Mister Freedom® Original ‘Stanley’ Shop Tees This is an updated version of the initial MF® Shop Tees blogpost, originally published May 21st, 2017). From stitching appliqués or spray-painting hand-cut stenciled motifs on an assortment of vintage bodies in a small garage in the late 1990’s, to silkscreening our own T-shirts (the USA-made Mister Freedom® Stanley) in the heat of our 7161 Beverly sweatshop, playing with original graphics has always been a fun creative hobby for us. The journey from hand-doodled graphic to final printed garment is not a dull one. We like having things done in a specific way, so we keep the process in-house, running small batches, scheduling frantic printing sessions in between water-sports activities. Save from having the screens burnt in a small Downtown LA specialized workshop, the whole silkscreening operation is handled at the MF® HQ. Please note that we are definitely not a professional silkscreening service, and we are not claiming any expertise on the subject. Having said that, here are a few random behind-the-scene bits of intel on the Mister Freedom® way to do it: The base colors of our shirts (see currently-stocked colors here) are also quite light-sensitive and will fade naturally with repeat sun exposure. The MF® Shop Tees share their specs with the Stanley T-Shirts. Initially released in the summer of 2015, our Stanleys (still available without prints) are made in USA and feature a vintage-style tubular 100% cotton slubby jersey with the MF® original signature flatlock & coverstitch combo construction. Our Skivvy T-Shirt (our heavier gage knit with a Mil-Specs vibe, available in White, Navy Blue, and Sage Green) will remain a solid-only undershirt option. For current availability, check out the Mister Freedom® Stanley Shop Tees section of our webstore, periodically updated with latest graphics, colors, and stock of freshly-printed batches. Painstakingly hand-printing each shirt one at-a-time guarantees the uniqueness of every MF® Stanley Shop Tee. No two printed shirts are 100% identical. Imperfections, inconsistencies and subtle ink smudges are part of our commitment to vintage silkscreening techniques and overall appreciation of wabi-sabi aesthetics. The Stanley Shop Tees are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in the USA. All shirts are silkscreened in-house in Los Angeles, CA., USA, featuring all original MF® artwork. FABRIC: TEES SPECS: SIZING/FIT: CARE: Available rinsed (pre-shrunk) Retail: Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and fine retailers around the World. Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom® “SKIVVY” Shirt, tubular white Tee, made in USA. Introducing the MF® “SKIVVY”, a new addition to “The Sportsman” 2013 Collection. Not long after I watched “Rebel Without a Cause” in the early 80’s did I become partial to wearing plain white cotton Tshirts with a ‘Jim Stark’ fit. Wearing a plain white T was both a neutral statement and a reference to America for me. Little did I know that some 30 years later, i’d be trying to figure out how to make one… A young John F. Kennedy staring out from his balcony in 1954, U.S. Servicemen at ease, dock workers, U.S. Navy old salts on deck, McQueen on the set of “The Sand Pebbles” in 1966 and other Hollywood icons… Men from all walks of life had sported white Tees. Since the 1930’s, long before Tshirts were used to convey messages and promote businesses, plain ‘T’ shaped shirts had become a standard garment for men, slowly replacing Henley type undershirts. They were also more accepted when worn on the outside than the tank top, its side kick, was. The USMC issued undershirts were different in construction from other basic Tshirts. They were half the weight and featured flatlock seams, the inspiration for the MF® “SKIVVY” Tee. See image below of the vintage USMC sage green issue shirt from our archives (Size 1, never worn!) On our quest to produce a ‘simple’ Mister Freedom® white Tee, we were lucky to have access to 100% cotton tubular 18 single (18/1) jersey, loomed from USA grown cotton and manufactured in California. Tubular jersey has no side seams, like on most vintage Tshirts, which requires specific looms for each size, a bit challenging for small productions. Also, we will soon be offering original MF® graphics past and present (see below for some Tshirt graphics we have done in the past 10 years), all printed in-house by hand, with water-based ink that will age and fade with wash & wear. The fun silkscreening process here.
SPECS: SIZING/WASHING: Low-maintenance as a Tshirt should be, just throw in the washer/dryer, cold or hot water, no bleach. The cotton jersey will stretch out with wear and ‘mold’ to your body. Available RAW/Unwashed (will shrink to tagged size) Retail SOLID white (plain) $69.95 Call 323-653-2014 or email sales@misterfreedom.com to get yours. We ship internationally to select Countries. As always, thank you sincerely for your support. |