LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, model A: 7.7 Oz. indigo linen-cotton HBT.
LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, model B: 10 Oz. “Snow” denim.
Mister Freedom® LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, indigo linen-cotton HBT & 10 Oz. “Snow” denim edition.
mfsc SS2020 “WATERFRONT SURPLUS”, SURPLUS catalog.
Made in Japan.
We took a stroll down memory lane and rigged-up a small capsule collection for Spring 2020, with references harking back to our earliest Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane Co fictional scenario, the 2006 “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor”. This concise “Waterfront Surplus” nautical grouping is inspired by 1930’s US Navy and French Marine Nationale utility uniforms, local-made and custom-tailored dungarees, with the usual liberties we like to take with History. This straight-forward and classic set is made of the DOCKYARD Jacket, LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, and SWABBIES Dungarees.
Following the recent release of the DOCKYARD Jacket in indigo linen-cotton HBT and “snow” denim, here is Volume Two, the LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, available in the same two fabric options.
The overall design of this pull-over “jumper” shirt is lifted from a rare 1940s vintage naval denim work shirt produced by the “Gus Kroesen Uniform” label. Established in 1907, and with branches in Seattle, San Francisco and Honolulu, the Gus Kroesen stores have supplied generations of men of the sea with outstanding custom uniforms.
According to a 1924 article of the San Pedro News Pilot, “Gus Kroesen, naval and civilian tailor and haberdasher, with a very attractive and well-stocked store at 335 Front street, San Pedro, served for fourteen years as a ship’s tailor in the U.S. Navy.” (quote credit California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside.)
Today, surviving vintage specimen of Gus Kroesen naval dungarees are quite rare and sought-after by collectors.
The Mister Freedom® LONGSHOREMAN Shirt features most of the design specifics of the vintage original, the jumper style pattern (aka pop-over), half zipper front closure placket, and three utilitarian patch pockets.
One of the striking details of the Gus Kroesen shirt was the unusual use of the fabric grain in construction. Classic shirt bodies tend to be cut using straight grain (displaying the warp threads vertically), but our vintage jumper featured vertical cross grain. I have seen a few of these private-purchase naval dungaree jumpers from various makers, and this is typical of that style. The purpose was to maximize yield and minimize fabric waste, using the selvedge in the bottom hem, cuff hems, and pocket fold. As a side effect, the combination of grain directions will result in interesting seam puckering, peculiar garment drape, and potential attractive “striped” patina over time.
If our indigo HBT fabric is non-selvedge, both LONGSHOREMAN options are cut using the same grain cutting method, promising some interesting fading evolution in both fabrics.
To add a little twist à la MF®, we decided to add a classic period detail in the form of a narrow chin strap, and a practical concealed chest pocket.
The LONGSHOREMAN Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Model A: 7.7 Oz. dark indigo-dyed Herringbone Twill (HBT) fabric, blend of 60% linen and 40% cotton. Milled in Japan.
Model B: 10 Oz. dark indigo blue 2×1 denim, “snowy” neppy texture, white with yellow line selvedge ID. Milled in Japan.
DETAILS:
* Inspired by 1930s-40s custom-made private purchase naval dungarees and shipyard crews work clothing.
* Pull-over style “jumper” pattern.
* Half zipper closure placket, 30s/40s-style bell-shaped pull “silver” Talon zipper, 100% cotton tape. (use caution when fastening, as these vintage-style zippers are more delicate than modern versions with polyester tape. Lubricate the metal teeth with natural beeswax occasionally.)
* Fabric cut using vertical cross grain for body and sleeves, displaying the warp horizontally.
* Selvedge displayed in bottom hem, cuff hems, and pocket fold (denim version only.)
* Three front utilitarian patch pockets.
* Concealed chest pocket, stripe ticking fabric.
* Clean chainstitch construction, no open seams.
* Mister Freedom® mfsc woven rayon “SURPLUS” label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The following applies to both fabric options. The MF® LONGSHOREMAN Shirt comes raw/unwashed and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry.
We recommend this usual protocol before wearing:
- Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
- Spin dry and line dry.
- Hang until fully dry.
Due to the 100% cotton stitching and specific grain cutting method, attractive puckering will show at the seams after the soak, giving the garment more of a vintage feel. The denim version will be stiffer after the initial soak due to the re-activated starch, but the stiffness is temporary and will subside rapidly with wear.
I opted for a comfortable 38 (MEDIUM) in both fabric options, both with a similar fit but different drape. The silhouette is quite slim yet comfortable enough not to make pulling the shirt on/off an excruciating task. According to body types, the cut will accommodate layering with a skivvy or classic Nixon chambray.
We recommend going with your usual mfsc shirt size.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements.
Soaked = 30-40mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie. minimal shrinkage).
CHART
Available RAW/unwashed.
CARE:
Launder when needed. For both options, we recommend turning the LONGSHOREMAN Shirt inside out, fully zipped-up, to avoid marbling of the fabric.
Machine wash on gentle cycle, cold water, minimum eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear.
Available Raw/unwashed ONLY.
Sizes
34 X-small (indigo HBT only)
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles red brick 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®
©2020
DOCKYARD Jacket, model A: 7.7 Oz. indigo linen-cotton HBT.
DOCKYARD Jacket, model B: 10 Oz. “Snow” denim.
Mister Freedom® DOCKYARD Jacket, indigo linen-cotton HBT & 10 Oz. “Snow” denim edition.
mfsc SS2020 “WATERFRONT SURPLUS”, SURPLUS catalog.
Made in Japan.
We took a stroll down memory lane and rigged-up a small capsule collection for Spring 2020, with references harking back to our earliest Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane Co fictional scenario, the 2006 “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor”. This concise “Waterfront Surplus” nautical grouping is inspired by 1930’s US Navy and French Marine Nationale utility uniforms, local-made and custom-tailored dungarees, with the usual liberties we like to take with History. This straight-forward and classic set is made of the DOCKYARD Jacket, LONGSHOREMAN Shirt, and SWABBIES Dungarees.
First to hit port is the DOCKYARD Jacket.
What could look like yet-another spin on a 1940’s regulation USN denim shawl collar seaman jacket, a profusely-replicated pattern in Heritage Fashion, is actually inspired by a rare French 1930s “Chantier naval” (shipyard) jacket. Our good friend and vintage collector/hunter Jérome Le Zouave, aka le “J”, gets all the credit for unearthing a batch of these gems last year, in a wild goose chase only he knows the secret of. One of these babies made its way to Sunny California and is now part of MF® archives.
As an unusual piece of militaria, the model’s history is not 100% clear to me, but these jackets were apparently a 1930s civilian contract to outfit French Navy shipyard workers. A well-worn lot of survivors ended-up as Government surplus in a French warehouse, and several specimen resurfaced last year. Jérome mentioned he could tell me more… but he’d have to kill me right after.
If the vintage model was stunning, the fit was as expected quite awful, so the pattern underwent a full rebuild. Our version is not a verbatim replica, but does keep the original’s main features and overall nautical vibe, with its shawl collar, two hip patch pockets, and specific cuffs. We spiced things up a bit by adding a removable chinstrap to the collar, and two inside chest pockets. We kept the rear panel two inconspicuous cinching darts, initially intended to be unsewn by the wearer for extra width if needed, in a typical display of utilitarian clothing design where function, practicality, and longevity prevail. It could be pointed-out that this is why the H&M label is hardly notorious its workwear.
We are releasing our DOCKYARD Jacket in two distinct fabrics, both a departure from the original garment, as that would have been too easy. The first option is a dark indigo-dyed HBT fabric, a fancy blend of 60% linen and 40% cotton. The second, a dark and handsome 2×1 selvedge denim with a “snowy” neppy texture, an old mfsc favorite previously featured on our 2015 Tonkinoise. One of the photo above features a worn Tonkinoise rubbing elbows with a raw DOCKYARD, and showing some denim evolution. With proper wear and care, one can anticipate an attractive indigo patina with both versions.
For the front closure of the indigo HBT model, we opted for genuine bone buttons, all with subtle color and surface variations. The denim version features black painted 1940s-style donut wreath buttons. The denim fabric selvedge is displayed on the button placket facing and cuff facing.
Stay tuned for the soon-to-be-released remaining pieces of the “Waterfront Surplus” set!
The DOCKYARD Jacket is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Model A: 7.7 Oz. dark indigo-dyed Herringbone Twill (HBT) fabric, blend of 60% linen and 40% cotton. Milled in Japan.
Model B: 10 Oz. dark indigo blue 2×1 denim, “snowy” neppy texture, white with yellow line selvedge ID. Milled in Japan.
DETAILS:
* An original mfsc pattern inspired by a rare 1930s French Navy/civilian shipyard utility jacket.
* Shawl collar with removable chinstrap.
* Two hip patch pockets.
* Genuine bone buttons (HBT model), or black donut wreath buttons (denim model)
* Selvedge button placket facing and cuff facing (denim model only)
* Adjustable cuffs.
* Two concealed chest pockets, stripe ticking fabric.
* Back panel cinching darts.
* Chainstitch construction, no open seams.
* Mister Freedom® mfsc woven rayon “SURPLUS” label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The following applies to both fabric options. The MF® DOCKYARD Jacket comes raw/unwashed and is cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry.
We recommend this usual protocol before wearing:
- Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.
- Spin dry and line dry.
- Hang until fully dry.
Due to the 100% cotton stitching, some attractive puckering will show at the seams after the soak, giving the jacket more of a vintage feel. The denim version will be stiffer after the initial soak due to the re-activated starch but the stiffness is temporary and will subside rapidly with wear.
I opted for a comfortable 38 (MEDIUM) in both fabric options, both with a similar fit but different drape.
Please refer to sizing chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements.
Soaked = 30-40mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry (ie. minimal shrinkage).
CHART
Available RAW/unwashed.
CARE:
Launder when needed. For both options, we recommend turning the DOCKYARD Jacket inside out to avoid marbling of the fabric.
Machine wash on gentle cycle, cold water, minimum eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear.
Available Raw/unwashed ONLY.
Sizes
34 X-small (indigo HBT only)
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles red brick 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®
©2020
 It was about 95°F in San Pedro that day… The Waterfront Coat, HBT cotton Linen, Troy Blanket lining.
Fall 2016 mfsc Anniversary Collection
Made in Japan
The final drop in the ocean of goodies issued for Fall 2016 will be the Waterfront Coat.
Not yet a wrap for our mfsc Ten Year Anniversary adventures, merely the last page of its nautical chapter. After two deck jackets, a couple of naval chinos, a blue shirt, and a souvenir jacket, all we needed was …one peacoat!
Anchors aweigh!
The familiar silhouette of the Waterfront Coat is another homage to the early pattern of the classic USN P-Jacket, a.k.a. peacoat.
Sometime in Spring 2008, we released a denim version of that iconic manly garment, part of the “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor” concept, our first full-fledge collection in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co. If a 10-button peacoat made from selvedge denim didn’t necessarily sound like a good idea back then either, it kinda caught on. Some of our jackets even made it to unlikely retail doors, finding their way to Sir Paul Smith’s store shelves in swinging London, or on J.Crew’s catalog, eventually ending-up on sale partly because, you know, raw denim in 2008 was not exactly the most convincing selling point in menswear…
In case you missed it and enjoy a bit of Costume History at times, a previous blog post, concocted while introducing the MF® indigo twill Caban Peacoat, quickly taps into the history of peacoats, a garment adopted by Navies around the World for over a Century.
For Fall 2016, our design approach was to ‘demilitarize’ the famed War Department-issued blue jacket, twisting a USN regulation uniform into a civvy garment, morphing the peacoat into a mackinaw coat.
The shell fabric we chose is an old mfsc favorite, a blend of linen and cotton woven in a heavily-textured herringbone twill pattern, milled for us in Japan. Inspired by the fabric of late 1800’s/early 1900’s Sapeurs Pompiers (french firemen) work uniforms (bourgerons), we originally issued a handsome ‘gunpowder black’ version of it, as featured on the Faro sack coat, waistcoat, and britches of our 2012 Men of the Frontier Collection.
Recognizing at the time how attractive this HBT fabric looked in its un-dyed, un-bleached state, our design department kept it on the back burner, as a contender for a future project. So here it is, at last, in all its natural beauty!
For the lining, we went with an American vintage classic. Canteen blankets have been a bit overplayed in ‘Heritage Fashion’ in recent years, cut and sewn into all kinds of improbable garments and accessories, so we opted to keep it fully concealed on the inside.
Troy Blankets come in several colorways, our 2010 “N-1H Tr0y” featured one of them, and we chose a stripe pattern of warm tones that was new to us this time, the flecked brown-dominant version.
Replacing the classic foul anchor black buttons with natural brown corrozo wood buttons contributed to the ‘maritime to workwear’ make-over.
If the resulting jacket looks quite different from previous MF® iterations of the classic USN peacoat, it still fits our eclectic vintage aesthetics, this time Corto Maltese meets Terry Malloy and his docker comrades.
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Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt (1981) Courtesy of Cong SA
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Terry Malloy and the waterfont crew (1954) Courtesy of Getty Images
Photo credits:
* Corto Maltese watercolor courtesy of Cong SA. Official website here.
* On set of “On The Waterfront” (1954), courtesy of Getty Images.
The “Waterfront Coat” is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
An original MFSC pattern, freely inspired by early 1910’s -1930’s USN and US Coast Guard sailor wool peacoats, and 1930’s-40’s vintage mackinaw-type outdoor coats.
FABRIC:
Shell: A fancy 80% linen and 20% cotton blend fabric, HBT pattern, selvedge, milled in Japan.
Lining: Soft-hand “Troy Blanket” wool blend fabric, 60% re-used wool, 28% cotton, 12% rayon). Brown dominant stripe. Woven in Japan.
NOTE: The combination and specifics of these two fabrics make the Waterfront Coat quite unfit for foul weather and extreme cold temperatures, but quite appropriate for moderately chilly days, and in-between seasons under temperate climates.
DETAILS:
* Early USN peacoat pattern.
* Canteen-type “Troy Blanket” wool blend stripe lining, brown dominant.
* 10-button front closure.
* Brown corrozo wood buttons.
* Four outside pockets, two ‘hand warmer’ slash pockets and two flap closure pockets. All lined with golden brown cotton-wool blend corduroy.
* Inside chest pocket and traditional ‘cigarette’ pocket.
* Leather arrowhead reinforcement on pocket edges.
* Fabric selvedge conspicuously displayed inside pockets and on back vent.
* Removable chin strap (displaying either fabric if left dangling, or concealed if buttoned under the collar.)
* Traditional Zig-Zag pattern under-collar reinforcement stitching.
* Double labeling, original MF® and mfsc woven labels.
* 100% cotton stitching, tonal.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The Waterfront Coat comes raw/unwashed/loomstate.
Although this garment can be worn as-is (raw), for a clean, pressed look, the pattern was adjusted to match a specific silhouette after an initial cold soak/hang dry process. Aside from fabric shrinkage, the HBT linen-cotton material takes on a ‘new life’ after this process. Linen fibers expand, the high-count stitching causes ‘roping’ and subtle twisting, the lining pulls the seams up a bit… and the garment looks about 50 years older, without the use of obnoxious chemical ‘vintage washes’ dear to our industry.
We suggest soaking the garment in cold water for about 3omn, occasional hand agitation, spin dry and hang dry. Please note that unless you live in the Atacama Desert, the Waterfront Coat might take about three days to fully dry. We do not recommend using a heat dryer. We do not recommend boiling this garment either, as the leather trims and lining will probably get ruined.
Please refer to the sizing chart to see if this garment’s proportions work for you. We suggest sizing down on the Waterfront Coat. I usually wear a Medium (38) in mfsc jackets, but opted for a Small (36). After the initial soak/hang dry procedure, I still had enough room to layer a mid-weight shirt and a close-fitting Cowboy denim jacket.
Do take in consideration that the Troy Blanket lining adds a bit of ‘puffiness’ compared to a thin cotton twill lining.
CARE:
After the initial cold soak, we recommend taking the Waterfront Coat to your local eco-friendly dry cleaner for cleaning. Do not use a home washing machine to launder, as the coat is quite heavy and stiff when wet. Spot cleaning can be performed by using a damp cloth and common sense.
Available raw/unwashed.
Sizes
36 Small
38 Medium
40 Large
42 X-Large
44 XX-Large
Retail $799.95
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®
©2016
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