vary from one batch to another, as we always eyeball screen registration during set-up (quite a lengthy process with four colors). This random off-set registration is also a cool trait of vintage 50’s-60’s logo T-shirts.
* Four color printing requires unleashing the four-headed dragon, our favorite. Everyone runs for cover, and a full workday will produce endless cursing and about a dozen and a half finished shirts, minus the ink spills and mistakes. A four color graphic takes about four times longer to silkscreen than a single color one, a reason why our finer-than-frog-hair “MF Ranch” Tees are like hen’s teeth.
* Just like the rest of our garments, our T-shirts are not distressed with chemical washes. The prints are not artificially aged either. We chose to not digitally alter the original artwork by adding random scratches or rubbed-off areas to stimulate the ‘vintage look’, a mall favorite.
* Our graphics are not generated on Adobe Illustrator, but actually sketched old-school with a pencil and paper, and it is at that initial drawing stage that we try to capture the ‘vintage vibe’. On that note, out of respect for graphic artists, we tend to not cut & paste their artwork on our T-Shirts.
* For a soft-hand print that will gradually chip and fade overtime with repeat washing/drying, we exclusively use water-based ink.
All this makes for the uniqueness of each MF® Stanley Shop Tee. No two shirts are 100% identical.
The base colors of our shirts (Black, Gold, Jungle Green, Deep Sea Blue) are also quite light-sensitive and will fade naturally with repeat sun exposure.
Due to both technical challenges (with water-based ink, silkscreening dark on light is much easier than light on dark), and aesthetic considerations, specific graphics are only available in the color combination released.
The MF® Shop Tees share their specs with the Stanley T-Shirts. Initially released in the summer of 2015, our Stanleys (still available without prints) are made in USA and feature a vintage-style tubular 100% cotton slubby jersey with the MF® original signature flatlock & coverstitch combo construction. Our Skivvy T-Shirt (our heavier gage knit with a Mil-Specs vibe, available in White, Navy Blue, and Sage Green) will remain a solid-only undershirt option.
We are launching a Mister Freedom® Stanley Shop Tees section on the webstore, periodically updated with latest graphics, colors, and stock of freshly-printed batches.
The Stanley Shop Tees are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in the USA. All shirts are silkscreened in-house in Los Angeles, CA., USA, featuring all original MF® artwork.
FABRIC: 100% cotton light-weight slubby tubular jersey knit, milled in the USA. This fabric twists and torques. This natural yarn distortion is expected and not a default. COLORS: * Fabulous new colors for 2017 to be announced… * White * Black * Gold (Yellow) * Jungle Green (Olive) * Deep-sea (Blue) * Heather Grey
TEES SPECS: * Original Mister Freedom® “Stanley” pattern, inspired by vintage 1940′s-50′s cotton T-shaped undershirts. * Vintage style ¼ sleeve length (= approx. 6 ½ inches) * Tubular knit (no side seams) * Cover stitch self-fabric neckband. * Normal mechanical stretch and fabric memory. * Combination of flatlock and cover stitch construction, inspired by 1940′s USMC Government issued undershirts. * 100% cotton thread, for natural roping on seams. * Original MF® “The Sportsman” black woven rayon label on neck band.
* Made in USA. PRINT SPECS:
* All original MF® artwork. * Hand silkscreened with water-based ink, for a soft hand and vintage look.
* Silkscreened in small limited batches, each with unique characteristics. * Will fade like a vintage T-shirt. * Printed in USA.
SIZING/FIT: The MF® Stanley Shop Tees come pre-washed (pre-shrunk). The MF® Stanley fits like the MF® Skivvy does, but due to the nature of its stretchy jersey, the Stanley will feel looser. I wear Medium (38) on most MFSC garments, but sized down to a Small for both MF® Stanley and Skivvy, just personal taste. According to your built and silhouette preference, get your normal size or size down for a slimmer/shorter old school fit. This is how we size our garments. Tip: The best way to figure out which Mister Freedom® T-shirt size will work for you is to take your favorite T-shirt (your idea of a perfect fit), lay it flat without wrinkles, measure Chest (from arm pit to arm pit), Shoulder (from top shoulder seam to top shoulder seam), Sleeves (from top shoulder seam to end) and Length (from top of back collar band to bottom hem), and then find a close match in the Stanley size chart. Again, keep in mind that the Stanley’s knit jersey has mechanical stretch. Refer to sizing chart below for Washed/Dried (we use a heat dryer) approximate measurements (measured flat, without pulling/stretching):
CARE: Low-maintenance as a T-Shirt should be, just throw your Stanley Shop Tee in the washer/dryer when needed. Cold water, delicate cycle, minimal eco-friendly detergent. No bleach. Keep colors separate to avoid potential color transfer when doing laundry. Gradual chipping of the ink and natural fading of the printed graphic is expected and considered a normal evolution.
Available rinsed (pre-shrunk) Sizes (Limited sizing available per graphic) Small Medium Large X-Large
Retail: Solid Stanley (no print, all colors, White/Black/Navy/Gold…): $69.95 Shop Tee Stanley (with single or double-screen print, Gypsy/Sig/Rocket/Knuckles/Skipper/Surplus/Treedom…): $89.95
Shop Tee Stanley (with three or four-screen print, MF Ranch): $149.95
Mister Freedom® “Conductor Slacks”, selvedge ‘Malibu denim’. Sportsman Catalog, Spring 2017 Made in USA.
Following the addition of a new pattern to our ever-growing Mister Freedom® Sportsman catalog this Spring, the fancy Choo-Choo-Charlie-denim-jacket-for-the-caboose-inclined-and-vintage-iron-horse-connoisseur aka the Conductor jacket, we felt compelled to match it with a muy loco version of our Sportsman Slacks.
If we don’t recommend wearing both as a set for a job interview, our Conductor jacket and slacks are pretty versatile pieces. Both patterns blend workwear and early tailor-made Gentleman’s garb, in a light indigo denim treatment we refer to as “Malibu Denim”. Milled in Japan and introduced a few years ago, this particular denim is an old MF® favorite. Technically, it is quite tricky for a dye-house to control a lighter shade of indigo (darker shades are easier to keep consistent, as you can always do another dip…), so we are very happy that this new 2017 batch is as beautiful and unique as its 2015 and 2016 predecessors.
With normal wear, this ‘Malibu denim’ will fade to an attractive range of exotic and dreamy lagoon blues. Its specific indigo hue makes it quite complimenting to other darker denim twills. Pair it with the MF® Cowboy Jacket in dark loomstate NOS Cone denim or Wheat denim, with the twill color palette of our Continental sportcoats etc…
The Conductor Slacks garment pattern is inspired by vintage Gentlemen trousers, blending Old and New World, combining fancy tailoring and utilitarian workwear. Originally introduced during our !Viva La Revolucion! days (2013), the pattern was adapted in 2015 to be added to our Sportsman Catalog as a Gun Powder linen-cotton HBT option. The Vaquero Jeans had become the Sportsman Slacks, a reincarnation a tinge overshadowed by tragic events at the time…
Here they are again for Spring 2017, released as the Conductor Slacks.
The Conductor Slacks are designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
NOTE: Some of the photos feature an hemmed pair of Conductor Slacks (with a stitched 1½’’ plain trousers fold). Production comes with an open overlocked bottom with a generous inseam, for your cuffing preference.
FABRIC: Original mfsc “Malibu Sea” denim, 13 Oz. indigo-dyed denim twill, solid white selvedge. Milled in Japan.
DETAILS: * Vintage European trousers-type construction, no back yoke. * “Cowboy” front pocket opening. * Oxidized black ‘donut’ wreath waist button. * Unmarked utilitarian ‘donut’ metal fly buttons. * Two rear welt pockets. * Pocketing and lining from fancy NOS woven stripe 100% cotton plain weave fabric (ivory white with blue & grey stripes), milled in Europe. * Rear reinforcement lining patching. * Side cinch tabs, adjustable with NOS vintage French metal buckles. * Selvedge leg side seam. * Open inseam, overlocked bottom hem, for your cuffing preference (hemmed, double hemmed, rolled…) * Turn-of-the-century style flared waistband (narrower in back). * Slim belt loops (trousers style). * All cotton thread navy blue stitching. * Green bar-tack Sportsman accents and inside chainstitch. * Original MF® “The Sportsman” woven rayon black label. * Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT: The Conductor Slacks comes UN-WASHED (=raw, loomstate) and are cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry. We recommend our usual method for raw denim garments: * 30-40mn cold soak with intermittent hand agitation, in minimally-filled washing machine or bath tub. * Spin dry cycle (if using a machine). * Hang dry. * As an optional step, wear the garment briefly when still not fully dry, in order to slightly shape it to your body and set creases. Hang and let fully dry. The denim garment will stiffen when dry due to the re-activated fabric starch contained in the cotton yarns, a normal reaction that will rapidly subside with normal wear.
Fit: If the soaked Waist 32 felt more comfortable, I opted for a Waist 30 in the Conductor Slacks. The waist should give a bit to better accommodate my girly 31’’ waist. Whether going for the slimmer look of the W30 or the more generous silhouette of the W32 is a matter of preference. I personally decided to size down on these.
For hemming, i opted for a stitched 1½’’ plain trousers fold.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
CARE: Launder when needed. We recommend turning the trousers inside out to avoid marbling on the indigo side. Hand washing can be a good option if concerned with specific wear patterns and high-contrast color fades. Otherwise, machine wash inside out with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Available Raw/unwashed Sizes (W stands for Waist) W 28 x L W 29 x L W 30 x L W 31 x L W 32 x L W 33 x L W 34 x L W 36 x L W 38 x L Retail $329.95
Mister Freedom® ROAD CHAMP Engineer Boots, brown. NOS Nitrene rubber sole edition, Spring 2017 Made in USA.
The Mister Freedom® “Road Champ” engineer boots are the result of2½ years of research & development that started sometime in 2006. By the end of 2009, after a painstaking process of designing, last carving, sourcing, custom leather tanning, color testing, hide selecting… the first batch of RC was finally released.
Followed many more batches throughout the years, in a wide range of brown hues. Our hides are vegetable tanned and individually hand-dyed at the factory. Fluctuation in color came with the territory, adding quite an interesting uniqueness to each pair.
MF® Road Champ 2009
MF® RC 2009
MF® RC 2011
MF® RC 2012
MF® RC 2012
MF® RC 2012
MF® RC 2013
MF® RC 2015
After an appearance in jet black hand-dyed leather in 2015, the classic Mister Freedom® Road Champ engineer boots are now back in the original brown cowhide leather of the initial release. We added the New Old Stock Nitrene rubber sole and heel of the BRC issue for good measure.
These vintage Nitrene half soles (a limited stock introduced with the MF® Trooper Boots) have proved to be longer-lasting on asphalt than Cat’s Paws. They boast a “Non Marking – Oil Resistant – Long Wearing” quality. Rubber soles are definitely less slippery than the full leather soles of the original RC.
The last, pattern, MF® signature green top, sizing, price of these 2017 brown Road Champs all remain identical to our first 2009-released RC.
The production is still a slow process, but it appears that we are mostly caught-up with the wait list now! The Mister Freedom® Road Champs are still made in very small batches, so size availability will continue to be limited and stock status quite erratic. Again, this is not a marketing strategy on our part, nor a way to aggravate customers with an artificial hype, but rather the result of us striving to keep quality standards.
We never claimed to do it best, just try to do it right.
On a broader scale, and in this golden age of disposable wares, cheap imports and reckless consumerism, we’re just happy there still is footwear manufacturing activity in the USA.
Vintage engineer boots enthusiasts will make sure to check out our friend USMC John “VEB” V.’s blog for valuable info, historical references, brand reviews and pertinent updates related to this iconic footwear category.
NOTE: The worn pair of Road Champs featured in the photos in about three years old. If the leather color and grade is the same, the soles of that old specimen were originally full leather, and feature a non-slip thin rubber pad that was added during a later custom resole.
SPECS:
* The Mister Freedom® Road Champ boots are the result of 2 1/2 years of R&D in California, and were originally released in 2009.
* Featuring an original Mister Freedom® panel pattern and original hand carved last.
* Inspired by 1930′s to 1950s American engineer and work boots, popular amongst motor-cyclists/servicemen/workers/engineers.
* Old school low-toe profile, à-la Johnny “Wacha got” Strabler.
* Vegetable tan cow hides, carefully selected from a reputable American tannery.
* Custom leather treatment and coloring process. Hides are not dip-dyed but individually hand-dyed. Flesh side is natural, skin side treated with 3 layers of colors for a dark chocolate brown appearance. Guaranteed to beautify with wear. The leather will develop a ‘vintage’ patina with a range of reddish brown/chocolate/olive/black tones… according to use and personal choice of oil treatment and conditioning. When conditioning is needed, we recommend Pecard Leather Dressing.
* Original MF® olive-color top roll band and shaft strap gusset, aka “green tops”.
* Vintage style steel roller buckles.
* Curve pattern instep strap, adjustable to cinch ankle and heel. Un-cinch to pull boots on.
* Vintage limited supply of USA-made NOS ‘NITRENE’ rubber half sole and heel combo, boasting a “Non Marking, Oil Resistant, Long Wearing” quality.
* Mid rise welt (approx. 10½ inches)
* Approx. 1¾ inch heel height
* Made in USA
SIZING:
The general consensus is to size down ½ a size from your usual sneaker size. From customers feedback, if you are a size 10 in sneakers, a size 9½ Road Champ is likely to work for you.
Fit also depends on one’s foot profile and proportions, and obviously sock thickness. Wearing a thin insole with thin cotton socks for summer, and no insole with thick wool sock for winter is an option for some.
Available Sizes (according to stock):
US 7
US 7½
US 8
US 8½
US 9
US 9½
US 10
US 10½
US 11
US 11½
US 12
US 13
