Mister Freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap, Indigo-Dyed Cotton Ribbed Knit, “LIBERTY” Edition, mfsc FW2024 “SUBMARINER” (JP)

Photo Kentaro Minato (Seven Bros.) for CLUTCH Magazine ©2024

“Whatever…” Joe Greene ©2024

“I strongly condemn this senior abuse, Sir.” Joe Greene ©2024

Photo Kentaro Minato (Seven Bros.) for CLUTCH Magazine ©2024

 

Mister Freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap, 100% cotton ribbed knit, indigo-dyed.
mfsc FW2024 SUBMARINER
Made in Japan

The LOOKOUT Watch Cap is a Mister Freedom® spin on the vintage 1940s US Navy “Enlisted Man’s Watch Cap” pattern, with the usual liberties we take with our military-inspired pieces.

First, we opted for 100% cotton yarn, as opposed to the worsted wool of the originals. The warmth properties of the cotton knit is obviously not comparable to that of wool, but this makes our cap a bit more all-season for us Californians. Then we went for indigo-dyed rather than the traditional navy blue color, for a beautiful patina overtime.

The construction is a combination of three continuous knit patterns: two distinct ribbed knit sections finished by a “purl knit” bottom band at the cuff. The hat features a six-dart 1×1 ribbed knit crown.
We revisited the silhouette for a rather shallow profile, staying clear of the “ski cap” vibe of contemporary beanies with pointy/high crowns, aiming for more of a vintage seaman style.

We’re not big on obnoxious outside branding in general, but our old school “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor” woven rayon label is stitched to the visible side of the cuff, in all its glory! We’re proud of what we make at MF® — or what we don’t make, and where we make it — so, once in a while, we flash our little brand’s name. That label looks pretty cool when worn on the side or back of the head.

The “liberty” mermaid patch on the other side of the cuff is a nod to the salty tradition of liberty cuffs in the US Navy, a customized uniform detail we’ve often played with. That rayon patch is stitched on 3 sides, so feel free to slide a folded sawbuck in there as emergency fund, when you really need that hipster cappuccino but left your wallet at home, and the phone battery gave up on you after prolonged exposure to the vast wasteland of TikTok.
And when the dude standing in line behind you for his cup of joe enquires about the flag of Scotland on your lid, go salty and mention that those are actually is maritime signal flags: diagonal white cross on blue background is international naval code for Mike, the letter “M”. Red diamond on white background is Foxtrot, “F”. He’ll reply Tango Mike.

Anyways, “Lookouts to the bridge!” (sub lingo here) calls the conning tower CPO to the three bubbleheads (port/starboard/stern) on watch… “Dive, Dive, Dive!” into our FW2024 SUBMARINER story here, and check out the whole line-up here.

The Mister freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap design is reimagined in California, USA, and produced in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

SPECS:
PATTERN: Inspired by vintage 1930s~40s US Navy watch caps, revisited.
FABRIC: 100% cotton ribbed knit, indigo-dyed.
DETAILS:
* Three continuous knit patterns, two ribbed knit sections finished by a “purl knit” bottom band.
* Traditional six-dart 1×1 ribbed knit crown.
* Shallow profile, designed for single wide fold/cuff.
* Woven mfsc rayon label exposed on cuff, backed with concealed old style USN mermaid “Liberty” patch.
* One size.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The Mister Freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap comes ready to wear, no shrinking protocol.
Due to the cotton knit stretch, this is a “one-size-fits-all” type cover.
Style it your way, new school or old school, cocked to the side, slung in the back of the skull, pulled over the ears with a narrower cuff…
CARE:
Hand wash when needed, lay flat to dry on (dark) towel.

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

Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2024

Mister Freedom® covers for Fall 2014, made in USA military surplus.

 

Mister Freedom® Fall 2014 head-gear
The Watch Cap & Boonie Hat
New Old Stock Gov’t Issue surplus

 

Just because it appears I lost mine recently is a good reminder that you should protect yours.
So here is a selection of covers we’ve dug up for Fall 2014, some New Old Stock Mil-Specs surplus items.

 

Mister Freedom Watch Cap Fall 2014

Mister Freedom Watch Cap Fall 2014

Mister Freedom Watch Cap Fall 2014

 

CAP, KNIT, WATCH
Made in USA

We could have gone the DIY Mattel route but decided instead to acquire stock from the fine folks manufacturing them for the US Government.
Our wool caps are knitted on a circular knitting machine the size of Soyuz 19, and about as easy to operate I’ve heard.

Knit Magic courtesy of Mattel Mayer & Cie circular knitting machine

Please note that our watchcaps are not reproductions of the original 1940’s A-4 type knit hats issued to USAAF mechanics, as there are already reputable companies offering these.
Our caps are following contemporary US military specs and standards, and are still available today from PX.
We’ve customized this standard issue a bit, adding an ID cloth label, as we had done in 2008 with our old school USN-style watch cap. Admittedly not as useful as a LED flashlight, our ID patch can be customized according to your preferences. This label is not intended as a billboard and is ‘strategically’ positioned on the tubular knit in order to be partially concealed when the cap is worn with the double fold method.

A wool hat won’t turn anyone into Steve McQueen or Jack ‘Bunny’ Nicholson, but will keep your head warm while you keep your cool.
According to how you sport this hat, it will go from ski hat to commando cover… to everything in between.

Courtesy Tony Piazza McQ Watchcap Then Came Bronson Michael Parks 1969 Rebel Rousers 1970 Rebel Rousers Nicholson 1970 WW2 Seabees Courtesy Sam Cox Sleazy Riders 1970 MAD Fashion Tutorial Mister Freedom

(Warm thanks to Sam Cox at WMM for sending above WW2 Seabees photo)

US Gov’t surplus, manufactured in the USA.

SPECS:
* Two ply worsted 100% wool.
* Dark navy blue or Olive Green.
* Circular knit (no side seam).
* Four darts crown.
* US Mil-specs.

WASHING:
Professional dry clean only. This is a wool item, do not machine wash or put in a heat dryer.
Hand washing with eco-friendly wool detergent (such as “Ecovert Delicate Wash”) is possible but might result with stretching or shrinking of the knit hat, to be done at your own risks.


MF® Wool Watchcap available UNISSUED
Color options: Dark navy blue or Olive Green
One Size fits all.
Retail $39.95

And now this one…

 

 

Mister Freedom Boonie Hat 2014

 

Mister Freedom Boonie Hat 2014

 

 

HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER
TYPE II
Made in USA

Sometimes you gotta love the military for not calling a spade a “spatulous device for abrading the surface of the soil” (Joseph Devlin, 1910).
An E-tool is an E-tool. There it is.
What we have here is a “HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER”. You’d think there wouldn’t be much to add after this.
Watch me.

This hat finds its origin with the bush-worn felt hat popular with the British troops and Australian diggers in the early XXth Century. The British military replaced felt with cotton fabric around 1944 in order to provide a more practical and durable hot weather hat.
During the Indochina conflict, the chapeaux de brousse, a hat resembling a sort of quilted cowboy hat with a snapped brim, came out. These were often locally made from recycled uniform, parachute or tent camo fabric and favored by French colonial troops and their local VNA allies alike.
Following the (official) US involvement in Vietnam in 1965, an urgent need for proper tropical field equipment ensued. Around 1967, a new hat pattern was developed and adapted from its predecessors in the Natick labs of Massachusetts…
The “HAT, SUN, HOT WEATHER” was to become a US military standard issue, available in OD popeline, ERDL, multi cam… or pink camo, according to where you shop.
The overall design has not much changed today, and this hat is still issued to combat troops.

British felt hat 1917 Borneo 1965 Autralian troops 1944 Bush Hat Le Combatant d'Indochine, 1955 Da Nang 1968 ERDL boonie hat Recruiting Ad US Marines

These covers are often referred to as boonies, because less common on Wall Street than the in boondocks.
In the 1960’s, they earned their stripes on US Special Forces incursions in humid South-East Asia jungles. I have read somewhere that on night patrols, the dome shape of the steel helmet left too much of a target silhouette for VC snipers. Floppy hats were thought to be a better option, as they blended more efficiently with the natural shapes of the jungle. To accentuate that effect, the brim was often chopped-off and the edges frayed, as many period photos show. These boonies were soon associated with LRRPs, RECONDOs… along with the rest of the salty in-Country crowd. The boonie hat was originally were a statement of bad-assness. They were also worn by ARVN troops and Australian units before being adopted by more branches of the military.
These hats were as popular with troops as they weren’t with the higher-highers, too floppy in appearance for the starch-obsessed.
But they worked, and Vietnam would prove out a fine theater for all kinds of liberties with outfits and behaviors.
The hatband was designed to hold branches or strips of fabrics for  field concealment while on raid. That piece of tape also made a fine display for grenade rings, pins and other goodies, when you took your party hat to town.
The four mesh-screen eyelets on the crown allowed air circulation while preventing bugs to p*** you off any further while humping through rice paddies. The hat rolls up in a conic shape, making it easy to carry around in a bag pocket. The crown is shorter in front than in the back, which gives it a specific profile and ‘attitude’.

 

Photo on left courtesy of Darrell G Moe ElmoreProject Delta Recon (May 1968) via this forum. Regarding the bush hat he is wearing on the photo, Mr. Elmore mentioned “I lost it during the summer of 68 while we were fighting in the Saigon area with the ARVN 81st Airborne Rangers. I never got another to ‘break in’ like it”… Thank you for your service Sir, and for letting us feature this BA photo!
Other photos eBay/public forums.

But lets get back on point with the NOS model we are offering for Fall 2014. Our specimen here is an original Government issue, to the best of my knowledge, and I’ve been known to have my foot in my mouth up to the knee at times.

The fabric feels like NyCo (mil-specs 50% nylon/50% cotton). The camouflage is of the tiger stripe pattern family. I am quite uncertain about the actual vintage of this issue, as research based on the procurement label was more confusing than enlightening. A great deal of infos can be found here for the investigating kind, as well as in several books, such as “Les Paras Francais en Indochine“.
I am guessing these might be an older stock from the 1980’s? In any case, they are USA made, as opposed to the countless ‘imports’ available from most Army-Navy stores today.
We were lucky to score two good size options: 7 and 7 ¼

US Gov’t surplus, manufactured in the USA. Limited supply.

SPECS:
* Tiger stripe camo pattern
* Mil-specs NyCo rip stop fabric (50% nylon/50% cotton)
* 2 ½ ” wide brim
* Adjustable chin-strap, leather toggle
* Vent mesh-screen eyelets
* Foliage ring hatband.
* Made in USA

WASHING:
Hand wash when necessary, hang dry. Minimal to no shrinkage.

Available UNISSUED
Pattern: Tiger stripe
Sizes: 7
and 
Retail $49.95

While stock lasts, both the watch cap and boonie hat are available from our Los Angeles store and online from www.misterfreedom.com
Call 323-653-2014 or email [email protected] with any question unanswered above.

Thank you for your patience and support 😉