“PENSACOLA” Seaplane Jacket, Intermediate. Mister Freedom® x Buzz Rickson’s Special Edition

 

 

MFxBR “PENSACOLA Seaplane Jacket, Intermediate”
Mister Freedom® x Buzz Rickson’s 20th Anniversary Jacket
Fall 2013

We were honored to be involved with our friends at BUZZ RICKSON’S celebration of their 20th Anniversary this year.
To commemorate their dedication and passion at making outstanding mil-specs replica garments for two decades as a branch of Toyo Enterprises, Mr. Kameya (Buzz Rickson’s Skipper) give us carte blanche for a special limited edition piece, granting access to the entire BR catalog of trims/fabrics and expert manufacturing. Oh boy…

MF® came up with a simplified scenario to make this jacket ‘plausible’, aiming for solid and timeless, as the pieces that usually inspire us. After research and some hours on the drawing table, the MFxBR “Pensacola Seaplane Jacket” started shaping up:
The “Naval Air Station Pensacola” in Florida (NAS Pensacola) has been the cradle of Naval Aviation since WW1, where all involved personnel got to train (aviators, Navy flyers, Marines, ground crew, Officers, Seabees…). Read its rich history here.

Well, we had our name… now we just needed a jacket.
For the design, we imagined that a special test/prototype jacket had been developed by the Naval Air Factory (NAF), to be worn on Base and for training only. It combined vintage elements of Navy and Air Force issued jackets, and was adopted by crews of specific Joint Operations (involving Seaplanes, flyers and sea crews…)
We came up with a type of early Military flight jacket that could have existed. We blended decades of pre WW2 flight apparel History, freely borrowing from iconic mil-specs jackets and willingly mixing eras. Our inspiration came from:
* late 1920’s type A-1 leather jackets
* Late 1930’s “Jacket, flying, Intermediate, Jungle cloth” (OD jungle cloth/zipper/A-1 style knit collar)
* M-422 leather Jacket that replaced the jungle cloth in 1938 ( later to morph into Type G-1 jackets)…
* Our speculative imagination, vintage archives, NOS trims vault, and the usual added grain of salt.

 

 

 

 

 

Why navy and white? Well we figured these were not unpopular colors in the USN and USAAF, and this being an amphibious Op type garment it made sense. The corduroy lining is a nod to the hand-warmer pockets of early Peacoats, same specs and shade. The single layer waist band wool knit is that of Type M-422 Jackets, cuffs those of A-2 Jackets, but in natural color.

To spice it up we dug out an old stock of military ‘ring’ removable buttons. We were lucky to get our hands on some rare NOS composite white buttons, with an engraved anchor, in their original Gov’t issued packaging.

 

 

 

 

 

Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and expertly crafted in Japan by Buzz Rickson’s of Toyo Enterprises in a one-time limited edition.

In the US and EU, the MFxBR Pensacola Jacket is only available from Mister Freedom®.

SPECS:

PATTERN: An original MFxBR pattern, inspired by vintage American mil-specs flight apparel.
FABRIC:
Body: 14 oz. all cotton “jungle cloth”, originally developed for the US Navy for its sturdiness/softness/strength/protection qualities while at sea under harsh conditions. Famous for its application in the USN Type N-1 deck jackets. Milled in Japan to exact period mil-specs.
Lining: Cotton mid wade corduroy.
DETAILS:
* Slim silhouette, one piece back.
* Mil-specs wool knit cuffs, waist band and collar band.
* Cotton corduroy full lining.
* Navy CPO shirt type anchor buttons collar fastening.
* A-1 type front flap patch pockets, with corduroy lining.
* Metal snap waist band closure.
* Detachable white composite anchor ring buttons for front closure, vintage military New Old Stock.
* Underarm venting metal eyelets.
* Original Mister Freedom® x Buzz Rickson’s double labeling and ‘contract’ tag, a nod to early USAAF ‘modified’ flying gear.
* 100% cotton tonal stitching.

WASH/SIZING:
The ‘Pensacola’ runs true to size. I am usual a medium/38 in MFSC coats and jackets, and wear a size 38 in this jacket.
We recommend professional eco-friendly dry cleaning when needed. Remove the ring buttons before cleaning (they unhook from the metal ring of the button by rotating the fastener from the under side). Store them and don’t lose them!
The jacket is also hand washable, in cold water, if really needed. Hang dry only.
The 100% cotton jungle cloth is sanforized and some minimal shrinkage and ‘torquing’ will occur if washed.

Please refer to sizing chart below for raw/rinsed measurements (‘rinsed’ = soaked in cold water for 30mn, spin dry and hang dry). Original rinsing is optional and for reference only.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available RAW (unwashed)

Sizes 36 (small), 38 (medium), 40 (large), 42 (Xlarge), 44 (XXlarge)
Retail $699.95

Please call 323-653-2014 or Email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. Available from Mister Freedom® HQ in Los Angeles, and from our online store.
Thank you all 😉

(Note: The painted jacket in the photo was just a custom prototype we did for BUZZ RICKSON’S 20th Anniversary party. Production comes WITHOUT any graphics, of course)

 

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