The ROUGHRIDER Blouse, the latest Mike Foxtrot denim jacket.
Proper compañero of the Mister Freedom® Roughrider, the MF® Californian Lot.64 OG, NOS Organic Cone Mills denim twill (2018), for a touch of Canadian elegance.
Mister Freedom® ROUGHRIDER Blouse, NOS Organic 15.5 Oz.Cone Mills selvedge indigo denim twill. Fall 2018 mfsc Sportsman catalog. Made in USA.
This year, we decided to welcome a new player in the happy family of MF® denim jackets. We’re calling it the ROUGHRIDER, because we’re loco like that.
This all-original MF® jacket pattern should have chronologically been introduced after our Ranch Blouse model (considered a “type I” trucker jacket, initially released in 2011) and before the Cowboy Jacket (considered a “type III”, initially released in 2015). The ROUGHRIDER is indeed a modified version of our classic Ranch Blouse, and the harbinger of the Cowboy Jacket, but we’ve been known to time-travel a bit, through our eclectic capsule collections. Novelty-wise, don’t alert HypeBeast just yet, as the MF® Design Dept. got lazy as a dodo on this one. We basically grabbed the old school Ranch Blouse pattern, slapped on an extra pocket flap, borrowed the collar shape from Uncle Sam, and threw in a left-over lining for good measure.
For this first iteration of the ROUGHRIDER however, the jacket gets a royal treat: the final precious yardage of New Old Stock Cone 15.5 Oz organic denim twill, a remarquable textile achievement courtesy of the now-defunct Cone Denim White Oak plant in Greensboro, N.C. We have previously featured this rare and amazing denim on a version of the MF® Californian Blue Jeans, the Lot.64 OG released in the Spring of 2018, for those interested in adding a touch of perfectly-matching and eye-soothing Canadian elegance to their wardrobe.
For more background on this very special denim, here is a quote from our friend Chip at Cone Denim, who reached-out early this year to give us some insightful technical intel. Chip knows a thing or two about this organic indigo denim, as he personally helped develop it at the time: “We (Cone Denim) partnered with Stony Creek Colors in Tennessee who are working with Tobacco farmers to change their crops into indigo plant. This is how the fabric gets to be such a vibrant blue, and is completely unique from any other dye we have ever run in the past. It truly is one of the greatest, and most sustainable, selvedges we put out: Texas organic cotton, America indigo plant dye, all woven here in the US.”
All this might sound like re-hashed fashions for the fiercest keyboard cowboy, but the result is kinda… f’in stellar, if we can say so ourselves. With its beautiful hue of indigo, rare denim, traditional yet original pattern, that ROUGHRIDER number is a darn good-looking jacket, versatile, ethically made, and guaranteed to beautify with wear.
The Mister Freedom® ROUGHRIDER Blouse is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS: FABRIC: New Old Stock Cone Mills (Greensboro, N.C., USA) 15.5 Oz. indigo twill denim, Organic cotton, solid white selvedge ID. Lining: Soft-hand 100% cotton brushed flannel with a 1940’s-50’s-inspired vibrant plaid pattern, discharge-printed. Fabric milled in Japan.
DETAILS: * An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage denim “trucker” type jackets, and previously-released Mister Freedom® versions. * Modified collar pattern, early American work blouse style. * ‘Vintage’ boxy but fit silhouette. * Pleated front with original MF® arrowhead dart stitching. * Original MF® “M” stitching on chest pockets. * Selvedge front panel fold. * Contrast printed flannel pocket flap facing. * Contrast 10 Oz. “Okinawa 301” collar facing. * Metal cast MF® branded buttons, ‘oxidized’ brass. * Buckle back, adjustable, riveted. * Copper rivet reinforced, unmarked. * Combination yellow/orange 100% cotton stitching. * Original mfsc debossed veg-tan leather patch. * Made in USA.
SIZING FIT: The MF® ROUGHRIDER comes UN-WASHED and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. We recommend the usual protocol cold soak/spin dry/line dry/wear briefly when still damp to set creases/line dry until fully dry. The pattern of the ROUGHRIDER has been adjusted to take into account the extra layer of the lining. I wear my Ranch Blouse size in the ROUGHRIDER, a comfortable 38 (cold-soaked/hung dry), as opposed to a slim 36 in the Cowboy Jacket pattern. Fit photo shows a cardboard-like Roughrider Blouse size 38, fresh-out of the cold soak/line dry process. Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie. minimal shrinkage).
DENIM CARE: Wash your ROUGHRIDER Blouse when necessary. We recommend turning the garment inside out to avoid marbling on the indigo denim warp side. Hand washing can be a good option for those concerned with specific wear patterns and high-contrast color fades. Otherwise, machine wash inside out with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. Subtle patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear. For a natural patina and attractive color contrasts, refrain from over-washing your denim garment.
Just enjoy the journey and the satisfaction of wearing an ethically-made garment. Your Mister Freedom® denim jacket will age gracefully, and to your own beat.
Available Raw/unwashed ONLY. Sizes 34 X-small 36 Small 38 Medium 40 Large 42 X-Large 44 XX-Large
“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth or shapes it into a garment will starve in the process.” Benjamin Harrison, President of the U.S., 1889-1893
Bloudini at work
MF® Cowboy blue denim Jacket, NOS Cone, made in USA Sportsman Fall 2015
Those familiar with some of my private after-hour rants will confirm that I’m not too big on consumerism (“the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy“), mass marketing, and wasting resources in general. I find the “Think/Own less/Pay more” motto quite convincing, and personally live in relative detachment from un-necessary material possessions, however subjective the concept of must-haves is. I do own more vintage records than I need.
If my disdain for the accumulation of ‘things’ is not necessarily evident to the visitor of the ol’ pile o’ rags at 7161 Beverly, these feelings hopefully transpire once in a while via my blog posts. Much to the consternation of the Mister Freedom® sales department, I’d rather confess to existential concerns in awkward write-ups than concoct the perfect sales pitch.
A moment of “relative detachment from un-necessary material possessions”…
The perfect sales pitch
I got da goods, wha ya need there, Nitz?
Whether shopping for groceries or auto parts, the amount of tantalizing junk and gadgets one sees sitting on store shelves and inside push carts never ceases to baffle me. Some of my fine Angeleno counterparts cruising while staring at their phone screen might not have fully noticed yet, but there is stuff eeeeeeeverywhere. Stuff, stuff, stuff… All that ‘stuff’ is getting to me, ‘Falling Down’ style, with Boris Vian rapping “La Complainte du Progrès” on the turntable.
So now, it never fails. With each Mister Freedom® garment release, a side of me sincerely feels guilty bringing yet another manufactured widget on the market. Besides the paycheck that helps relieve the angst, it has become quite challenging for me to intellectually balance a strong anti-consumerism inclination with a professional occupation that basically consists in relentlessly adding clothes to closets.
There’s not much to discuss in regards to the particular style of our accoutrement du jour. The Mister Freedom® blue denim Cowboy Jacket is another MF® twist on a classic, this time a ‘type III’ trucker jacket, a pattern briefly addressed with the release of its wheat recent predecessor.
MF® Cowboy Jacket in wheat denim
On the other hand, for those proclaiming a passion for denim like it’s the best thing since pizza, there’s always plenty to chew on regarding what manufacturing a pair of jeans involves. For instance, setting aside COO-related labor issues for a minute, our beloved blue jeans are not exactly Natures’s best friend when it comes to H2O… As compelling evidences of climate change keep pilling up, one doesn’t need to live in the Atacama Desert to realize the urgency to conserve and preserve water. This summer, complying California residents even had to refrain from hosing down the old SUV…
From the extensive industrial farming of the cotton crop, to the amount of water necessary for dye-houses to keep our rear ends wrapped in indigo, the tally appears to be around 2,900 gallons per pair. Add a few extra hundreds thanks to the combined efforts of an International band of geniuses who figured consumers would buy more jeans if only rigid denim was soft and distressed, and you can get that environmental footprint in super size. To complete the marketing ploy, the resulting stone-washed denim beauties tend to, surprise surprise, magically fall apart within a year, blown crotch and knees, and get dumped in landfills with no chance of being recycled. A vacuum for more demand has been created. All is well.
If MF®, as a small clothing brand, admits involvement in some stages of this not-so eco-friendly chain of events, just imagine what the garment-churning fashion giant conglomerates might have to confess…
Knowledge is out there, if you take the time to do a bit of research. Being aware of what goes on in your own closet, not just style-wise, can be depressing but is never a bad idea.
That is why I’m always grateful for documentaries and stories coming out of intelligent investigating journalism. If one can’t expect much from fashion publications, more preoccupied by not jeopardizing the flow of sponsors and advertisers than actually educating its audience, traditional news or entertainment media, on the other hand, do have scoops on the Garment Industry at times.
Randomly, Arte has some fine documentaries. Vice did an interesting bit a while back. The Guardian relaying this photo essay actually shed more light on Fashion than the latest issue of your favorite fashion magazine…
I recently came across an insightful Newsweek article, after watching a short French TV documentary mentioning the city of Tirupur, India. If you happen to wear clothes on a daily basis, that article is a must-read. Tirupur is better known as Knit City, playing a major role in feeding the avid consumer of fast-fashion with endless yardages of unbeatably-priced knitwear.
If someone you know owns a color T-shirt featuring a “Made in India” label, it was probably milled and dyed in Knit City, the reason why Wal-Mart could retail it for $10.00. The compulsive apparel bargain-hunter will find relief in learning that local farmers of that southern India region, as a motivation, have been enjoying the perks of purple-colored toxic rivers and invigorating water-borne diseases for decades.
Sorry ’bout that.
At this point, the aggravated consumer, claiming a limited budget, usually comes out with a quip along the lines of “But who the **** can afford a $70.00 T-shirt!?!”, to whom you can politely suggest that owning TWO instead of TWELVE might help.
Bottom line, most of you probably don’t need more clothes, let alone another denim jacket. And besides our commitment to supply fun projects to the small family-owned factory locally producing the Mister Freedom® Sportsman catalog, and a desire to keep our jobs in Los Angeles, we don’t even have much valid reasons for issuing one either.
So I thought I’d spare you the usual brand skit about how “awesome, superior, essential, authentic, second to none, blahh…” the Mister Freedom® blue denim Cowboy Jackets are, and leave you with the usual ‘vintage inspiration’ imagery instead.
Richard Widmark in Lee® (1958) Courtesy Getty Images.
EP in Levi’s® type III “Stay Away Joe” (1968) MGM
Brando in Lee® 101, Dick Cavett Show (1973)
Paul Zastupnevich’s costume design for Steve McQueen in “The Towering Inferno” (1974)
Bob in Lee®, (1976)
Life’s rough. Johnson Outboards ad (1975) “Skin Diver”
Above vintage photos are shown for educational purposes only. To the best of our knowledge, credits are as follows:
* Richard Widmark’s photo in “The Law and Jake Wade” (1958) and M. Brando on the Dick Cavett Show (1973) courtesy of Getty Images.
* McQueen’s wardrobe sketch by Paul Zastupnevich for “The Towering Inferno” (1974) courtesy of this website via that one.
* Robert Redford in 1976 courtesy of Rex Features.
Having said that, the MF® Cowboy Jacket is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Inspired by traditional trucker-type denim jackets, aka third-type jackets.
FABRIC:
Limited New Old Stock Cone Mills indigo blue denim, 12.5 Oz., white/red line selvedge ID, sanforized. Milled in the USA.
DETAILS:
* Fairly trim silhouette, sixties vibe.
* Fabric selvedge displayed on inside front panels.
* Original MF® slanted flap chest pockets.
* Original brass cast MF® branded buttons.
* MF® yellow “M” stitching on pockets.
* Orange and yellow stitch combination.
* Blue 2×1 denim pocket flap lining.
* All cotton thread chainstitch construction.
* Buttoned cinch-waist side tabs.
* Copper rivet backed by leather washers for pockets and sleeve placket reinforcements.
* Debossed leather MF® original patch.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
The blue denim Cowboy Jacket comes UN-WASHED and cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. This specific denim shrinks quite significantly.
We recommend our usual method for raw blue denim garments:
* 30-40mn cold soak with intermittent hand agitation, in minimally-filled washing machine or bath tub.
* Spin dry cycle (if using a machine).
* Hang dry.
* As an optional step, wear the garment briefly when still not fully dry, in order to slightly shape it to your body and set creases. Hang and let fully dry.
When following this routine, the denim garment will dry quite stiff, due to the re-activated fabric starch contained in the cotton yarns. This is normal and will subside with normal wear.
I went for the Medium (38) in the blue denim Cowboy Jacket, my usual size in msfc garments, although I had opted to size down to a 36 with the wheat version.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
CARE: Wash when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails.
We recommend turning the jacket inside out to avoid marbling on the indigo side.
Hand washing can be a good option for those concerned with specific wear patterns and high-contrast colors fades. Otherwise, machine wash inside out with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Please note that the debossed graphic on the leather patch will naturally ‘flatten out’ when soaked in water.
Available RAW/unwashed
SIZES:
X-Small (34)
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
“I could use a jacket right now…” James Coburn (1968)
MF® Cowboy Jacket, NOS wheat denim, made in USA Sportsman Fall 2015
Introducing another finer than frog hair treat for the International Man of Action à laDerek Flint, a sensational bucking number, runway winner, the playboy’s choice and bruiser’s favorite, the much-anticipated Mister Freedom® Cowboy Jacket!
Kick it in wheat!
Relentlessly keeping our fingers on the pulse of the World of Fashion, you know us, we are quite ecstatic about adding a new denim jacket pattern to our Sportsman catalog this Fall. The Ranch Blouse now has a pardner.
With Labor Day long gone in the rear view mirror, we are doubling the euphoria by releasing a WHEAT denim version of this Cowboy Jacket, cut from a limited yardage of New Old Stock natural-colored selvedge denim.
A prevalent concern since 1894, sporting white garments in public between the first Monday of September and the last Monday of May has been deemed a style faux pas by the enlighten chosen few of the Fashion Taliban elite. This sounded like yet another mission for Mister Freedom®, so we teamed-up with an assembly of brain surjins surgeons to cook up a piece of accoutrement so adorable it is bound to muzzle that obsolete style diktat for at least an entire week.
Hear ye, hear ye, hello MF® wheat Cowboy Jacket, goodbye First World closet dilemmas.
Pushing the envelop even further, for a desirable Boogaloo Tuxedo effect, a nod to our talented and stylish friend CW Stoneking, may we recommend pairing your wheat Cowboy Jacket with a matching pair of wheat Californian Lot.74? May we? Mais oui, Johnny!
For the unconvinced, detailed tutorial on how to publicly embarrass your family is available here.
Papy’s gon’ boogaloo
Style-wise, our denim Cowboy Jacket is no stop-the-press type revolution, as it freely borrows from the familiar trucker-type denim jacket family of its legendary predecessors. Our specific pattern combines influences of several vintage iconic models, without doing a full literal cut/paste out of respect for the original long-established brands. The slanted yoke and chest pockets are a take on our Appaloosa Shirt, in turn influenced by 1950’s Sears & Roebuck denim ranchwear. The pocket flaps are adapted from our ‘classic’ denim Ranch Blouse. The cinch back strap was removed and replaced by buttoned cinch-waist tabs. The silhouette was trimmed for a more 60’s vibe.
“Suvenirs, suvenirs” with Johnny Hallyday (Los Angeles 1994)
The MF® Cowboy Jacket is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Inspired by traditional trucker-type denim jackets, aka third-type jackets.
FABRIC: Limited New Old Stock Cone Mills natural colored denim, 12.5 Oz., white/red line selvedge ID, sanforized. Milled in the USA.
DETAILS: * Fairly trim silhouette, sixties vibe. * Fabric selvedge displayed on inside front panels. * Original MF® slanted flap chest pockets. * Original brass cast MF® branded buttons. * MF® yellow “M” stitching on pockets. * Orange and yellow stitch combination. * Blue 2×1 denim pocket flap lining. * All cotton thread chainstitch construction. * Buttoned cinch-waist tabs.
* Copper rivet backed by leather washers for pockets and sleeve placket reinforcements. * Debossed leather MF® original patch. * Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT The wheat denim Cowboy Jacket comes UN-WASHED and cut so that the measurements match the labeling AFTER an initial cold soak/line dry. This specific denim is sanforized, and very minimal shrinkage is to be expected. I opted to size down from the Medium (38) I usually wear in msfc garments, and went for a Small (36) after deliberating a bit. The soaked/dry 36 fits tight and barely closes but i preferred it over the more roomy 38. What works is subjective and will depend on what silhouette one is comfortable and familiar with, as much as with the wearer’s body type.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
Cowboy Jacket fit 38
36 and 38 fits
Cowboy Jacket wheat sizing
CARE:
Wash when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails. Machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. Please note that the debossed graphic on the leather patch will naturally ‘flatten out’ when soaked in water. As devastating as it is, this is normal.
DISCLAIMER: Some color transfer from the the leather patch and pocket flap blue denim lining to the wheat denim might occur after laundry. This will recede with subsequent washing cycles, as light-colored garments require frequent cleaning. DO NOT use hot water as this will increase chances of color transfer.
Available RAW/unwashed SIZES:
X-Small (34)
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
“See, Tom, the problem is that you’re making us look bad”
“Well, first you need more hair”
“Then you work it like a pro”
“But that’s enough about me”
“Look, it’s easy”
The “RANCH BLOUSE” Lot.64 Sportsman Edition
MFSC FW 2013
We’ve had requests… but we made another denim jacket anyways.
Following our original ‘Ranch Blouse‘ made from some twenty-two different NOS selvedge denim types, here is the ‘Sportsman Edition’ of that fine jacket.
To make everyone’s life easier we have settled on ONE denim twill, the same we used for our Californian Lot.64 blue jeans, a sturdy 13.75 Oz. right hand twill selvedge denim, milled in Japan, known to some as the SC 1966.
When originally deciding to crowd the denim world with yet another jacket sometime in 2010, we combined vintage influences ranging from the three majors LLW to some more obscure now-defunct work wear off-brands. Again, no wheel got reinvented, we just added some MF® flava to a well established classic, tweaking things to our liking.
Early 2010 Ranch Blouse prototype
Our denim Sportsman ‘Ranch Blouse’ has a 1930’s ~ 1940’s flare with the traditional bell and whistle ie. the pleated front and the buckle back.
The denim ol’ timers will know but, for the new comers, the front pleats were originally not a fashion statement. In early types of work cotton twill jackets (canvas or denim), front expansion pleats meant more room to the wearer. The stitching was just there to keep the pleats in place, and removed or pulled if needed.
My own Ranch Blouse has seen the table of the sewing machine several times over the past two years, following the vicissitudes of its aging owner’s belly.
The 1920’s influenced round collar of our denim jacket was never a staple in ‘trucker’ type jackets to my knowledge, although I have since then seen several contemporary denim companies implementing that detail on their jackets. Some famous brand even used both round collar shape and our arrow head darts pleat stitching. As always, we’re flattered…
For this Sportsman Edition, we have added some concealed goodness in the form of NOS indigo ‘Wabash’ type fabric, for both the collar and pocket flap facing. Only you will know, but that’s the idea.
The 100% cotton stitching consists of a color combination of yellow and orange thread, in what appears to be a random manner but is actually a confusing and long list of instructions for the Los Angeles factory.
The two front pockets are lower than usual chest pockets, allowing the wearer to use both shirt and jacket pockets without creating too much bulk.
Branding comes in the form of a yellow “M” stitched on the front pockets, which is probably what McDonald’s would do if they made a denim jacket. May we never know.
Also, for ze Ladies, we made a few size 34 😉
As a patina example I have added my original 2011 Ranch Blouse in some photos. It still has plenty miles to go, as NO chemicals or nasty sanding was involved in the fading process.
For those on a mission to the ultimate fade, I believe it is less about the denim itself than what you do with it and the way it fits you. I have seen some great fades on contemporary non-selvedge jeans, made from non-premium denim and originally sold unwashed. Motion, not ocean.
Having awesome whiskers and tracks reaches obsession status sometimes, however, the process of wearing a well and ethically made garment that fits fine should be plenty satisfying, fade or no fade.
Designed and made in California by Mister Freedom® in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co, part of our “The Sportsman” catalog.
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: NOS 100% cotton indigo ‘wabash’ type twill.
DETAILS:
* Early round-type collar, A-1 style.
* ‘Vintage’ boxy but fit silhouette.
* Original MF® chest pocketing with “M” stitching. There was just no room for the “F”.
* Selvedge front panel fold.
* Wabash type twill lining for collar and pocket flap.
* Metal cast MF® branded buttons, ‘oxidized’.
* Buckle back, concealed selvedge strap, adjustable, riveted.
* Copper rivet reinforced, unmarked, leather washer.
* Original mfsc printed cloth label. You’ll notice we don’t even have our full brand name on that label… Oops.
* Made in USA
SIZING/WASHING:
We recommend an original 30mn cold soak, spin dry and hang dry. 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.
The Sportsman “Ranch Blouse” comes UN-WASHED and “oversized” (aka 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.)
Available Raw (unwashed) ONLY
Sizes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44
Retail $369.95
Please email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered in the above ramblings. Available for purchase on www.misterfreedom.com
Mister Freedom® MFSC “Saco LOCOMOTORA”, made in USA.
‘Viva la Revolución’ Collection, Spring 2013
Hinting at an instrumental tool of the Mexican Revolution here is our SACO LOCOMOTORA, aka El Loco as we call it around here.
The railroad system in Mexico played a major part in the unfolding of the Revolution. Many folk songs (Máchina 501 for instance, or many other tunes played by la Banda Tlayacapan who accompanied General Zapata during the war) celebrate the key role of that modern mean of transportation. Trains allowed the speedy transport of troops to the front lines, turned hospitals on wheels with families tagging along, or were used as plain torpedoes loaded with explosives.
In 1911, Emiliano ‘El incorruptible’ Zapata met with Francisco Madero, freshly cheated of the National election by Porfirio Diaz, to discuss strategy for the fight to regain power.
The meeting place? Colonia railroad station, aboard Zapata’s famous steam locomotive No. 279, his headquarter since 1909. That historical steam Engine has survived and a restored version can still be seen if you take a trip down Cuautla way, State of Morelos, southern Mexico.
For our first ‘iron horse’ related garment, we designed a type of denim railroad jacket ‘from scratch’, keeping a ‘local artisan made’ feel to it. We combined elements of twill work-wear jackets, both from the Old and New World, resulting in a cross-breed between a European work coat and a classic American denim Railroad jacket.
We kept a shorter silhouette for El Loco, somewhat typical of period Charro suit jackets.
The deep side wrap copper-riveted pockets were designed to hold wrenches, rags, log books and various mechanic’s tools. They will also hold a wallet or an iPhone, should these prove more useful to you during the day 😉
The split back panel pattern displays the denim selvedge on the inside, which will result in ‘tracks’ (bada bing), naturally showing after repeat wear and sofa staining.
As with our Vaquero Blue Jeans, we are using an original indigo dyed left hand twill denim developed by Sugar Cane Co in Japan, referred to as “Okinawa 301“. It blends cotton yarn with recycled sugar cane fibers (50/50) in a strong, slubby, hairy, coarse denim twill, guaranteed to age beautifully.
The green accents of the button holes/eyelets are reminiscent of older American work-wear details, green also being a color not foreign to the Mexican National Flag.
We opted for corozo wood detachable buttons (aka ring buttons), a typical feature of early work and military coats, that allowed washing the garment without its hardware.
The collar shape and angle is a nod to turn of the Century patterns.
Using flat felled seams and single machine construction we had el Loco made in Los Angeles, California, as a collaboration with partner in crime Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original MFSC pattern. Designed by Mister Freedom® and combining elements of early work coats from Europe and USA. FABRIC: Raw 14 Oz. indigo dyed selvedge denim, left hand twill. 50% cotton blended with 50% recycled sugar cane fibers. White selvedge with green ID line. Milled in Japan. Note: For detail orientated folks, the collar facing is made of NOS 12 Oz. selvedge Cone denim, same fabric as the Californian Lot.54 DETAILS: * Shorter silhouette.
* Six high button front style, allowing easy access to higher waist style trousers pockets. Detail also typical of horseback riding coats, allowing the jacket to ‘break’ at the proper place when fully buttoned.
* Single piece front panels, no shoulder yoke.
* Adjustable side cinch straps, with vintage NOS metal buckles.
* Corozo wood detachable ‘ring’ buttons.
* Green color button holes and eyelets.
* Deep wrap pockets, double compartment.
* Concealed left chest pocket, made of NOS stripe cotton twill.
* Selvedge used in split back, button front panel/pockets/cuffs facing.
* Single needle and chain stitch flat felled seams, with 100% cotton tonal thread stitching.
* Designed and Made in the USA.
PACKAGING: An original MF® denim bag, made in our studio, to sling around for your next trip to the local organic Farmer’s market.
SIZING/SHRINKAGE:
The “Okinawa 301” denim is RAW and unsanforized. Overall shrinkage from rinsing/washing should be about 5% to 8%, according to water temperature. This fiber denim will shrink with an original cold soak and line dry. It will expand a bit again with wear, then shrink again with subsequent rinsing. This normal evolution should settle after a while. El Loco will shrink to TAGGED size.
We recommend an original cold soak (about 30mn, no agitation), spin cycle and line dry. This will get you minimal shrinkage and retain ~100% of the indigo color. Some bleeding is expected with normal wear (from blue hands to blue armpits. Indigo bleeding will wash off.)
As always, boiling is not recommended (too much color loss), just get your size.
Remember that you will not get beautiful patina from extensive unneeded washing, but rather from repeat wear.
I usual wear a 38 (Medium) in all mfsc jackets, and I wear a 38 in this denim coat.
Note: The photos above are from a slightly worn jacket, showing very minimal wear after an original cold soak. Production is UNWORN and raw.
Please refer to sizing chart below for approximate raw/cold soak measurements:
Call or mail sales@misterfreedom.com at 323-653-2014 to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. Thank you for the support, Señoras y Caballeros.
