We now have strong reasons to believe that one of the suspects of the Mister Freedom® 2013 Sportsman shirt line-up was not colorfast.
Beware that should you chose to wear this garment outside after sunrise, the Indigo popeline culprit will start changing color. Literally within an hour.
Exposure to the sun, normal wear and the necessary home laundries will not help its case.
Messieurs, you have been war-ned.
Mister Freedom®. Yet another case clo-sed: For the ‘worn look’, wear the clothes.
The “CAMP” Shirt, printed brushed flannel
“The Sportsman” Collection. Made in USA.
MFSC Fall 2013
Woven plaid flannel shirts have been a staple of many labels comes Fall. A bit more neglected than its woven sister is the printed plaid flannel shirt…
Printed flannel fabrics were popular in the 1940’s-50’s. Fabric printing being less costly than weaving and looming, printed flannel garments made it to store shelves in shapes of outdoor/work/western shirts, robes, pajamas, sleeping bags liners, hunting jackets linings…
Some prints were novelty types graphics but many were a trompe-l’œil that looked like woven patterns: tartans, plaids, herringbone, houndstooth, gingham… A combination of ink and discharge prints made the plain weave flannel fabrics look fancily woven from a distance.
The inspiration for our “Camp” shirt print was a vintage early 1950s flannel men’s robe (made by Montgomery Ward label “Brent’s”). I played with the original red color combo to come up with a ‘plausible’ second color option that didn’t exist in the catalog.
I had thought of making a robe but was soon punched in the face during a board meeting. I then decided to make shirts instead… It’s all about communication around here.
We sourced out some fine cotton flannel (selvedge, since we wanted to use the selvedge on the gussets) and it went through the lengthy process or getting dyed, printed and brushed (for a soft nap touch) in Japan before getting shipped to Los Angeles.
The shirts were then cut/sewn in a clean, ethically run factory, under the California sun.
The “Camp” adds itself to the “Sportsman” shirting catalog, our on-going concept introduced in 2012.
We are using our Sportsman shirt pattern, already available in indigo popeline, stripe ticking and chambray. This Fall, the painted metal snap buttons (by DOT) are a nod to vintage 50’s Wrangler or Ranchcraft western plaid shirts. Please note our ‘Camp” shirt is not a western cut/yoke type shirt.
The “Camp” displays our Sportsman signature green chainstitch on the inside, seen on the ‘very Christmas like’ dangling gusset run-offs.
Those of you familiar with old beat-up vintage 50’s printed flannel shirt know that they age well and look amazing with patina, once the print starts wearing off from slow abrasion, wash and wear and sun exposure. Don’t get too excited, that takes years wear of course. And in the field, not on the sofa.
Just something to think about if you have children. They are today making fun of your clothes but will someday proudly wear them when you have done all the breaking-in 😉
Designed and made in the USA by Mister Freedom® in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN
An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage outdoor/workwear shirting.
FABRIC
100% cotton brushed flannel, dyed and ink/discharge printed in Japan.
Two color options
a)Red plaid
b)Black plaid
DETAILS
* Made in California, USA.
* Relaxed silhouette and fit.
* Original MF® chest inverted box-pleat double pockets.
* Slim chin strap.
* Full button front, metal painted DOT snaps.
* MFSC branded original embossed metal buttons for neck band closure.
* White cotton popeline button facing strip.
* Double front & back expansion pleats on shoulder yoke.
* One piece cuff gusset.
* 100% cotton thread, high stitch count, tonal.
* Flat felled seams, with inside green chainstich MF® “Sportsman” signature.
* Side gussets with selvedge fabric.
* Original “The SPORTSMAN” woven rayon label.
SIZING/WASHING
As most times with our clothes, these shirts come RAW (unwashed) and will shrink to tagged size.
I wear a Medium in all MF® shirts, and wear Medium in the Camp shirt as well.
Although 100% cotton, this flannel fabric has quite a bit of ‘mechanical stretch’ after being rinsed and dried, therefore adjusting itself slightly to the wearer.
For cleaning, we recommend cold water wash on gentle cycle and hang dry.
Please note that the shirts in the chart below were cold rinsed and fully machine dried, for your shrinkage reference only. Again we recommend hang drying them.
Available from our brand spanking new online store
Raw/unwashed
Size Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large
Retail $299.95
Made in USA
For any questions please Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call the store at 323) 653-2014
Thank you for the support.
“RANCHERO Shirt” Mister Freedom® MFSC
‘Viva la Revolución’ Collection, Spring 2013
Here we go with the final chapter of our ‘Viva la Revolución’ venture for this season.
The Ranchero design is inspired (no breaking news here) by vintage shirting, combined with some MF® signature elements. Inspiration was drawn from old movies, vintage photos and classic silhouettes. We mixed a bit of early work shirts, Indian ‘traditional’ tunics (if you are a casualty of Facebook, make up for wasted time looking at vacation photos of people you don’t know by checking this page), Old West shirting, ethnic garb, European fancy shirts, stirred it all up, and dipped it in the MF® salsa…
 
The ‘cut away’ collar pattern was inspired by late 1800’s European homemade farmer blouses & early Mexican and Mestizos tops.
We have developed two very different fabrics for the Ranchero:
a) “Dobby Stripe”: a fine white 100% cotton broadcloth woven with a Dobby loom. This specific fabric was duplicated from a rare vintage piece, the fancy plastron of a 1920’s European Henley shirt (actually the inspiration for the Charro Bib Henley.) It was expertly woven in Japan. The tiny color accents are woven black and navy yarns, and not a print.
b) “Indigo Calico”: a crispy 100% cotton selvedge popeline, indigo dyed to our specific hue, with a discharge AND a ‘madder’ red tiny print, inspired by several vintage swatches from our archives.
On a side note, many seem to have gotten on the ‘Indigo Calico’ bandwagon in the recent years, they can now figure out how to add a color on top. I wrote a bit about the discharge process for a previous shirt we made, the ‘Calico Trade Shirt’. The indigo dyed popeline base for the Ranchero is the same base fabric we used for our indigo Apache ‘Chemise Calico‘ in late 2010.
With an all original MF® pattern and two fabric options, the Ranchero is a pretty versatile shirt that can go dressy or casual, according to what you will match it with.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co under our MFSC collaboration. Limited Edition.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original MFSC pattern inspired by vintage early shirting from the Americas and Europe.
FABRIC: Two options
a) “Dobby Stripe”: Fine white 100% cotton broadcloth woven with a dobby loom.
b) “Indigo Calico”: 100% cotton selvedge popeline, indigo dyed, with a discharge and a ‘madder’ red tiny print.
DETAILS:
* ‘Old West’ type silhouette.
* Full button front.
* Double button collar closure.
* Original MF® box pleat single chest pocket and ‘cut away’ collar.
* Cotton indigo popeline button hole placket facing, white cotton popeline button facing strip.
* Rounded front tail and square back tail.
* High stitch count chain stitch flat felled seam construction.
* Selvedge side gusset (self with indigo version and indigo popeline on Dobby stripe option)
* Sheared wrist cuffs.
* Double front and back shoulder yoke expansion pleats, a MF® signature.
* Painted embossed metal buttons, 1930’s workwear type.
* 100% cotton tonal stitching.
SIZING/WASHING:
This is not a tight fitting shirt, unlike our original Utility chambray from the “Naval Clothing Tailor” days for instance. Wear a medium if you are a medium in mfsc though.
Both fabric come raw/unwashed, and will shrink to tagged size.
We recommend an original cold wash on gentle cycle, minimal eco-friendly detergent and line dry.
Sizing Chart coming soon
Available RAW/unwashed
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
Retail
a) White $399.95
b) Indigo $399.95
Call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. As always, thank you sincerely for your support.
Mister Freedom® MFSC ‘RANCH HAND’ shirt
‘Men of the Frontier’ Collection, Fall 2012
We caught up with our horsemen back at the bivouac, after somewhat of a wild ride… In time to introduce the 7th installment of our Fall 2012 collection: The ‘Ranch Hand’ flannel shirt.
Alert the medias, this shirt is our first plaid flannel shirt ever! Never a dull moment in our MFSC collaboration with Sugar Cane Co, eh 😉
We based the woven plaid pattern/weight on a vintage ‘King Kole’ work shirt from our inspiration sample stash. We then picked each yarn apart and combined our own colors to create two different yarn-dyed plaid fabrics exclusive to MFSC, milled in Japan in a small batch. Should you see the exact same plaid from another company next year, you’ll know where it came from.
Our ‘Ranch Hand’ body pattern and cut are inspired by a range of 1930’s~40’s dress shirts, western shirts and work shirts, not the more common ‘Big Mac’ type flannel shirts. We also opted for painted metal snap buttons, a nod to vintage 1950’s ‘Maverick’, Blue Bell Wrangler® and Penney’s ‘Ranchraft’ plaid flannel shirts.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and crafted in limited edition by Sugar Cane Co in Japan for our collaboration MFSC collection.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An all original MFSC® pattern, inspired by 30’s and 40’s shirting.
FABRICS: Two options, woven in Japan.
a) ‘Turquoise’ woven plaid: 100% cotton 8 oz. Yarn dyed, color combination teal/turquoise/off white/red
b) ‘Sienna’ woven plaid: 100% cotton 8 oz. Yarn dyed, color combination brown/beige/orange/yellow
We do not use chemical washes to make our garment look/feel ‘vintage’, we address that at the pattern design stage.
DETAILS:
* All original MFSC pattern, slimmer silhouette.
* Narrow chin strap collar, with 1920’s NOS french glass buttons.
* Indigo dyed cotton popeline button placket facing and collar facing.
* Original double chest pockets, box pleat type, with indigo popeline reinforcement patch on inside.
* “Dot” white painted metal snap front and cuff closure (the paint will slowly chip off with wear/wash)
* ‘Tear drop’ front tail shape, with overlap, to keep that belly to yourself.
* Selvedge indigo popeline side gussets.
* Curved back shoulder yoke.
* One piece folded cuff placket.
* Original woven MFSC label on tucked-in front tail, stamped with sizing.
* Double needle flat felled seam side construction.
* High count stitching, 100% cotton ivory color thread.
PACKAGING: Sturdy cardboard box with MF® original ‘finer than frog hair’ artwork. Please re-use and recycle.
SHRINKAGE/SIZING: Both fabric options come raw/unwashed.
After shrinkage, both plaids will shrink to the same specs. I am a 38/medium/15½ in MFSC shirting, and I wear a 15½ in the ‘Ranch Hand’ shirt.
We recommend an original cold gentle cycle, and line dry. Subsequent washing should be done with turning the shirt inside out, gentle cycle with eco-friendly mild detergent. Line dry is preferred.
Let the colors fade naturally with normal wash/wear.
Available RAW/unwashed
Sizes
14½ (small)
15½ (medium)
16½ (large)
17½ (xlarge)
18½ (xxlarge)
Retail $379.95
Call 323-653-2014 or mail sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. Thank you again for the continuing support, friends.
Mister Freedom® MFSC ‘Reno Shirt’
‘Men of the Frontier’ Collection, Fall 2012
Trailing right along, let us introduce the 4th installment of our Fall 2012 endeavor: The Reno Shirt.
Taking it’s moniker from the original title of a 1956 movie “The Reno Brothers” (better known as “Love Me Tender” and featuring a young artist bound to alter musical History and Pop culture, like something solid), this garment draws inspiration from early homesteader shirting and Western Cinemascope imagery.
We combined early Frontier garb ‘home made’ feel with fancy imported fabrics and trims one could get his hands on at the local dry goods store. We used a then popular pull-over style, giving it our own treatment and an original MFSC pattern.
One of the inspirational pieces for our Reno was a rare vintage early obscure ‘ethnic’ man’s blouse, roughly made from homespun woven textile. It featured a one piece collar band and pleated front and back, with ‘primitive’ construction.
We used original 1920’s glass buttons, a New Old Stock found in France during a wild goose chase buying trip.
Because easy has yet to do it around here we chose to develop three very different original fabrics for the Reno options. Selected from our textiles archives, all three have a vintage 1900-1930’s European origin and were expertly milled in Japan on narrow shuttle loom machines:
a) BLACK SNOW CALICO: We used the traditional and tedious ‘discharge’ print method for both calico options. Again, the motif is not a ‘print’ per se, but a ‘bleached out’ section. For a glimpse of the technical aspect of that process, read the first 48 pages of this book.
(insert DOW)
Instead of the poplin base we have used for our previous calico printed shirts, we have chosen to use cotton twill this season. This ‘snow’ option has a brushed back, giving it a warm, soft feel. This was a fabric of choice for winter workman shirts in France, as seen on vintage pieces.
b) INDIGO DOT CALICO: Same ‘discharge’ technique on this one, but with un-brushed back. Vintage photography attests that small tiny printed shirting fabrics were not the ‘girly’ thing associated with it later on in post 1950’s Fashion. From hairy lumberjacks, to coaled faced train conductors, to fierce American Indian warriors, to 1800s Texas Rangers, such patterns were quite the Man’s man’s favorite.
c) INDIGO TICKING: A woven indigo/white pin stripe fabric, popular workwear fabric in the late 1800’s France. Very slubby, it has a desirable homespun aspect.
Designed in California by Mister Freedom® and crafted in limited edition by Sugar Cane Co in Japan for our collaboration MFSC collection.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An all original MFSC® pattern, inspired by early American pioneer wear and its Cinemascope renditions.
FABRICS: Three options
a) Black Snow Calico: Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill with brushed back, discharge print.
b) Indigo Dot Calico: Selvedge 100% cotton 6 oz. twill, discharge print.
c) Indigo Ticking: Selvedge 100% cotton 4.5 oz. indigo woven pin stripe.
DETAILS:
* An original MFSC pattern, pull-over style, inspired by early Old West imagery.
* One piece collar.
* Double top buttons.
* Button placket facing with indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Double expansion chest pleats on back and front panels.
* Original vintage French NOS 1920’s glass buttons.
* Longer ‘square’ back tail, contrasting with front curved shorter panel.
* Original side gussets, indigo dyed cotton poplin.
* Original MFSC woven rayon label on bottom of the button placket, early European Henley shirts style.
* Narrow-width side chainstitch and single needle machine construction.
* 100% cotton thread contrast stitching, high count.
PACKAGING: Sturdy cardboard box with MF® original ‘finer than frog hair’ artwork 😉 Please re-use.
SHRINKAGE/SIZING: All three fabric options come raw/unwashed.
After shrinkage, all fabrics will approximately shrink to the same specs. I am a 38/medium/15½ in MFSC shirting, and I wear a 15½ in the Reno Shirt.
We recommend an original cold soak and line dry. Subsequent washing should be done with turning the shirts inside out, gentle cycle and eco-friendly mild detergent. Line dry is preferred.
Some bleeding is expected with the indigo dyed fabric and yarns, due to the nature of indigo dyed textiles.
Available RAW/unwashed
Sizes
14½ (small)
15½ (medium)
16½ (large)
17½ (xlarge)
18½ (xxlarge)
Retail $399.95
Call 323-653-2014 or mail sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours while they last. We ship internationally to select Countries. Thank you again for the continuing support, friends.
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