 “See, I believe that large piece of metal right there is called the motor”.  “See, there must be more to life than wearing ridiculously good-looking jackets. I just don’t know what that is.” 
 “The Lords of Flatbush” meets “The Office”. Mister Freedom® “Black BALOO” Jacket, black veg-tan ’Tea-Core” cowhide leather & sheepskin.
Fall 2019 mfsc Sportsman catalog.
Made in USA.
The MF® BALOO Jacket pattern is our take of the famous vintage “Grizzly” style, a popular garment of 1930’s working America, combining mouton fur and leather in one handsome waist-length fashionable coat. Originally designed with ease of movement in mind for outdoor activities in cold temperatures, the Grizzly style soon replaced the more cumbersome full-fur coats of the late 1800’s – early 1900’s.
Surviving vintage specimen are today highly-collectible, but often too dried-out for wear, most original 1930’s Grizzly jackets ending-up as wall display.
Our BALOO is not a straight-up replica of these early outdoor jackets, rather the morphing of a MF® Campus into a “Bear Jacket”, as Grizzlys are sometimes referred to. The resulting garment is a contemporary piece, easier to pull-off these days than a buffalo coat, yet retaining its vintage appeal.
We spent some time last year developing a black “tea-core” leather, and unveiled the “STALLION” last week, a Fall 2019 black version of our staple Campus Jacket. We are also adding a “Black BALOO” to the Mister Freedom® mfsc Sportsman catalog this season. A small batch of jackets using the same black tea-core leather with matching sheepskin panels was produced.
As previously mentioned, “tea-core” leather refers to an old-school tannery dyeing method, distinct from the more commun dip-dyed method. “Tea-core” dyeing results in the skin side color being different from the flesh side color. Traditionally, to achieve this, hides are first dip-dyed in a light brown color. This is followed by spraying the skin side with a darker color top-coating. Japanese industry experts refer to this type of leather as Cha-Shin (茶芯), Cha meaning brown, and Shin meaning core. It is a sought-after characteristic of vintage engineer boots and older leather jackets.
Starting with our MF® signature natural ‘pink’ veg-tan cowhide introduced in 2013 with the 1930’s style “Campus Jacket”, we worked with a tannery willing and patient enough to comply with our demands and high expectations, and added our twist on black tea-core leather. The idea was simply to combine the patina potential of veg-tan natural leather (a sun-tanning/wearing/conditioning journey mastered and well-documented by our friend USMC MGySgt John “VEB”) with a solid black appearance.
The BALOO being fully lined, the “tea-core” is initially only noticeable to the keen eye, on the edges of the side cinch straps, key-hole button holes, and arrow-head pocket stops. As the Black BALOO gets some mileage and naturally ages, normal abrasion of the thin black topcoat from wear will reveal the natural ‘pink’ underside, in turn evolving into a rich golden tone. With patience, regular wear, with the expected nicks, scratches, water spills, natural sun-exposure and occasional conditioning with products such as Pecard Leather Dressing, an attractive patina is likely to develop.
Anyone is free to experiment with his/her own method for a natural patina, understanding that actual wear and patience will always beat dragging the jacket behind a truck. I am not making this up.
The MF® “Black BALOO” Jacket in black veg-tan ’Tea-core” cowhide leather and matching sheepskin panels is designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original pattern inspired by 1930’s sportswear ‘Cossack’ type unlined leather jackets, 1930’s “Grizzly” type leather jackets, and other vintage sportswear and outdoor garments.
LEATHER:
* Black vegetable-tanned “Tea-Core” full grain cow hide leather, black topcoat with natural-color flesh side, milled and supple, about 2-3 Oz weight. Exclusively developed for MF®.
* Soft-hand genuine sheepskin panels.
Lining: 100% cotton brushed flannel with a 1940’s-50’s-inspired vibrant plaid pattern, discharge-printed. Fabric milled in Japan.
NOTE: The Mister Freedom® Black BALOO Jacket is made of genuine leather. We use full-grain, and not top-grain leather (aka corrected or buffed leather, sanded to level surface inconsistencies). No two hides are alike and each panel may feature variations in texture along with natural imperfections.
DETAILS:
* Vintage 1930’s style, inspired by our Cossack-style MF® Campus Jacket and Grizzly-style American sportswear jackets.
* Fully lined with a soft cotton brushed flannel featuring a vintage style discharge-printed plaid pattern.
* Single panel sheepskin back.
* Slash pockets with arrow-head pocket stops.
* Side gussets with adjustable side straps (NOS metal slide buckles)
* Keyhole button holes.
* Corozo ‘Cat Eyes’ wood buttons, backed by genuine bone buttons.
* Mister Freedom® woven “Sportsman” label.
* Made in USA.
SIZING:
The MF® BALOO Jacket is ready-to-wear and true to size.
The fit could be quite snug, depending on one’s body type. If planning on layering, with a heavy cable knit wool sweater and a denim jacket for instance, considered sizing up for a comfortable fit.
I am usually a 38 in mfsc jackets and opted for a 38 in the Black BALOO, with enough room for a lightweight layer underneath.
Refer to sizing chart below for approximate measurements. Please consider the thickness of the sheepskin when trying to match your chest measurements and the jacket’s measurements. Please contact sales@misterfreedom.com if in doubt about sizing.
CARE:
No specific initial conditioning or pre-treatment is required. Just wear and enjoy the slow patina evolution.
According to frequency of wear and exposure to the elements, some conditioning might be applied to the sleeves if the leather feels dry, using products similar to Pecard Antique Leather Care. Be aware that conditioning should be applied with care and expertise.
* Do not use heavily-oily products designed for footwear, such as neatsfoot oil.
* Do not attempt to condition the sheepskin panels…
* Do not dry clean. Even professional leather cleaning facilities might not be competent on how to treat the specific BALOO jacket veg-tan leather/sheepskin/cotton lining combo.
* Should parts of your jacket get accidentally stained from normal wear, consider this a normal stage of the evolution of a garment made for the outdoors.
Embrace the fact that the black “Tea-Core” leather is prone to get nicked and scratched, revealing the natural color under-layer, unavoidably showing signs of wear. Occasional conditioning when needed (according to actual frequency of wear) will contribute to an attractive warm tone natural patina, and a healthy-looking leather.
Available Sizes:
34 (X-Small)
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
 
Mister Freedom® “STALLION” Campus Jacket, black veg-tan ’Tea-Core” cowhide leather.
Fall 2019 mfsc Sportsman catalog.
Made in USA.
We have been working on this project for quite some time now, and are quite thrilled to announce that… it’s a wrap, the MF® Campus is, not only back in black, but “tea-core” black!
A term today familiar to vintage leather jackets/boots collectors and heritage fashion aficionados, “tea-core” leather refers to an old-school tannery dyeing method, distinct from the more commun dip-dyed method. “Tea-core” dyeing results in the skin side color being different from the flesh side color. Traditionally, to achieve this, hides are first dip-dyed in a light brown color. This is followed by spraying the skin side with a darker color top-coating. Japanese industry experts refer to this type of leather as Cha-Shin (茶芯), Cha meaning brown, and Shin meaning core. It is a sought-after characteristic of vintage engineer boots and older leather jackets.
This dyeing method is often considered undesirable by major brands (from car seat manufacturers to garment makers), as tea-core leather offers poor ‘colorfastness’. The thin topcoat wears-off overtime, gradually exposing the lighter tone of the under layer. If the fast-aging quality of “tea-core” leather is considered a defect by some, it contributes to a rewarding and desirable patina for others.
Sourcing black-dyed leather in the market in not difficult, but, ever in the front row of the soup sandwich line, the MF® Design Dept wanted something a bit more ‘special’ for this black iteration of our traditional “Campus Jacket”. Initially introduced in 2013 in the MF® signature natural ‘pink’ veg-tan cowhide, the mission this time was to combine the patina potential of veg-tan natural leather (a sun-tanning/wearing/conditioning journey mastered and well-documented by our friend USMC MGySgt John “VEB”) with a solid black appearance. We developed this special exclusive leather with a tannery that was willing and patient enough to comply with our demands and high expectations.
After months of costly R&D, there it is!
As the jacket gets some mileage and naturally ages, normal abrasion of the black topcoat from wear will reveal the natural ‘pink’ underside, in turn evolving into a rich golden tone. With regular wear, with the expected nicks, scratches, water spills, natural sun-exposure and occasional conditioning with products such as Pecard Leather Dressing, the patina of your well-worn MF® STALLION Campus jacket should be nothing short of “spectacular”, as our friend Daniel likes to put it.
This specific gratifying feature of our Campus jacket not only makes this garment retain a high resale value, but might also someday qualify it as a rare desirable family heirloom, should Made-in-USA wearables become a thing of the past, once small independent labels all get leveled by Fast-Fashion giants and the norms that consumerism dictates.
The MF® “STALLION” Campus Jacket in black veg-tan ’Tea-core” cowhide leather is designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original pattern inspired by 1930’s sportswear ‘Cossack’ type unlined leather jackets.
LEATHER: Black vegetable-tanned “Tea-Core” full grain cow hide leather, black topcoat with natural-color flesh side, milled and supple, about 2-3 Oz weight. Exclusively developed for MF®.
NOTE: The Mister Freedom® Black CAMPUS Jacket is made of genuine leather. We use full-grain, and not top-grain leather (aka corrected or buffed leather, sanded to level surface inconsistencies). No two hides are alike and each panel may feature variations in texture along with natural imperfections.
DETAILS:
* 1930’s silhouette.
* One piece back.
* Fully unlined, clean seams inside & out.
* Black outside color, ‘pink’ inside, for an attractive over time ’vintage’ patina.
* Cotton corduroy collar and wrist cuff facing.
* Slash pockets with arrowhead-shaped edges.
* Side gussets with adjustable side straps (NOS metal slide buckles.)
* Keyhole button holes.
* Dark brown ‘Cat-Eyes’ corozo wood buttons (aka ivory nut), backed by contrasting ivory-color corozo support buttons.
* Underarm venting eyelets.
* Mister Freedom® ‘The Sportsman’ woven label behind the slash pocket, right front panel.
* Sturdy poly-cotton thread stitching.
* Made in California, USA.
SIZING/FIT:
The MF® “STALLION” Campus Jacket does not require any type of pre-treatment or conditioning and is ready to wear as-is. This garment is cut quite slim but is considered true-to-size.
Keep in mind that we are referring to a classic old-school type fit, not a contemporary streetwear silhouette.
I wear a size 38 in the “STALLION” Campus Jacket, my consistent size in all Campus jackets iterations, and my usual size in mfsc jackets.
Please refer to flat measurements in chart below.
CARE:
Embrace the fact that the “Tea-Core” leather is prone to get nicked and scratched, revealing the natural color under-layer, unavoidably showing signs of wear. Occasional conditioning when needed (according to actual frequency of wear) will contribute to an attractive warm tone natural patina, and a healthy-looking leather.
We recommend Pecard Leather Dressing, following this method.
Do not use overly-greasy neatsfoot oil or leather conditioners specific to footwear. Do not try to hasten the ‘vintage look’ by excessively conditioning the leather, as this will only result in the garment looking ‘wet’.
Note: Some shedding of the leather ‘flesh’ side may occur temporarily and leave (brush-able) flecks visible on dark shirts. This light shedding will eventually subside with normal wear.
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
 Pappy proudly striking a pose in his brand new Black Lamb Campus jacket. We believe he’s ready for the draft horse test.
Mister Freedom® Black “CAMPUS” Jacket, Italian veg-tanned Lamb edition
‘The Sportsman’ Fall 2014
That’s right jack.
It’s back.
It’s black.
And I don’t mean zombie-consumerism Friday, with deals you can’t refuse on things you won’t use.
I’m talking new addition to the Sportsman catalog. Like a new version of the MF® Campus Jacket we originally introduced in 2013.
In this instant-gratification World, where mass producing soft factory-distressed garments is the norm and the money-making ticket for the Garment Industry majors, releasing an unlined pink-colored cowhide jacket, as we did in the Fall of 2013, can be seen as an unwise move. In the “these guys are not well” kind of a way…
But thanks to the good sports who decided to take the plunge and play the DIY game, we survived. And, a year later, there are some mighty fine examples of worn-in Campus jackets out there.
We were rewarded by all the cool evolution shots, every patient new owner molding his Campus to his own liking, for some breaking it in for the next generation.
One way to do it was expertly documented on the Vintage Engineer Boots website by our friend USMC MSgt John V.
Whether hands-on or via social media photos, witnessing this fun natural patina process might have hopefully convinced a few skeptical individuals that the ‘worn look’ will come… naturally. Our Campus jacket went from a ‘raw’ light pink to warm shades of orange, with basically sun exposure and wear. Nothing revolutionary for you salty bunch, but an apparent novelty for some who hold factory-distressed clothes as the norm, because they are ‘comfortable’ straight off the rack…
My apologies to the choir for the broken record.
 Early evolution of a Campus jacket, 2013  Perso Campus jacket, 1.5 year of intermittent wear Then, in 2014, this happened…
As I was sourcing out leather one day, trying to discern Sonny Fisher’s ’56 “Pink and Black” from the engine rattle, I came across a stack of wrapped bundles of black leather sitting on top of a metal shelving unit, in a wholesaler’s warehouse. Inside the craft paper, small hides of a supple and delicate leather with somewhat of a glove leather touch had been gathering dust for years. This was ordered from an Italian tannery and was never paid for, I gathered…
Long story short, this was a New Old Stock lot of genuine vegetable-tanned lamb hides from Italy (I found some remnants of paperwork in the rolled skins).
Although a definite departure from the rugged look of a worn cowhide Campus jacket, I felt that a black Italian lamb Campus would not be too shabby of an addition to the Mister Freedom® Sportsman catalog. Next thing I remember, I was driving off with my lamb loot.
The USA manufacturing went as smooth as the first time around…
 The first time around… For extra fun and because we had way too much time on our hands this summer, the originally solid dark brown corozo buttons we selected for the project were left in the sun for several weeks. This gave ‘life’ to the wood grain and veins, making each button unique, and puzzling the neighbors in the process. Yes, we laid each button flat in several trays, one by one, then put the trays on the roof for a tan. We then sat down and stared for over a month. Don’t worry, we took turns.
Now, if you‘re very bored one day, check the back side of a button, for an idea of its original color.
 
The style of our Campus jacket, inspired by a “Cossack” type cut popular in the 1930’s, has been discussed in the original post and remains the same for this black lamb issue.
This time however, DO NOT immerse this jacket in water! Don’t even think about it…
The black lamb Campus is ready to go, just requires to be worn as-is, without any pre-treatment or efforts.
This version is intended as an elegant 1930’s style jacket, dressy sportswear if you will. These veg-tanned lamb hides are delicate and will scuff easily. Do not rub against brick walls or drag this jacket behind your car, like this maniac…
This is not a workwear-type coat meant for field work and rugged treatment, including storing nails in the pockets. You wear this on a date. Or to get a date, when cargo shorts don’t cut it.
Bottom line, should both arms of our Black Lamb Campus get tied to two draft horses pulling in opposite directions, we guarantee the jacket will rip in half.
The Campus Jacket was designed and manufactured in California, USA, by Mister Freedom®, with the help of Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original pattern inspired by 1930’s sportswear type lightweight leather jackets.
LEATHER: Genuine Italian vegetable tanned lamb leather, exclusive to the USA production. The leather is BLACK.
DETAILS:
* 1930’s silhouette
* One piece back
* Fully unlined, clean seams.
* Cotton corduroy collar and wrist cuff facing
* Slash pockets with arrowhead-shaped edges.
* Side gussets with adjustable side straps (NOS metal slide buckles)
* Keyhole button holes.
* Sun-tanned brown ‘Cat Eyes’ corrozo wood buttons (aka ivory nut), backed by 1920’s NOS French antique glass buttons (some jackets will have black, some will have iridescent white-colored back-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.
CARE/SIZING:
This is quite a delicate jacket, not intended to be worn while working in the field but rather as a dress-up garment.
It does not require any type of pre-treatment and is ready to wear as-is.
After a few years of normal use, professional care or conditioning might be considered and left to a veg-tanned leather specialist. Again, DO NOT immerse in water.
The cut of the Campus is quite snug, depending of course on your own built. I wear a snug 38, my usual size in MF® jackets, with a simple Tshirt or light shirt underneath.
Like its cowhide predecessor, this black lamb model is true to size. It is not anticipated that the lamb leather will stretch/’shrink’ with normal wear.
Please refer to sizing chart for approx measurements, identical to our 2013 natural cowhide Campus jacket.
Sizes
36 (Small)
38 (Medium)
40 (Large)
42 (XLarge)
44 (XXLarge)
Retail $949.95
Soon available on www.misterfreedom.com.
Please call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com with any questions not answered above.
As always, thank you for your support.
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