Mister Freedom® Continental “JC” Two-Piece Suit (Sportcoat & Trousers)
New Old Stock black-coated crosshatch denim (BCD)
mfsc Sportsman catalog, Fall 2018
Made in USA
Time to get rhythm ‘n get the blues, and kick off our Fall 2018 mfsc collection with this first installment, the dark and handsome “JC” two-piece suit!
All made-in-USA, this original trousers and sportcoat set, latest addition to the Mister Freedom® Continental family, is cut from an old MF® favorite, the final precious yardage of New Old Stock black-coated indigo denim (BCD) from our dusty vault.
Previously featured on the MF® Speedways and its Cowboy Jacket sidekick, this special NOS fabric is not the modern waxy black rubber type coating seen on novelty contemporary jeans, but rather an interesting indigo denim twill printed with a soft-hand opaque coat of matte black water-based ink. If the black ink completely covers the indigo blue warp of the denim, the traditional light-colored grayish weft (with somewhat of a greenish sheen here) shows on the reverse of the fabric. The slub of the yarns is visible on the weft threads, giving this specific denim its crosshatch quality.
If the BCD initially looks flat black due to the pigment coating, it will develop its own patina overtime, blending shades of indigo with black and white, according to activities, frequency of wear and wash cycles. Undertones of indigo will rapidly appear with normal wear abrasion.
Below photos show a worn/washed pair of BCD Speedways next to the “JC” Continental Trousers in un-worn condition, both cut from the exact same fabric.
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Black-coated denim, before and after.
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The “JC” Two-Piece Suit consists of two of our popular classic patterns, the MF® Continental Sportcoat and Continental Trousers.
The unstructured blazer pattern is already available in an array of fine NOS fabrics, an indigo crosshatch twill, two grey cotton-linen twills, a light indigo “Player” denim, and an elegant tropical “Congo Gabardine” cotton-linen twill.
The Trousers have previously been released in brown Cacao Chambray, indigo Crosshatch Denim Twill, and light indigo “Player” Denim.
Available as individual garments for a mix & match look, the black-coated denim “JC” is of course offered as a Sportcoat/Trousers set, for the Man-in-Black inclined.
The mfsc Continental “JC” Two-Piece Suit in Black-Coated Denim (Continental Sportcoat & Trousers) is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in the USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
New Old Stock crosshatch pigment-coated denim, soft-hand matte black finish on indigo warp, 100% cotton, 12 Oz. Probable Kurabo (Japan) origin.
Pocketing & half lining/facing: NOS fancy woven stripe 100% cotton plain weave (ivory white with blue & grey stripes), milled in Europe.
Continental “JC” SPORTCOAT:
* Unstructured silhouette.
* Lightweight and easily folded, perfect traveling companion.
* Sixties-vibe high button front.
* Black corozo wood butons.
* Half shoulder floating lining, 100% cotton NOS fancy woven stripe twill.
* Side hip pockets with flaps.
* Pocket openings reinforced on the inside with facing fabric.
* Tonal 100% cotton stitching, all clean caballo (chainstitch) flat-felled seam construction, green color “Sportsman” signature chainstitch on the inside. No open edges or overlock.
* Made in USA.
Continental “JC” TROUSERS:
* Elegant late 1950′s early 1960’s type silhouette and fit, straight leg.
* Black corozo wood fly and waist buttons.
* Flat-felled side seam caballo all around construction.
* Rear welt pockets.
* Trousers-style belt loops.
* Adjustable back cinch strap, with vintage NOS metal slide buckles.
* 100% cotton NOS fancy woven stripe twill pocket bags, waist band .
* NOS indigo twill fly/cinch facing.
* Watch pocket.
* Tonal stitching, 100% cotton thread construction, with inside green chainstich MF® signature.
* Original “The SPORTSMAN” woven rayon label on rear waistband, concealed when wearing a belt.
* Tailor shop-style unfinished overlocked leg bottom, to suit your cuffing preferences.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT
This explains how we size our garments.
The Continental Sportcoat and trousers come raw/unwashed. We recommend the usual initial 30mn cold soak/occasional hand agitation/spin dry/hang dry process. The tagged size reflects the size of the garment after going through this process. The subtle variation of shrinkage between body fabric/lining fabric/cotton thread will result in puckering and roping, slightly altering the fit and drape.
I personally opted for a Size 38 in the Continental sportcoat and Waist 32 trousers. These are my usual sizes in the Continental series and most mfsc garments.
Trousers sizing: The Continental Trousers are true to size. If you are a measured waist 32 inches, you are most-likely a stamped W32 in the Continental Trouser. Do not size down on these. Please note that the Continental Trousers pattern might not be a good option for all body types. Proportion-wise, those with Ronaldo-style muscular legs will probably look better in our regular Sportsman Chino models.
Trousers hemming: After the initial soak/hang dry process, we recommend settling down on the final length of the bottom hem after gently wearing the trousers around the house a bit. The cotton fabric tends to naturally bunch/wrinkle and pull the leg up slightly. Letting this specific fabric react to your own body for an hour or so will allow you to decide on a proper classic leg break that works for you. I opted for a classic 1 1/4 fold, and subtle period flood.
Style-wise, we do not recommend bulky denim rolls and over-played BRMC cuffing with these classic slacks.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
(Fit pic: Haus is wearing a size 38 jacket and W32 trousers.)
CARE:
Treat your MF® Continental “JC” black-coated denim garments as you would fancy indigo denim wearables. Hand washing can be a good option for those concerned with specific wear patterns and high-contrast colors fades, otherwise machine wash on DELICATE.
Wash separately to avoid color transfer. Turn garment inside-out to minimize unsightly marbling of the fabric. Cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Full wash cycle and heat dryer are not recommended.
Initially black, the MF® Continental “JC” Two-Piece Suit will develop its own attractive patina with normal wear, blending shades of indigo, black, and white, according to activities, frequency of wear and wash cycles. Be patient and just enjoy looking good during the process!
Sportcoat and trousers available separately or as a two-piece suit for substantial saving.
Continental “JC” SPORTCOAT:
Sizes:
Small (36)
Medium (38)
Large (40)
X-Large (42)
XX-Large (44)
Continental “JC” TROUSERS:
Sizes (Leg length about 36’’, left un-cuffed)
W 28
W 30
W 32
W 34
W 36
W 38
Continental “JC” Two-Piece Suit (Sportcoat + Trousers):
Any size combination available, rebate issued at PayPal check out.
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles brick & mortar store, 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
Some vintage inspiration out of the Mister Freedom® archives.
Mister Freedom® “Utes” boonies edition, Experimental Camouflage.
“Saigon Cowboy” Spring 2015 flashback!
Made in japan, chopped in USA.
The current sizzling temperatures in Los Angeles are slowly getting to us, and we’re having some “Saigon Cowboy” flashbacks…
Beaucoup dinky dau, eh?
So we figured we’d give a few pairs of our camo Utility Trousers the boonies treatment, i.e. we chopped-up the legs for a local-made flair. We added a side pocket, made from the extra fabric, to store your wad of piastres or bottle of Bamiba.
Those not allergic to historical tidbits can refer to our original post, for Counter Insurgency Support Office (CISO) and other CIDG-related stories behind the design of these trousers. For more general background on why we chose controversial times such as the Vietnam War era to draw inspiration for our 2015 collection, see here.
There it is.
The “Utes” are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co, part of our SS2015 “Saigon Cowboy” mfsc collection.
FABRIC OPTIONS:
An initially white-based 100% cotton HBT fabric, printed on both sides using a double-side rotary screen technique. Milled and printed in Japan.
Face printed with an original Mister Freedom® “Experimental” camo pattern (inspired by the P1942 frogskin pattern).
Reverse printed with a solid cachou color (a reference to the caramel-like color typical of 1930’s French military canvas gear).
a) HiLand camouflage out (arid terrain, lighter)/cachou in.
b) LoLand camouflage out (jungle, darker)/cachou in.
c) Cachou out (solid)/HiLand camouflage in.
DETAILS:
* Special “Boonie” edition, hemmed bermuda length, with extra single side pocket added.
* Inspired by vintage military utility trousers.
* Slimmer ‘ARVN’-type silhouette.
* Mid-high waisted.
* Front patch pockets locked in side seam, rear patch pockets, horizontal HBT.
* Side cinch tabs, mil-spec slide buckle.
* Flat black-painted Metal “13 Stars” tack waist button.
* Oxidized black donut-type fly buttons.
* Flat felled seams, chainstitch.
* 100% cotton tonal stitching.
* Made in Japan, customized in USA.
SIZING:
All three fabric options will measure the same after an initial cold soak/line dry process. The Boonies edition are cut to fall a bit above the knee, but silhouette will differ according to ones waist/height ratio.
Refer to sizing charts for approximate measurements.
Available Rinsed.
Limited sizes.
RETAIL $229.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com and our Los Angeles HQ.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
Pile of freshly-laundered Mister Freedom® rags…
VEB belt and MF® “Trench-Art” custom vintage 40’s French Army belt.
Assorted Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane Co mfsc pants, 2010-2017.
Made in USA or Japan.
A non-exhaustive retrospective of some mfsc pants we designed through the years, randomly selected from my closet, post laundry.
Normal on/off wear and periodical cold water wash, natural patina, no factory distressing. The bleached-out marks of some of the blue jeans come from sitting bundled-up on the roof for a few weeks, under the California sun.
Check out www.misterfreedom.com for stock availability (click on photo caption links), visit the MF® Los Angeles brick & mortar store, email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions.
Thank you for your support.
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom®
©2017
Mister Freedom ® Sportsman Slacks, HBT cotton-linen.
“The Sportsman” Fall 2015, made in USA.
A bit challenging to take this show back on the road in the wake of the recent events in Paris… Times like these put things in perspective a bit, rendering any kind of fashion-related discussions perfectly incongruous for me. Those feeling unconcerned due to geographical distances or pressing fabric shrinkage concerns might want to fast-forward to the fascinating washing instructions and sizing chart below.
Personally, i’ll pause for a second and throw down a few random thoughts instead of a sales pitch.
Dumbfounded by what happened, I have been trying to wrap my head around that tragedy by clinging on to live debates and analysis on Radio France and other sources, almost non-stop since hearing the news on Friday. If the average French citizen was utterly stunned by the unexpected suicide attacks on their capital city, well-informed criminology experts such as Alain Bauer sounded well aware that a blow from ISIS was not a matter of if but when and where.
Although the DGSI, France’s counter-terrorism agency, has been stealthily working overtime to avoid havoc in the homeland, discreetly thwarting about 90% of the attacks according to some sources, French authorities agree that zero-risk is an illusion in a democracy. Totalitarian regimes have the recourse of chopping-off every single head sticking out in opposition, temporarily guaranteeing an illusion of order. But France has moved on from the Dark Ages a while back, and is more likely to be remembered by distant future generations for its cultural legacy, lessons in art de vivre or contributions to the world of Arts and Letters. The French, having stormed La Bastille (the King’s state prison) in 1789, are not ready for Guantanameaux-Les-Bains, and are too attached to their privacy to comply with modern surveillance. They like their freedom, bequeathed to them by ancestors who fought and died for it. They drink, eat, smoke, complain, talk, vote, drive, swear, fuck, protest, create, sin, mock and basically behave with the apparently unrestrained freedom that only a very old democracy is comfortable seeing its citizens enjoy.
In retaliation for the Charlie Hebdo events in January, and in accordance with an international coalition that includes the United States, the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) was instructed to pay an aerial visit to known terrorists-training camps in Syria. By late September, the first French bombs were dropped. It might not have been evident to French nationals at the time, but a country that bombs another, is officially at war with it. Granted ISIS is not an actual country, but land sprawling through Iraq and Syria claimed by islamist degenerates via a religious scam, a venture mainly funded by revenues from the local multi-million-dollar oil trade. Some of that profitable business is conducted with the local official tyrant, Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, ISIS’s sworn enemy… Get it? Don’t worry about it, it’s far.
In the past 4 years, this insanity has scattered over 4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and beyond. The ranks of fleeing legit migrants have been said to also be infected by terrorist cells at times, delighted to be welcomed with open arms by faraway European nations with a penchant for the Droits De l’homme.
If one can only stare at that soup sandwich with perplexity, being aware of some of its ingredients might be a clue that sending troops won’t change much on the ground. As precisely-targeted as technology allows airstrikes to be, and as legitimate as the emotional urge for revenge triggered by the horror of the provocation may feel, the solution probably resides in geopolitical maneuvers rather than in talion-like military ops. Dropping another twenty bombs on Raqqa, ISIS stronghold with its inevitable city dwellers, sounds like a good plan for turning pissed-off locals into jihadist recruits.
Which brings me to the point that, given the opportunity, educating oneself is not only a must but a civic duty. A bit of reading has never hurt anyone at the voting booth. Foreign policies do have an impact at home. The famous motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, originally followed by “ou la mort” -or death-, inherited from the French Revolution, is still today an inspiration for many around the world.
Acquiring and sharing knowledge appears to be a universally reliable way to not lose the big race against stupidity, constantly exemplified by what humans do to others humans, and the environment.
Philanthropy has never been my strength, and I must confess of my tolerance for ignorance shrinking everyday. As connected miniature personal computers rapidly become the norm in modern societies, granting us access to an endless and invaluable wealth of knowledge, professional expertise, enlighten analysis, modern exegesis and intelligent reflections, I think that one has less of an excuse for being a plank in the 21st Century than, say, during the days of medieval Crusades.
Social media platforms are great knowledge-spreading tools, free and accessible to many, albeit mostly wasted on boring trivialities and cat videos. For those frustrated with the pathetic kitchen sink quality of their newsfeed, words and images, one easy trick does wonders. Harsh but tried and true. Unfollow acquaintances! Replace the flow of numbing brain pollution by meaningful content from various reliable sources of your choice. Historical facts, scientific vulgarization, travel logs, research updates, space exploration, world news, archeological discoveries, philosophical debates, societal discussions… all have the advantage of leaving one better equipped to hopefully make intelligent decisions in life.
You might not get a visual on Bruce’s awesome cappuccino on time anymore, but a bit of awareness about the world out there should help ease the void. Bruce and you will still be friends, but acknowledging no one cares about relentless Youtube recommendations, poorly-lit food photography and other navel-gazing considerations, he might reciprocate and unfollow, thereby saving precious bandwidth and brain cells for worthy material. Everyone wins. Less idiots, less keyboard cowboys anonymously voicing uneducated opinions publicly, less music video comments to sift through to reach a spark of relevance, and, i’m stretching here, maybe less desperate acts of frustration with horrific consequences in the physical world.
On November 13, 2015, a handful of ignorant brain-washed cretins on a fool’s errand cowardly mowed down and blasted un-armed civilians enjoying an evening of live music in a Parisian concert hall, and others peacefully celebrating the good life amongst friends at a terrace… One of the 130 victims might have lived on to discover a cure for cancer, a formula for the water-fueled engine, or written the prettiest music in the world, that people listen to when they’re sad… but I guess we’ll have to wait on that. Thanks, assholes.
I’m no militant, no activist and no altruist either, pay no mind to conspiracy-theory nut jobs, don’t like being lectured, and admit being turned-off when faced with constant preaching, whatever the charity. But eradicating obscurantism is a good cause, and it starts right at home.
There are times when pulling your head out of the sand to gasp for air is urgent.
CL
With that out of the way, the Sportsman Slacks are designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Revisited MF® Vaquero denim jeans style from our !Viva La Revolución! 2013 collection.
An original pattern inspired by early European trousers and work dungarees.
FABRIC:
Same fabric used for the Faro britches, waistcoat and sack coat.
“Gun Powder” black (between field grey and dark laurel green), wide HBT (herringbone twill), selvedge, 20% Cotton/80% Linen blend, 15 Oz. Woven in Japan.
Pocketing and waist Lining: Same fabric used for recently-released Sportsman Appaloosa shirt, New Old Stock HBT denim, 100% cotton herringbone twill denim, subtle vertical stripe design, origin USA.
DETAILS:
* Vintage trousers-type construction.
* “Cowboy” front pocket opening
* Early type ‘donut’ metal waist button, brown corozo wood fly buttons.
* Back welt pockets.
* Side cinch straps, with NOS vintage French metal buckles.
* Selvedge leg side seam.
* Long inseam, overlocked bottom hem, for your cuffing preference (hemmed, double hemmed, rolled…)
* Turn-of-the-century style flared waistband (narrower in back)
* Slim belt loops (trousers style)
* All cotton thread tonal stitching
SIZING/FIT:
The Sportsman Slacks come unwashed/raw. We recommend an original 20-30mn cold soak and line dry.
These fit true-to-size and are tagged to reflect measurements after that initial process (about 2-5% shrinkage to be expected). If you are usually a 32 waist, get a tagged 32. The fit is comfortable yet quite flattering.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
MF® Sportsman Slacks HBT Fall 2015
CARE:
Subsequent cleaning should be done with the trousers flipped inside/out (to avoid marbling), gentle cycle, cold water, with minimal environmentally friendly detergent and line dry. Natural fading of this fabric is to be expected with normal repeat wash/wear cycles.
NOTE: Full washing cycle in hot water and machine dry WILL result in maximum shrinkage and noticeable color loss. NOT recommended.
Available Raw/unwashed
Sizes (W stands for Waist)
W 28
W 29
W 30
W 31
W 32
W 33
W 34
W 36
W 38
Retail $309.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, and our Los Angeles brick & mortar store.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support,
Christophe Loiron
Mister Freedom® 2015
The Garrison Trousers, GB denim twill & Double indigo twill
SAIGON COWBOY Fall 2016
We quite extensively tapped into the world of field camouflage during the Spring chapter of our Saigon Cowboy collection, coming up with a MF® experimental camo, and introducing the Continental and Party Jacket, both featuring the famous Vietnam-era ERDL.
In the concealment biz, small flecks, as early on adopted by the up-to-no-good Wehrmacht in the mid 1930’s, have been regaining in ‘popularity‘ with armies around the world in the recent past. Indeed, small dot-like shapes are again considered more efficient than both large ‘leaf’ pattern (ERDL, Woodland types…) and ‘brushstroke’ pattern (British Denison, French lizard and its Rhodesian and Greek offsprings, American Tiger Stripes types…).
It is obviously not our intention to use camouflage in the Saigon Cowboy collection for its originally-intended purpose of saving/taking lives, but rather as a visual loudspeaker for story-telling. Chance are, jungle warfare concealment outfits on your way to Blue Bottle for a decaf latte will get you noticed.
So we selected an obsolete one. That camo will be featured throughout this season, mostly visible on the inside of the garment. Inevitably, this will result in further camo-related ramblings and inaccuracies from yours truly.
As always, especially if you’re driving, don’t mis-underestimate the soporific side-effect of this blog.
(Above “Caution” sign photo credit Bob Measle, 402nd Transportation Company, 1969. Found on this interesting website.)
The word bariolage roughly translates to ‘mixture of disparate colors’ in French, and is a term at times used when referring to printed camouflage in the military. No other bariolage is more notoriously French than the lézard, save for a “3B” outfit, ie. beret/Bordeaux/baguette combo.
First field-tested around 1951, the new tenue bariolée “léopard” (as lézard is also known because of its early stint in Indochina, and its association with “beo gam” – beo gam means leopard in Vietnamese language-, don’t follow me i’m lost too) was to become the emblematic image and prerogative of French elite troops (paratroopers and légionnaires) heading out to foreign shores.
In Algeria, the skull cap local-made camo covers the French paratroopers proudly wore earned them the affectionate nickname têtes de lézards (lizard heads) from the locals. The name stuck.
For decades, from the plateaux of Indochine to the Algerian djebel, Centurions and ‘Bigeard Boys’ (the TAP units –Troupes Aéroportées- of the legendary General Marcel Bigeard) were to give the lizard camouflage pattern its Lettres de Noblesse or, depending on which side of the fence one stands, its infamous dreadful aura.
History would have it that this highly recognizable lizard camouflage pattern would one day be persona non grata in the homeland, officially banned by military decree in metropolitan France. Outside of fervent nationalist groups or duck-hunting circles, it is still, years after, frowned upon and considered controversial, like anything charged with a troubled past. Wearing a tenue léopard 47/56 jacket (1947 model, modified in 1956) in the streets of Paris today will sure help you make new friends with locals.
In protectorates around the globe, the anticipated defeat of the French colonial outpost of Indochina in 1954 exacerbated nationalist sentiments.
Dien Bien Phu is said to have paved the road for the notorious Algerian War, a civil war opposing independentists and partisans of “Algérie Française” from 1954 to 1962. On one side, a large chunk of the Algerian population longing for its independence from France, eventually supported by most nationals of metropolitan France. On the other, the French government and its Armed Forces still clinging on to its shrunk Empire, supported by generations of Algeria-born French, known as Pieds-Noirs, deeply opposed to losing the beloved land of their forefathers.
Battle of Algiers… Guerilla war in the bush… Secret counter-insurgency ops in the Casbah…
If everyone eventually picked a side, from civilians to officers to conscripts, utter confusion ensued when the French army High Command itself became overtly split on the official decision to ‘let go’ of Algeria. Some French generals went rogue, even planning to storm Paris with units of lizard-clad paratroopers in 1958, during the secret Operation Resurrection. The raid on the City of Lights was aborted but the civil war situation in Algeria dragged for several more years.
Following the Putsch d’Alger of 1961, French president Charles De Gaulle resorted to address the confused population, pleading for help, in his characteristic tremolo voice, during a famous live announcement, ending his speech with “Françaises, Français, aidez-moi!!”
De Gaulle survived an assassination attempt fomented by French army fanatics in 1962, and Algeria eventually gained its referendum-voted independence on July 3, 1962.
Those events in Algeria are still very much an open wound for the many involved, the Algerian population, military personnel, Harkis, Pieds-Noirs, FLN or OAS sympathizers…
Some will never get over it. As I wasn’t there, I have the right to have an opinion, but not to judge.
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Distant family relatives, Constantine, Algérie.
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1er Spahis, Algerie, 30’s(?) My Granpa wears the white kepi.
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Arabic lexicon for colonial troops (1956)
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Mum, Algeria, 1930’s
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My Uncle, 14e RCP, Djebel Grouz, Algeria, 1957
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The way young lovers do… The Loirons, Kabylie, 1960’s
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Pieds-Noirs migrants…
Now, not speaking of which, a few words about our “Garrison Trousers”.
The general construction of the matching bottom of our recently-released “Garrison Shirt” was inspired by your average moth target, a pair of wool WW1 US Army uniform trousers from our archives. The pattern is reminiscent of an early military chino-type construction, made without the use of a caballo machine (no chainstiched flat-felled seams), concocted by someone enjoying intricate tailoring and challenging needle work. The fabric selvedge is used on the outer seam, but in a specific un-split fold technique.
For those into manufacturing anecdotes, the choice of thread color for the first proto (which happened to be in GB denim twill) was left up to the factory, who used whatever was on hand on the machine spools at the time. A combination of three colors of 100% cotton thread were used, quite randomly. Reviewing that first fit-sample and loving the apparent randomness of the stitching, we decided to keep the thread colors as-is for production.
Both fabric options for the Garrison Trousers are the same as the Garrison Shirt:
A) “Double indigo twill”: An indigo warp and indigo weft 100% cotton denim twill, 12.4 Oz., white selvedge ID. Milled in Japan.
B) “GB denim twill”: An olive green warp and natural weft 100% cotton twill, 10 Oz., orange color selvedge ID. Inspired by the fabric of 1940’s-50’s British military utility overalls and blouses. Milled in Japan.
Lining fabric: We are introducing our own version of ‘bariolage lézard‘ with these Fall 2015 trousers. No chance of getting jumped in Barbès sporting them, as the camo will only be visible from the inside. Some 10 years ago, I remember walking around neighborhoods in Paris where the US flag stitched on the sleeve of my customized wool peacoat raised a few aggravated eyebrows…
Please note that, peeping at the crotch area, the combination of HBT tape running down the split seams, and the camo cotton HBT fancy pocketing/lining, all make for quite an attractive spectacle, and a tempting IG photo opportunity.
Out of the many cataloged by militaria experts, the lizard pattern/color combination we used this season was lifted from a 1974 vintage French military field jacket from the MF® archives. The base material is an all-cotton HBT (herringbone twill) fabric, dyed a specific lime green and then screenprinted with the notorious brushstroke pattern, in two colors, forest green and chocolate brown. The overlapping sections of the green and brown screens result in areas rendering a third color, almost black. Textiles experts from Toyo Enterprises’ Buzz Rickson’s Fabric R&D handled that endeavor, so we know it was done right.
On a side note, credit for many of the vintage Indochine-related literature this season go to connaisseur and friend Jérome “J” Girard, of Le Zouave fame.
The Garrison Trousers are designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
FABRIC OPTIONS:
A) “Double indigo twill”: An indigo warp and indigo weft 100% cotton denim twill, 12.4 Oz., white selvedge ID. Milled in Japan.
B) “GB denim twill”: An olive green warp and natural weft 100% cotton twill, 10 Oz., orange color selvedge ID. Inspired by the fabric of 1940’s-50’s British military utility overalls and blouses. Milled in Japan.
Lining: 100% cotton HBT ‘lizard’ camouflage fabric, milled and printed in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Pattern inspired by a vintage pair of WW1 US Army uniform wool trousers, revisited.
* Intricate seat construction, HBT tape on split seams.
* French ‘Lizard’ camo waistband lining, pocket bags and crotch gussets.
* Vintage French military type sizing stamped patch on waistband.
* Front angled slash pockets.
* Back welt pockets.
* Trousers-type watch pocket and narrow belt loops.
* Flat black-painted Metal “13 Stars” tack waist button.
* Oxidized black donut-type fly buttons.
* Subtle contrast stitching, three colors of 100% cotton thread.
* Made in Japan
SIZING/FIT
Both fabric options come raw/unwashed and will shrink to approximately the same tagged size after an original cold rinse and line dry process.
The Garrison Trousers feature a fit top block with a comfortable straight leg silhouette. Due to the ‘vanity size’ of the waist (a tagged 32 will actually fit a measured 33” waist), it will be possible to size down for those on the slim/skinny side, or in between sizes. If you are a 31, you might fit a tagged 30 pair of Garrison Trousers. Those into a contemporary slim silhouette, with a body that allows it, might want to opt for sizing down.
Those into a comfortable and roomier silhouette, for an occasional French Cancan pas-de-deux, can consider the Garrison Trousers as true-to-size.
Please refer to sizing chart for measurements reflecting a 30mn cold soak no agitation/line dry. (Please note that we hot soaked/line dry a sample pair of GB twill denim and did not notice much difference in shrinkage from the cold rinse/line dry.)
Garrison GB Denim
Garrison Indigo
CARE:
Launder when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails.
Machine wash. Cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry. We recommend turning indigo blue/denim garments inside out to avoid marbling when washing.
Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear.
WARNING: The double indigo twill will naturally bleed, and color transfer to light color garments or furniture is to be expected. Indigo transfer will wash-off overtime.
Available RAW/unwashed
SIZES:
Waist 28
Waist 30
Waist 32
Waist 34
Waist 36
Waist 38
RETAIL
A) Double Indigo Twill: $349.95
B) GB denim Twill: $329.95
Soon available from www.misterfreedom.com, fine retailers around the World, and our outstanding Los Angeles brick & mortar store.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for reading and for your support
And, for denimheads and the selvedge connoisseur, the ultimate evolution picture:
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