Mister Freedom® “Veste BELLEVILLE” & “Pantalon CAMARGUAIS”, mocha HBT linen/cotton.
FW2018 “Surplus” mfsc collection.
Made in Japan.

We are adding a French twist to the MF® “Surplus” mfsc catalog this season, in the form of two vintage-inspired design classics lifted from the Old World.

The top piece, a classic pattern we reinterpreted and chose to call Veste Belleville, is a style familiar to most today, as it has made it into international streetwear for years. Many modern fashionable versions exist. It is mostly known as the French work jacket, and often referred to as ‘bleu de travail’ (work blues) in its homeland. Our interpretation features the typical two-piece spliced collar, a staple of these French workwear chore coats.

Our Veste Belleville was introduced during the swinging days of our Gypsy Blues escapade, and issued at the time in a covert woven stripe twill, and in a foxy indigo-dyed HBT linen/cotton blend version. That herringbone twill was inspired by vintage French firemen uniforms of the 1900’s. The few rare antique specimen that have survived today are sought-after treasures for designers and militaria collectors alike, both the indigo and black/dark brown versions.
Below, our friend Jérome Girard, aka “J” or “Le Zouave”, fiercely models a 1900’s French Fireman tunic, an authentic early model with an impressive indigo patina. The ‘Nam boonie hat is a nice touch. Photo stolen from J’s epic IG feed.
What a mug, what a legend! Magnifique!

In its un-dyed, loomstate form, our 80% linen-20% cotton blend HBT fabric comes in a natural un-bleached ivory color. It has been featured loomstate on the MF® Waterfront Coat released in 2016.
This season, we decided to offer the same textile in a rich and warm dark brown “mocha” color. Because of the specific method of fabric-dyeing we opted for, the core of the yarn keeps its original off-white color, a telltale of future attractive patina.

Now the pants. The bottom piece is also a classic European garment pattern we reinterpreted, a traditional 1900’s-1930’s style of French work pants popular with farmers and laborers. We decided to name this pattern “Pantalon Camarguais” because of the twist we put on it.
Pronounced KA-MAR-GAY (the u is silent), the adjective is a reference to a French region called Camargue. For those unfamiliar with this beautiful corner of the world, we mentioned it briefly while introducing the Gilet Gadjo of the 2017 Gypsy Blues collection.

“ … If black and navy blue are typical colors of old-school French workwear, brown and cream moleskin garments were quite popular with the Gardians of Camargue, the gritty Provençal cowboys dreamed-up by the legendary Old-West-obsessed Folco de Baroncelli in the early 1900’s. In the old days, these famed horsemen of the delta of the Rhone, Southern France, typically wore moleskine boot-cut riding pants, with the characteristic contrast piping running down the leg seam. A matching moleskin vest, flamboyant plaid or printed cotton shirt, low-crown western-style hat, and a pair of Camarguaises (local traditional rough-out leather boots) often completed these work outfits.
(For the commun thread between Gardians and our Gypsy Blues story, Camargue’s most iconic commune is Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, a notorious annual pilgrimage destination for Gypsies coming from the four corners of Europe.) “

The Provence cowboy connoisseur will note that our “Camarguais” pattern is a blend of vintage style references, but absolutely not a replica of the typical French Gardians’ riding trousers mentioned above. As admirative and respectful of Costume History as we are, we took some liberties with authenticity on this one. One of our inspirational piece for the project, the vintage super-high-waisted blue moleskine pantalon pictured below, was re-worked into a 21rst Century wearable, sans the charming albeit ill-fitting and costumey vibe of the original. The back rise reaching the shoulder blades is a bit hard to pull-off these days.

The pocketing we opted for, for both jacket and pants, will look familiar to the ol’ MF® OG: it was featured ages ago on our Pantalon Ouvrier. This sturdy indigo stripe ticking fabric was also inspired by antique French textiles.

Voila!
Pair these fine pieces as a set and call it le French leisure suit, or incorporate either for a touch of rugged Old World elegance in your wardrobe, the Veste Belleville and Pantalon Camarguais are now part of the Mister Freedom® SURPLUS collection of international classics, made for the discerning Gentleman of style concerned with ethical manufacturing.

The MF® “Veste BELLEVILLE” & “Pantalon CAMARGUAIS” are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co and the expert Toyo Enterprise team.

SPECS:
FABRIC:
A fancy 15 Oz. blend of 80% linen and 20% cotton Herringbone Twill (HBT), dyed in small batches in a warm mocha brown color, keeping the core of the yarn natural. Selvedge fabric, expertly milled and dyed in Japan.

Lining and pocketing: 8 oz. indigo/white warp and black weft striped twill, fine herringbone weave, white selvedge, un-sanforized (respectfully lifted from a late 1800′s swatch of french workwear textile)

1) MF® Veste BELLEVILLE, mocha HBT.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by classic 1930’s-40’s traditional French work/farmer jackets.
* Utilitarian unmarked ‘donut’ brass metal buttons.
* Three outside patch pockets. Elongated chest pocket fits some iPhone models.
* Concealed chest pocket, featuring the MF® “SURPLUS” woven label.
* Contrast indigo stripe ticking button placket facing.
* Early tailoring off-set shoulder seam pattern.
* Arms mounted with piping method, indigo-dyed tape.
* Flat-felled seam construction, hi-count tonal stitching.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® Veste BELLEVILLE, mocha HBT comes raw/unwashed, and will shrink to tagged size.
Follow the usual recommended initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, occasional hand agitation, spin dry and line dry.
We recommend sizing down on MF® Veste BELLEVILLE in mocha HBT, as we had advised for both the indigo and covert original versions. I usually wear 38 (Medium) in mfsc jackets, but went with a 36 (small) with the Belleville, without arm-hole issues.
Please refer to chart to figure which size works for you. If still confused, email sales@misterfreedom.com

Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large

1) MF® Pantalon CAMARGUAIS, mocha HBT.
DETAILS:
* An original mfsc pattern inspired by vintage French farmer/laborer work pants and 1900’s European trousers.
* Cinch-back with vintage-style steel/copper combo sharp prong buckle.
* “French seam” style outseam, featuring the HBT fabric selvedge ID.
* Early French trousers style back yoke.
* Rear expansion gusset featuring the indigo ticking pocketing fabric ID selvedge.
* Slim beltloops.
* Utilitarian unmarked ‘donut’ brass metal buttons.
* Arcuate stitch design on pocket openings.
* Rear gusset featuring the indigo ticking pocketing fabric ID selvedge.
* Art Deco-style sheet metal suspender buttons.
* Flat-felled seam construction, hi-count tonal stitching.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT:
The MF® Pantalon Camarguais, mocha HBT comes raw/unwashed, and will shrink to tagged size.
Follow the usual recommended initial method before wearing: cold soak for 30mn, occasional hand agitation, spin dry and line dry.
These trousers feature a quite generous cut. I opted to size down to a Waist 30, for a slimmer silhouette.
Please refer to chart to figure which size works for you.

Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
W28 x L36
W30 x L36
W32 x L36
W34 x L36
W36 x L38
W38 x L38

CARE:
Hand wash or machine wash on delicate, cold water, minimal eco-friendly detergent. Turn inside-out to avoid marbling of the fabric. Line dry ONLY.
This fabric will develop attractive patina overtime, according to the owner’s activities, frequency of wear and laundering choices.

Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles HQ, 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®
©2018