Mister Freedom® infos « CHRISTOPHELOIRON®

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Yours Truly,

Lot.64US Californian and Ranch Blouse, the “Uncle Sam” issue, Spring 2014

Perso Ranch Blouse Lot.64, about 6 months wear, different model, same denim.

: Raw

: Soaked

Lot.64US (Uncle Sam) issue, Ranch Blouse and Californian blue jeans
Spring 2014 ‘The Sportsman’ Catalog

For Spring 2014, additions to the Mister Freedom® ‘Sportsman’ catalog have a bit of a 60’s Endless-Summer-meets-Uncle-Sam vibe. We are releasing a small batch of modified Lot.64 Ranch Blouse and Californian, a special ‘Uncle Sam’ issue of two MF® classics we will refer to as Lot.64US.
You’re saying ” Son… whadaya mean classics?!? Ya barely been around the block. Cheeeeses crust…”
Not untrue, good point.

Anyways, as I was saying, before getting rudely interrupted by my imaginary friend here, think old Army/Navy surplus, GI stuff, piles of blues and greens gathering dust on shelves… and the oversized grenade on the counter saying “Complaints Dept, Take a Number”.

For our Lot.64US jeans and jacket, the main fabric/style/fit/shrinkage/pattern remain the same as Lot.64, but with a few detail changes.
Emulating an imaginary but plausible Government contract/war effort/requisitions affecting a 1960’s jeans manufacturing factory, we are using mil spec fabrics for pocket bags/lining/labeling: 1940’s fatigues USMC type herringbone twill (HBT) lining and WW2 type USN chambray for patches, minimal branding.
We are also introducing another small detail this season, an embossed MF® brass button, replacing our previous ‘silver’ type. Just thought we would alert the media.
Both of these riveted button designs were obviously ‘freely’ inspired by vintage denim hardware, in other words lifted from old Levi’s.
I believe that, for back in the days Levi’s, the silver type buttons were used on shrink-to-fit denim fabric, while the brass type buttons went on sanforized fabrics or as waist buttons of zip-fly jeans? As always, don’t quote me on that, ask an expert, unless you you want to make a fool of yourself on the interwebs…

For Spring 2014, the Californian Lot.64 “Uncle Sam” issue features a solid natural leather patch on the rear pocket, a (selvedge) blue chambray waist patch (minimal Lot/Size marking), olive green HBT USMC type pocket bags, brass waist rivet button.
The Ranch Blouse Lot.64 “US” issue features a newly-shaped collar, olive green HBT collar facing and pocket flap facing, brass buttons and a generically-stamped blue chambray inside patch.

Cosmetic details you say. Maybe.
But in 2525, a savvy denim collector stumbling across a beat up pair of blue jeans with a chambray patch might want to bore his girlfriend to death with all of this, as they glide off to Kepler-62-e for breakfast.

Designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®, in a collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

Please note that the photo montage of the worn Lot.64 is for reference ONLY, it is a different model but made of the same denim. Production of the Lot.64US comes UNWASHED.

RANCH BLOUSE Lot.64US SPECS

PATTERN: An original mfsc pattern, influenced by early denim ‘trucker’ type jackets.

FABRIC: 13 3/4 Oz selvedge indigo denim. Right hand twill. White/pink selvedge ID. Milled on shuttle looms in Japan. Aka SC1966.
Under collar and under pocket flap lining: 100% cotton OD Herringbone Twill, 1940’s USMC type, mil specs.

DETAILS:
* Modified collar pattern.
* ‘Vintage’ boxy but fit silhouette.
* Original MF® lower chest pocketing, yellow “M” stitching.
* Pleated front with MF® original ‘dart’ stitching.
* Selvedge front panel fold.
* Olive Drab HBT collar/pocket flap facing.
* Brass cast MF® branded buttons.
* Buckle back, concealed selvedge strap, adjustable, riveted.
* Copper rivet reinforced, unmarked, leather washer.
* Combination yellow/orange 100% cotton stitching.
* USN type chambray patch (courtesy Buzz Rickson’s), minimal branding.
* Made in USA

SIZING/WASHING:
We recommend an original 30mn cold soak with hand agitation, spin dry and hang dry. Please note ‘spin dry’ refers to a spinning cycle in the WASHING machine, NOT the dryer.
You can briefly put the jacket on when damp, to give it (your) body, then hang to dry. Once fully dry the denim will be quite stiff from the starch, which is a good thing as this ‘sets’ some creases. You’re on your way to a pleasing patina after repeat wear.
Those who have an issue with stiff denim should reconsider, as demand for ‘soft denim’ lead to the plague of stone washed garments, and acid wash in the 80’s.
The Sportsman “Ranch Blouse” comes UN-WASHED and “oversized” (ie. will ‘shrink to fit’) so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an original cold soak/line dry.

I wear a 38 in the Ranch Blouse, and it has the old school fit I like after the original cold soak.

Refer to chart for raw/rinsed measurements (please note that, although really not recommended, more shrinkage is to be expected if you ‘boil’ your jacket and machine dry it.)

Please note that we did our best to hide this chart in our fancy webstore, and you need a recon patrol to find it. It is there however, for each item, under the “Add to Cart” yellow button. It is labelled “Size Chart:” and it will pop up if you click on it.

Available Raw (unwashed) ONLY
Sizes
34 X-small
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
Retail $369.95

CALIFORNIAN blue jeans Lot.64US SPECS

PATTERN
Original Mister Freedom® pattern, inspired by traditional 1950′s era blue jeans with a 1960′s twist. Silhouette inspired by vintage fits and old photography, BRMC meets Beatniks.
Like the previous Lot.64, the Lot.64US features a traditional mid-rise with straight slightly tapered leg.

FABRIC
13 3/4 Oz. selvedge Right Hand Twill indigo denim. White/pink selvedge ID. Milled on shuttle looms in Japan. (aka SC1966)

POCKETING
100% cotton OD Herringbone Twill, 1940’s USMC type, mil specs.

DETAILS
* Five pocket, button fly, selvedge leg seams,…
* Original “M” stitch design and solid un-branded cowhide leather patch.
* Blue (selvedge) chambray patch on waist band, minimal stamping.
* Hidden back pocket rivets with top pocket reinforcement zig-zag stitching.
* Pocket bags and back pocket lining: OD HBT.
* Coin pocket with concealed selvedge.
* Twelve types of all cotton threads (gauge and color combination) used for construction. Main colors are yellow and orange.
* Selvedge button hole flap (yes, it’s under the overlock, we’re vicious.)
* Original MF® metal cast waist/fly buttons.
*Unmarked copper riveting for reinforcement.
* Made in USA

SIZING/WASHING
The Californian Lot.64US comes UN-WASHED and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an original cold soak/line dry. A tagged W32 x L34 “Californian” actually measures about 34” x 36½” before wash. It will shrink to approx. 32” x 34” after rinse/dry.

Which size works for you depends on how you like your jeans to fit. I wear a comfortable tagged waist 32 in the Lot.64
We recommend getting your usual waist size, although proper fit is a subjective matter and everyone has their own idea of what looks good.
As with all denim twill, shrinkage and stretching will occur for a while and will depend on the wearer’s body, activities and initial fit.
Although some like to wear their jeans raw, a more practical option is the cold rinse/line dry route.

Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/rinsed measurements. Please note that in our case, ‘rinsed’ means a 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie minimal shrinkage).

Available RAW/unwashed/Un-sanforized
Sizes
W29 x L32
W30 x L32
W31 x L32
W32 x L34
W33 x L34
W34 x L34
W36 x L34
W38 x L34
Retail $329.95

Available soon from www.misterfreedom.com

Please email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not addressed above.
Thank you for your support

Mister Freedom® “The Sportsman” mfsc Spring 2014, Made in USA.

For the up-coming endless Spring Summer 2014 season, we are adding some “60’s beach movie meets Uncle Sam” vibe to the mfsc “The Sportsman” catalog.
All made in USA.
The line-up will include:
* Board Shorts: NOS cotton twill, stripe and indigo
* Indian Madras shirts: ‘Sierra’ or ‘Beach’ plaid
* ‘Wheat’ Ranch Blouse and Speedway jeans: off white 10 Oz. Pique
* ‘Uncle Sam’ Edition Lot.64 Ranch Blouse and Californian Blues Jeans: 13 ¾ Oz. selvedge denim (SC66)
* ‘Pitstop’ broadcloth shirts: blue and white
* Sportsman Chinos: ‘Beach’ selvedge chino twill and Indigo ‘métisse’ cotton/linen

All items in production right now, full specs as each item drops, sometime during Feb/March 2014.

Please email sales@misterfreedom.com with any question not answered above.
Thank you for your support.

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

Ok. How does this go again?

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.

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.

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.

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

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