The “TROOPER Boots” by Mister Freedom®, made in USA

Trooper Boots Mister Freedom 2014

Trooper Boots Mister Freedom 2014

Ok. How does this go again?

 

Trooper Boots Mister Freedom 2014

An early ‘Trooper’ proto, spotted in the bush of an undisclosed jungle location

 

 

Mister Freedom® “TROOPER BOOTS”, Made in USA, 2014.

 

The moment I laid my eyes on that old pair of beat-up military boots at the 2012 Inspiration Show in Long Beach, I had a feeling they were trouble. I knew these beauties would lead to Mister Freedom® second endeavor of footwear manufacturing, in the USA… Not your average relaxing walk in the park.
The original culprit vintage shoe was a US military Government issued boot, dated 13 June 1955, double buckle type, first pattern jungle boot. That pair had seen the bush, crossed the tree line a few times in its days.
I wasn’t familiar with that model, so had to do a bit of research when I got back. The story goes that these early jungle boots were nicknamed ‘Okinawa boots‘, as they often shod US advisors flying out of Okinawa en route to mingle with in-Country barefoot montagnards, during the early days(post Geneva) of the US field involvement in Vietnam.

The flat toe box of these Okinawa boots was very similar to that of the old faithful Road Champs I was wearing that day, and I thought of combining a few things for a new shoe to add to the Mister Freedom® “The Sportsman” catalog.
The plan was easy: ruthlessly lift time tested military designs, SOP in the fashion world, and add some MF® jungle juice.
We would use the Champs’ lasts and leather, some olive drab NOS military surplus heavy canvas bags, some NOS “Nitrene” rubber soles, give the shoe a ‘service boot’ type profile, and call them ‘Trooper’, cause Crocs® was taken.
Bam. There it is.

Trooper Boots Mister Freedom 2014

Well, after a year of R&D, we are excited to officially release the FIRST batch, a small run of hand-cut, bench-made, bushwhacking-ready “TROOPER BOOTS”!
The trooper is not for ballet dancing, but will do the bop and behave better in the field than on the runways.
After road testing three protos in 2012, figuring out sole combos, I’ll attest that they are comfortable. Although some adults have used that excuse for wearing velour sweatpants, comfort, when applied to footwear is not a bad idea.
As the designated test dummy I even took a dip in the Pacific Ocean wearing an early pair. The boots reacted well, and the sight of a grown-up advancing in the water fully clothed really amused the children.
Surprisingly, the canvas really stiffened while wet, shrinking and compressing the ankle, softening up and loosening up later when fully dried. This kinda shows that the fiber content of the canvas has some linen or hemp mixed with the cotton.

Trooper Boots prototypes Mister Freedom 2014 Trooper Boots prototypes Mister Freedom 2014 Trooper Boots prototypes Mister Freedom 2014

Our Trooper is an un-lined shoe combining leather and a single layer of sturdy mil-specs NOS canvas fabric. One of the challenge resided in keeping the junctions clean, in and out. A complicated origami game of folding and overlapping ensued.

Note that the MF® Trooper Boot will not come customized with someone’s ID painted on the inside. I sometimes mark my own footwear on the inside, probably because I have too much time on my hands. I use regular latex paint, and do a sloppy job not unlike what is often seen on old ID’d military boots.

While on R&R in the cold Country over Christmas, I attempted to water-proof my Troopers (along with my Pensacola Jacket) with some Otter Wax heat-activated fabric dressing. A bit involved of a process, but I am quite happy with the result. The waxed canvas ages very nicely, but so will it when left untreated.

Otter waxing Trooper Pensacola Mister Freedom

For additional photos of the Trooper, check out USMC MSgt John “VEB” Vintage Engineer Boots blog.

Disclaimer:
Please note that the MF® Trooper Boot is in no way intended as a replica of an original US Army “Okinawa” jungle boot. Nor are we claiming they are appropriate on SOG ops.
There it is.

SPECS:
* An original MF® pattern, inspired by 1950’s US military jungle boots and service boots.
* MF® old school flat toe box.
* Shoe Vamp/Heel: Vegetable tanned cow hide, USA origin. Same leather we are using for the MF® Road Champ engineer boots. Rich dark brown color that will age nicely, according to specific wear and your conditioning preferences.
* Shoe Quarter/Tongue: Single layer heavy canvas from a limited stock of 60’s era NOS duffle bags, EU military surplus origin. Strong cotton-linen blend.
* Ankle Band/Eyelet Facing: Genuine Kangaroo leather, origin Australia. Besides being our choice for the MF® scutler cap head bands, Kangaroo hide was used to make soccer shoes, sometime around 6500 BC. Its qualities include non-stretch.
* Limited supply of USA made NOS ‘NITRENE’ rubber half sole and heel combo, “Non Marking, Oil Resistant, Long Wearing” they say, so that must be true…
* 1950’s NOS cotton laces, French military. Admittedly, these laces are not the perfect length for the Trooper, and need to be wrapped around the ankle, where they won’t necessarily stay in place… We’re working on sourcing the perfect laces, which should happen sometime around 6500 AD.
* Bias taped tongue. I’m only mentioning this because 1) it sounds intriguing 2) sourcing the right vintage HBT tape was unexpectedly complicated…
* Woven MF® “The Sportsman” label on reverse of said tongue.
* Made in USA

SIZING:
The Trooper lasts are those of our Road Champ. If you are familiar with our engineer boot, the fit is the same, if only more ‘flexible’ around the arch/ankle due to lacing.
There is no real magic formula to advise on sizing, as everyone’s foot proportions/sock preferences vary.
However, according to feedback, sizing down HALF your sneaker size seems to work. If you are a 10 in New Balance sneakers, you are probably a 9½ in the Trooper.
And like they say, it always works, sometimes.

CONDITIONING:
The Trooper Boots are low maintenance, easy to break-in. I recommend just wearing them as-is and let your feet do the work. They age very nicely, faster if you chose hiking over playing Angry Birds at home. For those worrying about scuffs, mud, stains and nicks, there might be other more appropriate footwear choices out there.

If needed, leather conditioners such as Pecard can be applied to keep the leather healthy. As mentioned, the canvas can be treated with Otter Wax products, or left as-is and brushed clean when needed.

Available Sizes: 7, 7½, 8, 8½, 9, 9½, 10, 10½, 11, 11½, 12, 13
(Limited availability at the moment, not all listed sizes)
Retail $749.95

Contact sales@misterfreedom.com for details not mentioned above, like… “do they come in black?” or “what’s with the banana bunch?”
Available at our brick & mortar and from www.misterfreedom.com
Thank you for your support.

The “Sea Hunt” Collection: Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane SPRING 2014

Sea Hunt Mister Freedom Spring 2014

 

Sea Hunt Mister Freedom Spring 2014

 

Sea Hunt Mister Freedom Spring 2014

Sea Hunt Mister Freedom Spring 2014

GI Joe Ads 60s Copyright Hasbro

As a kid in the 1970’s, I used to be quite fond of G.I. Joe action figures, Adventure Team. I have aged but not grown up.
Mister Freedom® mfsc Spring 2014 “Sea Hunt” collection preview.
There it is.

Thrills! Adventure! Suspense! Romance!
From green jungles to blue lagoons, from great white sharks to silver baboons… the hunt is on.
For the adventurous type.
For the International Man of action.
“He who floats it, owns it”

Mister Freedom®
cum grano salis
sales@misterfreedom.com

Trousers ‘El Americano’, indigo corduroy, duck canvas, stripe covert. MFSC Fall 2013 final chapter.

El Americano Trousers Mister Freedom 2013

 

El Americano Trousers Mister Freedom 2013

 

El Americano Trousers Mister Freedom 2013

 

 

“Trousers El Americano”
Fall 2013 ‘Viva la Revolución’ mfsc Collection

You are now familiar with “El Americano“, the friendly fella introduced in the Fall 2013 chapter of mfsc “Viva la Revolución” collection…

You had been warned that, following the three ‘El Americano’ waistcoats and blousons, the final custom order to François, ze recently immigrated tailor of La Calle Primera in Ensenada, included a set of trousers.
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, believing I should lay off the peyote at work, just you wait…

In the Fall of 1492, Cristóbal Libertad, the eldest son of an Andalucía born conquistadore whose horse had…
Por favor!!!!
Alright already… You deserve a break for the Holidays, so here is the short version, to everyone’s relief.

This is the ultimate chapter of our “Viva la Revolución” saga, spanning Spring and Fall 2013.
The style of these here trousers is inspired by 1920’s-30’s type gentlemen slacks, from the olden days when a man’s waist rose above hip bones and trousers were not yet used as tourniquet devices…
Wide waistband with skinny belt loops, pocket decorative arcuate stitch, adjustable side straps, ‘smiley’ back pockets are a few period elements we played with for the ‘El Americano Trousers’.

Three entirely different fabrics were developed for ‘El Americano Trousers’, all milled and dyed in Japan exclusively for mfsc. These options are:
a) Brown Duck (Medium-light weight, softer hand)
b) Grey Covert Stripe (medium weight, stiff)
c) Indigo vat dyed Corduroy (heavy weight, softer)
Although individual patterns were made for each fabric, and the cut remains the same, fabric thickness determines the drape of a garment. Heavier and stiffer fabrics having less drape (less flow) than lighter ones, the trousers in indigo corduroy will look/feel different from the brown duck version.

For pocket bags and waist lining, we are using our staple 8.5 Oz. indigo covert fabric previously introduced this season, an indigo dyed yarn covert twill, milled in Japan (originally the lining of a pair of gentlemen’s vintage trousers from the 1890′s)

Of styling and such:
These trousers can be dressed up or down, according to your preferences and personal style.
I quite like the time-tested classic cocktail ‘trousers/leather jacket/engineer boots‘, somewhat of a ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ vibe… (The hat is a vintage Dobbs, available at your local flea market)

El Americano Mister Freedom 2013

Cristóbal Libertad de Los Angeles de la Sierra Madre, Junior.

To those considering such an outfit too ‘costumey’, I would mention that I have witnessed, on many occasions, that systematically selecting one’s wardrobe according to the current year can have brutal consequences.
Living in fear of a 1990’s selfie popping up on FaceBook can be stressful. You know, the one featuring a mind-boggling C.A. designed garment on a relative’s back?
Assuming you are sane, I believe you can pull almost anything as long as you are comfortable with it. If you have doubts, don’t expect them not to transpire.
Own it, or don’t do it.
As a general rule of thumb however, don’t let strangers tell you what to wear, that’s what house mirrors are for 😉

Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in small ethically run factories in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:

PATTERN
An original mfsc pattern, inspired by 1920’s-30’s gentlemen slacks.

FABRICS
a) Brown Duck : selvedge 100% cotton canvas, 13 Oz.
The inside part of the yarn being lighter in color than the outside of the yarn (same as that of the 1930′s hunting jacket with its amazing patina that inspired it) this fabric will age nicely with repeat wear. Milled in Japan.
b) Grey Covert Stripe: selvedge 60% cotton and 40% linen heavy canvas with a random stripe pattern. The random repeat makes this fabric look halfway between a covert (salt & pepper) and stripe type textile. Technically 12 Oz. it feels heavier because of the yarn gauge and the original stiffness of linen. It takes an entire day to mill about 17 meters of that fabric, on old shuttle looms. The factory was thrilled… Milled in Japan.
Fabric inspired by a vintage 1943 bag from the Swiss military.
c) Indigo Corduroy: Mid wale 100% cotton corduroy. 14.5 Oz. Indigo vat dyed. Very deep dark indigo shade. Soft, cozy and warm. Milled and dyed in Japan.

DETAILS
* Straight leg, 20’s~30’s gent slacks type silhouette, higher rise, MF® revisited.
* Adjustable side straps with vintage NOS metal slide buckles.
* Clean side seam: Selvedge for duck and covert options, indigo popeline tape for corduroy.
* Double button waist closure (please note that the corduroy option has one single metal rivet button, due to bulkiness of fabric)
* Button fly. ‘Art Deco’ type corrozo buttons.
* Indigo covert fabric pocket bags and waistband lining.
* Trousers thin belt loops (not five pocket jeans like)
* Decorative arcuate stitch on pockets, an early European tailoring detail.
* ‘Smiley’ type rear welt pockets.
* Lap seam (aka caballo machine) seat and inseam construction
* Made in Japan

SIZING/WASHING
All fabrics will shrink to approximately the same tagged size after an original cold soak/line dry cycle. Raw measurements might differ due to the way each fabric shrinks.
Hand washable with line dry or professional eco-friendly dry cleaning.

Length: Overall inseam is 34 inches with a 1½” inside fold.

For the Indigo corduroy “Trousers El Americano”, some crocking is to be expected when pairing with light colored garments. Indigo ‘stains’ from rubbing wash off eventually.

I wear from waist 30 or 32 in mfsc pants and I opted for a 32 in these.
True to size but refer to chart for rinsed/hang dry measurements.
Do not use hot water or machine dryer as this might result in excessive shrinkage and color loss.

El Americano Indigo Corduroy

Indigo Corduroy

El Americano Grey Stripe

Grey Covert

El Americano Brown Canvas

Brown Canvas

Available raw/unwashed
Waist sizes 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38

 

Retail:
a
) El Americano Trousers, Brown Duck $499.95
b)
 El Americano Trousers, Grey Covert Stripe $499.95
c)
 El American Trousers, Indigo Corduroy $549.95

Available from www.misterfreedom.com and a few select fine retailers Worldwide.
Call the store at 323-653-2014 with any questions not answered above, or mail sales@misterfreedom.com
Thank you for your support.

The “CAMPUS” Leather Jacket, Natural Cowhide, Made in USA

Campus Jkt Mister Freedom 2013

 

Campus Jkt Mister Freedom 2013

 

 

Mister Freedom® “CAMPUS” Jacket
‘The Sportsman’ Made in USA, Fall 2013

Closely following the career of Justin Bieber, I have decided to make a 1930’s style leather jacket of absolute no interest to him.

If we usually do not claim to have come up with the perfect garment, this time… is no exception.
However, I’ll still share the American saga that started sometime in early 2012, to end a few weeks short of Christmas 2013.
Thanks to the hard work of many, here is our “CAMPUS” jacket today, an addition to our staple Mister Freedom® ‘The Sportsman’ catalog.

This jacket comes somewhat as a Do-It-Yourself kit. Not that what you’re getting is a cow with thread and needle, along with instructions in 12 languages starting with “Carefully insert A, you fun have is go now. Yes? Welcome” on page 1. But rather in the sense that our CAMPUS leather jacket is a blank canvas for you to colorize.
These days, with no shortage of disposable mass produced goods crowding shelves and virtual stores, well orchestrated impulse buys and tantalizing ad campaigns stimulating consumerism, it is easy to forget that clothes are actually made by real people, use resources to manufacture, and are the result of a long chain of events. I believe clothes should not become widgets and end up in landfills…
By acknowledging the work and efforts that go into manufacturing a garment, by being aware of the challenges, one should naturally acquire a certain respect for things man-made.
We hope to send this simple message by creating a connection with this DIY garment and its owner.
To do so, we opted for a leather with an untreated natural looking finish, somewhat of a ‘raw’ state that will start to age and become one with the wearer the moment the garment is removed from its packaging, namely a cool re-usable selvedge denim printed bag.

About style:
Our CAMPUS is a Mister Freedom® interpretation of traditional 1930’s ‘Cossack’ type jackets. Originally, the term ‘Cossack’ might have referred to the versatile collar shape that allowed to be flipped up to a military style Nehru collar… For all I know, it might as well be referring to a Mrs. Cossack, fierce week-end seamstress, who first came up with a short unlined leather jacket with a round collar for her stylish hubby… As always, don’t quote me on anything.
What I do know is why we called our jacket the “CAMPUS”: flipping through a 1933 Pasadena Junior College year book entitled ‘Campus’, I noticed that that style of jacket was on many of the students’ backs. Some jackets appeared to be suede, some full-grain leather, most with A-1 type patch pockets… but all with the consistent typical ‘Cossack’ style, short with round collar. Times when Charles Lindbergh was hip. And Jacques Cousteau a hipster.

Campus Yearbook 1933 Jacques Cousteau

I remember owning a similar jacket in the early 1990’s. Found in a thrift store for a few bucks, I remember it having a beautiful patina but fitting a tight in the arms. So I, of course, immediately thought of cutting the sleeves off… I am not sure where the body is today, but I know I kept the sleeves, having recently found them in a pile of leather scraps at work.
How sane it is for one to hold on to old leather scraps for 23 years is unsure, but chopping the sleeves of that gem was a real lifetime achievement…

Vintage Cossack

Campus 1933 Yearbook, vintage Cossack scraps

So, 23 years after, I can only try to redeem myself with a leather jacket that can be passed on to the next generation. In some 60 years, when someone stumbles on a beat-up vintage Mister Freedom® ‘CAMPUS’ and has an urge to turn it into a vest, we will have gone full circle…

About construction:
Our choice of keeping the CAMPUS unlined is a nod to many older ‘Cossack’ type jacket. This sounds today like a ‘cheaper’ alternative to a full lining, but is actually a real challenge for one concerned with both outside and inside appearance. Inside exposed seams are often very funky in the vintage samples I have seen. With the CAMPUS, we thrived to keep it clean in and out. And anyone who works with leather knows that you do not get a second chance…
We also opted for poly-cotton thread this time, having seen too many vintage leather jackets with busted out seams.

About the leather:
I opted for a light weight vegetable tanned full grain milled cow hide, untreated natural finish, origin USA. Each hide was carefully selected by hand, many rejected, a fun process. Within the same grade, there were no two alike, resulting in each CAMPUS jacket having its own character, specificity, feel and natural ‘imperfections’.
Extremely light sensitive, pretty much like the (usually) unexposed parts of your own skin, this natural hide will start ‘tanning’ when exposed to the sunlight.
Originally of a white pinkish color, this leather will turn quite orange when worn/left in the sun for a few days. THIS IS NORMAL, and expected.
Unless you are Batman, the CAMPUS will change color as you wear it outside. Expect stains, water marks, natural grease, scratches, patina and creases if you are planning on taking it out of the closet where it doesn’t belong. All this adds to the character of a leather garment, and is the reason why they are referred to as ‘second skin’.
We are offering the Campus in pure new condition, not ‘factory distressed’. The jacket’s journey will be yours and each nick a memory. The evolution photo with the three stages is for reference only, results will depend on how you wear your Campus, how often and your type of activities.

Campus Jkt Evolution Mister Freedom 2013

Evolution will depend on use

Campus Early Prototype Mister Freedom 2013

Early prototype sun bathing

I once had in my hands a NOS 1930’s ‘Cossack’ leather jacket, original tags and all, featuring a printed paper sticker affixed to the flesh side of the hide. The sticker claimed the garment was “HAND WASHABLE with Castile Soap”.
Now. We have experienced soaking the CAMPUS in cold water, spin dry, line dry, worn briefly to shape, as demonstrated in this silly cartoon.

Campus Poster

What NOT to do, step by step

However, results have varied greatly and we DO NOT RECOMMEND IT. Some of the hides will shrink and/or stiffen more than others. So there is a chance of ending up with a leather brick two sizes too small… Should you wish to proceed with dipping your jacket in water, you are on your own…

It is much safer to wear the jacket and let natural patina happen over time.
For the adventurous type however, putting the CAMPUS jacket on a bust form outside and letting it tan for a while can have interesting results. Avoid large seagull populated areas. Also make sure to periodically move it around so that the sun tan looks natural, avoiding crisp lines. Anyone who ever woke up on a beach at noon will understand.

Just a few of the stages…

Anyways, here is the promised saga:
After the hides were selected, bought and dropped at the factory, the cutting began.
Then the skiving (for less bulky seams.)
Then the sewing…
The unfinished jacket were taken to yet another place to have keyhole type button holes added, instead of the more modern looking bound button hole construction.
The ultimate trip was to MF® atelier (a fancy word for our in-store sweat shop) where the buttons were patiently hand stitched, one by one.

Besides a long delay from the start due to difficulties sourcing all the required hides, I am happy – and relieved – to say that everything else went as planned.
If at any stage something could have gone very wrong, everyone involved did an amazing job to prevent FUBAR status.
Cheers!

Mister Freedom 2013

The MF soft shoe

 

And thus ends the saga of our CAMPUS Jacket…
Designed by Mister Freedom® and made in California, US of A.

SPECS:

PATTERN: An original pattern inspired by a Mrs. Cossack, and 1930’s sportswear type light leather jackets.

LEATHER: Vegetable tanned leather, full grain cow hide, milled and supple, natural finish and color, about 2-3 Oz weight, origin USA

DETAILS:
* 1930’s silhouette
* One piece back
* Fully unlined, clean seams.
* Cotton corduroy collar and wrist cuff facing
* Slash pockets with arrow stops.
* Side gussets with adjustable side straps (NOS metal slide buckles)
* Keyhole button holes.
* Corrozo ‘Cat Eyes’ wood buttons (aka ivory nut), backed by NOS French 1920’s glass buttons.
* Underarm venting eyelets
* Mister Freedom® ‘The Sportsman’ woven label behind the slash pocket, right front panel.
* High stitch-count, sturdy poly-cotton thread stitching.
* Made in California, USA with American cowhides.

SIZING:
Because of its weight on the light side for a leather jacket, I wanted a slim and quite snug fit, reminiscent of the original 1930’s silhouettes. This leather jacket is easily wearable during California summer evenings, with a light shirt or T-shirt. Besides the easy blue jeans/Ts, I like the more elegant white shirt/tie look with it as well.
During winter, the CAMPUS can be layered under an heavier outwear jacket, an old school down vest etc…
I am usually a 38 in mfsc jackets and I am a 38 in the CAMPUS, with room for a lightweight shirt underneath.
Tom is wearing a 36 on the photos, his usual size in MF® jackets. Tom, however, does not eat calzones.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate measurements.

Campus Jacket Sizing Chart Mister Freedom 2013

CARE:
We recommend you leave you CAMPUS as-is and just wear it.
Because of its original light natural color that will darken over time, it is prone to get soiled, water marked etc… This is part of the tough life of a leather jacket, your second skin.
Just for info, Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap is used by some pro tack shops to clean leather, at your own risk. Pecard also offers quality leather dressing.
Please be aware that almost anything applied to light colored leather will alter its color.
What ‘works’ on boots is not what you put on a saddle (if you want to stay on it), and definitely not made for clothing.
Seek the help of a professional leather cleaner should staining occur that you cannot live with.

Note that some shedding of the leather ‘flesh’ side may occur for a while and leave (brush-able) flecks visible on dark shirts or waistcoats.
I have tested the corduroy ‘El Americano’ waistcoat with the Campus… once. This shedding should settle after a certain period of wearing the jacket.

 

Available NATURAL/‘raw’
Sizes
36
(Small)
38 (Medium)
40 (Large)
42 (XLarge)
44 (XXLarge)
Retail $949.95

Available on www.misterfreedom.com , at our brick and mortar in Hollywood, CA., and at a few selected fine boutiques around the World.
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.

Thank you again for your support 😉

Black Friday Mister Freedom® Special Event: Red Cross Philippines Typhoon Appeal

Mister Freedom 2013

Forget the line, put your Super Hero shirt on

 

Mister Freedom Yolanda Skivvy 2013

 

Mister Freedom Yolanda Skivvy 2013

 

 

I hope you all had a pleasant Thanks Giving day. But, that was yesterday.

And today, it’s here! The anticipated 2013 Edition of… Black Friday, referred to  as “Black Eye Friday” by the ice pack Industry.
Consumers’ finest behaviors, displaying unmatched shopping skills, a real sense of philanthropy coming to your neighborhood, maybe at a Walmart near you?..
Black Friday, the return of the stampede, power to the Sheople.

Meanwhile, no less eager to ‘cash in’ on this classy phenomenon, we at Mister Freedom®, have cooked up something in the form of a special edition item, not unlike what we had done for the March 2011 Japan Tsunami relief effort, here and here.
I first thought of using the proceeds to fund a vacation in Bora Bora. My co-workers, however, vehemently opposed to it and kindly suggested Mister Freedom® donates 100% of the proceeds to the Red Cross

Why:
On November 8th 2013, Yolanda (Haiyan) tore through the center of the Philippines…

Believed to be the strongest recorded storm to ever hit land, with winds up to 236 mph, this ‘super typhoon’ left total devastation on its trail, often in areas already economically challenged.
Annihilating isolated rural communities, fishing villages and cities alike, Haiyan’s viciousness was soon shared with the World through shocking photos of flattened out landscapes, bodies laying in rubbles… Photos showed the magnitude of the disaster but were barely a glimpse of the ongoing nightmare to be faced in the aftermath, as recounted by survivors and rescuers.
Today, after about three weeks, the death toll is estimated to be around 5600, with some 1700 still missing and about 26,000 injured… For those wanting official updates, see here.

It is not my purpose here to describe the horror, but rather to try to make myself useful to some extent, as promised three weeks ago on Mister Freedom® Instagram.
Photographers will move on and International media coverage will inevitably fade, before Pinoy folks out there see the end of that tunnel.
So, this one goes to the gritty Filipinos and Filipinas whose task it is to heal and rebuild.
I trust this will reach you.

What:
We hand printed 20 of our skivvy shirts with an original MF® graphic, designed for the event.
This quite ‘obscur’ graphic draws its inspiration from the Revolution of the late 1890’s in the Philippines and the symbolic attached to it.
For those, like I, who have zero knowledge about Filipino History besides the Bataan March and the General MacArthur episode, here is a short slice of background I gathered:
In the 1870’s, an intellectual movement led by ilustrados (Philippines born erudites) started demanding reforms from the ruling Spaniards, for the benefit of natives versus the peninsulares (Spain-born colonists).
Later channeled by Katipunan leaders (a revolutionary secret society founded in 1892 by patriots), this Nationalist spirit grew into an armed revolt for independence, eventually ending colonial Spanish rule in 1898…
The Republic of the Philippines was granted Independence from the United States in 1946.

Although our graphic is not intended to convey any message other than that of a fundraising for a natural disaster affecting the Philippines, the symbolic comes from several flags and banners adopted by revolutionary groups throughout the early years of the ‘Tagalog War’:
* The eight rays of the rising sun represent the Philippines first eight provinces.
* K is for Katipunan, KKK being the full acronym of that secret organization (Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galang, Katipunan ng mga anak ng bayan).
NOTHING to do with what it shamefully stands for in the USA, obviously.
K also stands for Kalayaan, meaning Freedom in Tagalog, which i saw fit to use.
* The rather crude Freemason meets Jolly Rogers looking skull and crossbones is inspired by early lower rank Katipuneros‘ banners, along with General Mariano flag from 1896.
*The numbers 11-08-13 mark the fatal date of the Yolanda typhoon.

Mister Freedom 2013 Yolanda Tshirt Mister Freedom Yolanda Skivvy 2013

I did a rough sketch and then hand cut the stencil board. Each shirt was individually hand printed.
Shirts made and printed in the USA, limited edition of 20 shirts only.

How:
It is a bit involved to set this charity event on www.misterfreedom.com so we decided to do it the old school way, from this blog.
Each shirt sells for $100.00 (we will pay for shipping). NO returns.
Call 323-653-2014 for more infos if needed, or email sales@misterfreedom.com with your size and shipping info. We will then send you a Paypal money request (from sales@misterfreedom.com) if your size is available. Please check the sizing chart of our Skivvy shirts for fit questions.
We will hold your shirt until we receive the payment, then ship.
These numbered shirts (listed below) will be annotated with the buyers’ name/website (or ‘private’ should one desire to stay anonymous) as they sell.
Upon completion of the transactions, 100% of the total amount will be donated to the American Red Cross for “TYPHOON APPEAL, which I trust will dispatch the funds to locals/groups who need it the most.
An official receipt from the Red Cross for the amount of your $2000.00 donation will be added to this post on completion of the final transaction.

Note:
We will be understaffed for the next two weeks. We will do our best, but please be patient, as we are doing MANY other things at work, often keeping us away from computers. Also, if your email was sent at 3am on Sunday, you still get a response, but not within the hour…
Thank you for your understanding.

Now Friends, you know what to do.

Thank you in advance on behalf of those you helped.
Salamat sa iyong pagaalala.

Christophe Loiron,
Laborer at Mister Freedom®

 

List of shirts available (to be updated as fast as possible)

Shirt No. 1 (Small): Six Feet Under Records (USA)

Shirt No. 2 (Small): R.V. (USA)

Shirt No. 3 (Small): Mr. Andrew Jacobson (USA)

Shirt No. 4 (Small): Gary Batty (USA)

Shirt No. 5 (Medium): R.V. (USA)

Shirt No. 6 (Medium): Stepfan Schulte (Germany)

Shirt No. 7 (Medium): Matt Middlebrook (USA)

Shirt No. 8 (Medium): Six Feet Under Records (USA)

Shirt No. 9 (Medium): Giles, Alex & Paula Padmore (UK) Iron Heart

Shirt No. 10 (Medium): USMC MSgt J. V. (USA) Vintage Engineer Boots

Shirt No. 11 (Medium): Owen Langston (USA)

Shirt No. 12 (Medium): Zachary M. Irby (USA)

Shirt No. 13 (Large): Craig and Gloria Bayer (USA)

Shirt No. 14 (Large): Micah Thompson (USA)

Shirt No. 15 (Large): Allan A. (Australia)

Shirt No. 16 (Large): Matt Skeen (USA)

Shirt No. 17 (Large): Steven Boyd (USA)

Shirt No. 18 (Large): Ronnie Ivarsson (Sweden)

Shirt No. 19 (Large): Tim Supakorndej (USA)

Shirt No. 20 (Large): Kevin Gregory (USA)

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UPDATE: 11/30/2013 04:37pm

Mission accomplished in 24 hours!!!
A great many thanks to the generous souls who have made this charity event possible.
Today (actually yesterday, i’m sneaky like that), $2000.00 have been donated to the Red Cross for the Philippines Typhoon Appeal.
If you see someone in the street wearing this Mister Freedom® Tshirt, go shake the hand of a good man.
Ladies and Gentlemen… much obliged.

From Jordan, Cristian, Tom and the ol’ man at Mister Freedom®

Mister Freedom 2013 Typhoon Appeal RECEIPT

Red Cross Receipt

 

Red Cross Update Dec 6, 2013

Red Cross Update Dec 6, 2013

 

To view the November 2013 report of the Red Cross response, and where your money went, click Typhoon Report Red Cross