Mister Freedom® “SECOYA” Double-Panel Ventilated Work Shirt, selvedge “NTC” Chambray.
SS2019 mfsc Surplus Collection.
Made in Japan.
For this mouthful of a shirt, the “SECOYA” Double-Back Ventilated Work Shirt in selvedge “NTC” Chambray, we basically combined two classic vintage work shirt patterns lifted-off two specimen of the MF® archives, located at 7161 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA, and open daily from 11:00PM to 06:00PM, unless we’re gone fishing, or getting our nails done next door.
Design-wise, we simply merged one rare and plain 1930’s pull-over chin-strapped no-name work chambray, with the tricked-out “Double-Panel” pattern of a vintage 1940’s STURDY OAK work chambray.
If the workwear division of Sears, Roebuck & Co under the STURDY OAK label produced the famous “Double-Back / Double-Shoulder Yoke / Double-Underarm” pattern, often complimented with “Ventilation Eyelets”, other mail-order catalog companies such as Montgomery Ward & Co, Spiegel or JCPenney also offered a version in the 1940’s -50’s. We have yet to see one in a pull-over pattern, but it probably existed.
For the moniker, secoya is Spanish for sequoia, an obvious woodsy reference to the rugged and manly “STURDY OAK” label. Other innocent candidates thrown about around the office at the time, such as “The Woody”, didn’t pass the MF® Censoring Dept.
So, SECOYA it is, a hard choice.
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1940’s “Sturdy Oak” and 1930’s no-name vintage chambray shirts, inspiration of the Mister Freedom® “SECOYA”. (2019)
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1940’s catalog courtesy of Mr Fukutomi, pattern maker extraordinaire.
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As a design anecdote, the aforementioned vintage STURDY OAK chambray shirt from our archives was initially scored without buttons. We opted to attach a mixed bag of vintage tin-pressed type buttons on it, before sending the shirt to Sugar Cane Co for the next R&D stage. Mr. Fukutomi, Toyo’s one-and-only talented pattern maker, sourced-out replica of these exact same buttons, and managed to re-create the same effect on his first prototype. We decided to keep that ‘random’ miss-matched look for production. On period workwear pieces, with buttons falling-off and garments getting repaired instead of being discarded, finding a combination of contrasting buttons on one single garment is not uncommon.
For the fabric of the ‘SECOYA”, another stroll down Memory Lane brought us to our earliest collaboration with Sugar Cane Co: the 2008 mfsc “Naval Clothing Tailor” collection. We decided to have another fresh batch of “NCT selvedge chambray” milled in Japan, to the exact same specs as our original 2008 “mfsc Nº645 Utility Chambray”, a shirt familiar to the MF® OG’s, back when exposing the selvedge on a garment sounded like a good idea.
For a conspicuous texture and color contrast irresistible touch, the facing of the button plackets/cuffs/chest pockets is cut from another mfsc old salt favorite, a fine indigo-dyed and tightly-woven cotton poplin with promising fading properties.
Due to the double layers, multiple stitched seams, contrasting poplin facing and overall high-count cotton stitching, subtle variation of shrinkage will result in attractive puckering and roping, giving the “SECOYA” a vintage garment look after just a few normal laundry cycles.
The “SECOYA” Double-Panel Ventilated Work Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
Fine and lightweight 3 Oz. indigo yarn chambray with a white/red selvedge ID, milled in Japan.
DETAILS:
* An original mfsc pattern, inspired by vintage 1930’s-1940’s classic American fancy chambray work shirts.
* Pull-over style.
* “Double-Back / Double-Shoulder Yoke / Double-Underarm” pattern.
* Ventilation Eyelets on underarm and back panels.
* Selvedge side gussets.
* Chin-strap.
* Indigo poplin facing of the front button plackets/cuffs/chest pockets.
* Mismatch combination of vintage-style tin-pressed metal painted buttons.
* Double chest pocketing, buttoned pockets.
* High-count 100% cotton tonal stitching, chainstitch construction.
* Original MF® mfsc “Surplus” woven rayon label.
SIZING/FIT:
The “SECOYA” chambray Work Shirt comes 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 “SECOYA” is true-to-size. I opted for a MEDIUM, my usual size in mfsc shirting. The fit is quite trim, well-balanced between enough room to pull the shirt on and off without too much struggle, and a flattering a slim silhouette.
Please refer to chart for approximate raw/soaked measurements. This explains how we size our garments.
Soaked = 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
CARE:
Wash when necessary.
Machine wash with cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
Available RAW/un-washed.
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
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®
©2019
Mister Freedom® NIXON Shirt, printed corduroy.
“Surplus” catalog mfsc FW 2017.
Made in Japan.
This is the fourth addition to our MF® “SURPLUS” Fall 2017 line-up, an on-going concept consisting of timeless classics given a twist à-la MF®, expertly manufactured in Japan by our long-time friends and partners at Toyo Enterprises. The MF® “SURPLUS” collection is the ethically-made-overseas companion of our popular all-made-in-USA “Sportsman” catalog.
For the office anecdote-inclined, we used to refer to this pattern as the ‘Dick Shirt’ during R&D, but eventually settled on ‘Nixon’ for the official release, for obvious reasons.
The pattern of our ‘Nixon’ shirt is largely inspired by an original 1950’s vintage “Roomy Richard” chambray work shirt, a now-defunct American workwear label established in the late 1920’s. The main appeal of that vintage piece was for us the tricky double-layer ‘cigarette’ chest pocket pattern, somewhat reminiscent of the famous Big Yank pocket, familiar to all vintage clothing aficionados. That pocket was designed to keep the worker’s cigarette pack dry.
 Original 1940’s vintage “Roomy Richard” work shirt packaging. If most of us today know better than to donate towards the cause of tobacco companies by purchasing their wares, the practical little pocket can still be used as double storage for, say, both an iPhone and a public transportation ticket/smart card.
Beside this fancy characteristic, our Nixon shirt features a chin-strap, triple stitch construction and side gussets, all classic attributes of old-school vintage work shirts.
The fabric we opted for is a 16 wale all-cotton corduroy, discharge-printed with a traditional plaid pattern typical of 1940’s-1950’s vintage outdoor gear, mimicking the appearance of woven checks. Because of the limited bleed-through printing, the reverse of the fabric displays the solid color of the base fabric, not unlike our Sportsman printed Camp Flannel Shirt from 2013. This printed corduroy was exclusively milled for mfsc in Japan, and is released for Fall 2017 in two color options, red plaid and blue plaid.
The Nixon Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan by Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
FABRIC:
A 16 wale all-cotton corduroy, discharge-printed with a traditional plaid pattern. Milled and printed in Japan.
Two color options, blue and red.
DETAILS:
* A pattern inspired by a 1950’s “Roomy Richard” chambray, and other vintage work shirts.
* Trim silhouette.
* Fancy double-layer left chest pocket, known as “cigarette pocket”.
* Corozo wood buttons.
* Chin strap, featuring vintage-style mfsc-embossed metal buttons.
* Triple stitch construction.
* Side gussets.
* Tonal stitching.
* Mister Freedom® mfsc “Surplus” woven label.
* Made in Japan.
SIZING/FIT:
The Mister Freedom® printed corduroy Nixon Shirt comes raw/unwashed. We recommend an initial cold soak/rinse and line dry. The shirt will shrink to tagged size. This garment is true-to-size. I wear a Medium, my usual size in mfsc shirting. The fit is quite trim, with a tapered waist for a slim silhouette.
Refer to sizing chart for approximate measurements, post cold soak/line dry.
CARE:
Launder when needed. Machine-wash on delicate cycle, cold water, minimal eco-friendly detergent, line dry.
Available raw (un-washed)
Sizes
Small
Medium
Large
X-Large
XX-Large
Retail: $329.95
Available from www.misterfreedom.com, our Los Angeles 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®
©2017
The “Workman Shirt”, New Old Stock ‘gunpowder tea’ HBT cotton.
Sportsman catalog, FALL 2016
Made in USA
The popular Mister Freedom® “Workman” Shirt from our Sportsman catalog gets a new skin this Fall 2016.
Originally released for Spring 2015 in NOS Indigo Pincheck and NOS HBT Denim, a Fall 2015 version was also issued in NOS 2×1 Denim, followed by a Spring 2016 indigo Wabash edition.
The shirt’s classic pattern stays unchanged, a simple, clean cut 40’s-50’s style work shirt.
This season’s Gunpowder Tea HBT fabric is another New Old Stock find we scored, a nice haul of 100% cotton herringbone twill, 8.5 Oz., milled in Italy.
The dark greenish grey color is very similar to an old mfsc favorite introduced when we played Cowboys ’n Indians, during our “Men of the Frontier” days of 2012. Inspired by 1900’s vintage textiles from the Old World, that HBT cotton-linen fabric had been milled in Japan, and was featured on the Faro sack coat, waistcoat and britches. It was also later used on the Sportsman Slacks.
Our Fall 2016 Workman shirt features a color very close to its handsome predecessor. It differs in weight and fiber content, however, much lighter and 100% cotton. The reverse displays a very slubby surface, with somewhat of a ‘brushed’ texture. The yarn appears to be sulfur-dyed, as the core is left natural.
NOTE: We tested a sample Workman Shirt (featured in the photos) with a full wash cycle (cold water + eco detergent), followed by heat drying, and were quite surprised to see the dark greenish color age so quickly. Colorfastness pretty low. After just one wash, and although still 100% solid and strong, the new Workman Shirt had the patina of a garment that had built the Transcontinental Railroad. Instant gratification for some, unfortunate flaw for others…
As a vintage clothing-inspired brand, we’re not exactly into ‘rugged’ faux-vintage artificial patina, but really dig the fading properties of this fabric nonetheless.
Our Sportsman “Workman” shirt is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: Original MFSC pattern, inspired by classic 1940’s-50’s workwear shirting.
FABRIC:
New Old Stock 100% cotton herringbone twill, gunpowder tea color, 8.5 Oz., low colorfastness, milled in Italy.
DETAILS:
* Classic vintage workwear style.
* Contrast amber color corozo wood cat-eye buttons.
* White cotton popeline button placket facing.
* Traditional double chest pocketing, button closure.
* Tonal stitching, 100% cotton
* Side gussets.
* Chainstich construction, “Sportsman” green color on the inside.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
This explains how we size our garments.
The Workman Shirt HBT ‘gunpowder tea’ comes raw/un-rinsed and will shrink to tagged size after a rinse/dry process. We recommend an initial cold soak, spin dry and line dry. The “Workman” shirts are true-to-size with a fairly trim ‘uniform’ silhouette. If you are generally a Medium in mfsc shirts, you are a Medium in the Workman.
Please note that the shirt worn inside as a layer on the fit picture is one of the MF@ RANGER Shirts, in a light-weight and very thin madras check fabric option.
Please refer to sizing chart for measurements.
CHART
CARE:
Launder when hygiene dictates and common sense prevails, like after shoveling coal for 9 hours.
Machine wash. Cold water, gentle cycle, eco-friendly mild detergent and line dry.
DISCLAIMER: This specific HBT fabric is not colorfast and its appearance will ‘age’ and look ‘worn-in’ after the first full cycle machine wash. Delicately hand washing might minimize the fading of the fabric.
Available RAW/unwashed.
SIZES:
14½ (Small)
15½ (Medium)
16½ (Large)
17½ (X-Large)
18½ (XX-Large)
RETAIL $279.95
Soon 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® 2016
 Workman indigo pincheck
 A slightly worn “Workman” next to a one-rinse specimen.
 Workman HBT denim
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Raw indigo Pincheck
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Raw HBT Denim
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The “Workman” shirt, HBT denim and indigo Pincheck
‘Sportsman’ catalog, Spring 2015
A new addition to the Sportsman catalog this Spring 2015 is the “Workman” shirt. As the name we opted for implies, nothing to revolutionize the design world. We muted the bells and whistles on this one, wanting a simple, clean cut 40’s style work shirt, made in USA.
(insert uplifting photos of thrilled workers in enviable FSA fashion here)
 Skyline Farms, Alabama, 1936 (Photo Ben Shahn for the FSA) To inaugurate the new pattern of the “Workman”, we broke out two very different fabrics from our vault. They only have in common the fact that they look alike if you dress in the dark.
Option A is a slubby dark indigo pincheck (“a strong cotton cloth having a vertical and horizontal design of white dots on a blue ground, used in the manufacture of work clothes“) cotton fabric.
Option B is more of a ‘mill mutt’, if you will. It could be summed up as a dark pinstripe herringbone twill 2×1 denim with an initial raw fabric sheen. The HBT pattern is more clearly visible on the inside of the fabric. The pinstripes on the face are very subtle.
Although blackish/grayish-looking when raw, these fabrics will fade to blue, as shown in the photos featuring rinsed or lightly worn shirt specimens.
Both textiles are “vintage New Old Stock”, as we all call close-out fabrics today. It is safe to say that these do not predate the invention of the steam engine. Found un-documented in a Los Angeles warehouse, these rolls are admittedly of unknown origin. That’s unless you allow the swearing-to-God broker to tell you aaaaaall about them… However, after investing in several cases of snake oil over the years, one learns that garment district sales skits are best taken with large spoonfuls of salt.
The novelty about the Mister Freedom® “Workman” shirt is that it comes… brace yourselves… sans chin strap! It does feature vintage classic favorites such as side gussets, chainstitch construction, double-stitch collar, matching pockets (yes, we can!), corozo cat-eye buttons, etc…
Our Sportsman “Workman” shirt is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: Original MFSC pattern, inspired by classic 1940’s workwear shirting.
FABRIC:
A) Indigo Pincheck: 100% cotton pincheck design woven fabric, dark indigo color, about 8 Oz. in weight.
B) HBT stripe denim: 100% cotton herringbone twill denim, subtle vertical stripe design, dark indigo color, about 8 Oz.
DETAILS:
* Special no chin strap edition!
* Black corozo wood cat-eye buttons. These are not plastic.
* White cotton popeline button placket facing.
* Traditional double chest matching pocketing.
* Tonal stitching, 100% cotton
* Olive Green popeline side gussets.
* Chainstich construction, “Sportsman” green color on the inside.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
Both option A and B come raw/un-rinsed and will shrink to approximately the same size after a rinse/dry process.
We recommend an initial cold soak, spin dry and line dry.
The “Workman” shirts are true-to-size with a quite attractive fairly trim ‘uniform’ silhouette. If you are generally a Medium in mfsc shirts, you are a Medium in the Workman.
Please refer to sizing chart for measurements.
 HBT denim
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.
The blue color will pop out over time. Patina will develop according to activities and frequency of wear.
Available RAW/unwashed.
SIZES:
14½ (Small)
15½ (Medium)
16½ (Large)
17½ (X-Large)
18½ (XX-Large)
RETAIL $279.95
Soon available from www.misterfreedom.com
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above.
Thank you for your support
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Perso worn Sportsman shirt indigo, August 2013
“The SPORTSMAN” Collection
Mister Freedom® x Sugar Cane Co
Spring 2013
This fine year, 2013, we are introducing a new concept collection, in parallel with our ongoing MFSC collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
‘The SPORTSMAN’ line will not have a specific story with fictitious characters behind it, and will just be about a Mister Freedom® take on beloved classic items we like to wear around here.
The idea is not to re-invent the wheel nor come up with the banana-bending-machine, but rather to put our twist on time tested garments such as chino pants, work shirts, blue jeans, T-shirts, leather jackets…
Style influences and references for ‘The Sportsman’ line will be drawn from the same mixed bag vault of vintage photos, old silhouettes, California, 1940’s-70’s movies, mental pictures and record covers and vintage clothing that have always inspired us.
‘The Sportsman’ line up will basically be about garments you would have found dusty stacks of in pre-1970’s Army/Navy, Western or surplus stores. Things for dudes, with a non-trend approach.
We will continue to carry these items at the MF® store all year round and restock when possible.
New pieces will be introduced every season and added to ‘The Sportsman’ catalog.
The fabrics we will use will either be New Old Stock (NOS) from USA/Europe or milled in Japan from vintage swatches from our crowded archives.
We will thrive to have it all ethically made in USA, and not mass produced in China or Bangladesh (we’re still holding those grounds.)
Our friends at Sugar Cane Co will have our back and help out with providing outstanding patterns, trim sourcing and fabric milling.
Quality and value will be what you have come to expect from us, style what you have seen us do for a few years. As with the rest of the things we make, we guarantee that each piece of ‘The Sportsman’ will age nicely with proper wear. We have been told that our products retain market value as well, not a bad thing in this disposable goods market…
We know this is not a revolution in the garment industry, don’t alert the media, but we are still very excited!
Thank you always for the support and for allowing us to design and manufacture wearables we like.
And now, to kick off “The Sportsman” for Spring 2013, let’s start by introducing the SPORTSMAN SHIRT.
Simple design, a non-trendy MF® take on traditional work-meets-casual shirting.
You’ll notice some MF® ‘signature’ details for this shirt, such as original pocketing, double expansion pleats, inside green chain-stitch, traditional woven rayon label…
There are three fabric options this season. One is an old stock, and two were exclusively milled in Japan for us.
Designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom® in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
SPECS:
PATTERN: An original MFSC, inspired by our vintage influences.
FABRIC: Three options:
a) Indigo Popeline: Indigo dyed fine 100% cotton popeline, selvedge. Milled and dyed in Japan to our specs.
b) Chambray: Crispy 100% cotton chambray, white ID selvedge. Milled in Japan to our specs (from a 1940’s textile swatch)
c) Hickory: NOS 100% cotton hickory stripe twill. Origin USA.
DETAILS:
* Made in California, USA.
* Relaxed silhouette and fit.
* Original chest inverted box-pleat double pockets.
* Slim chin strap.
* Full button front.
* Original painted embossed metal buttons, combination solid and MFSC branding.
* White cotton popeline button facing strip.
* Double front & back expansion pleats on shoulder yoke.
* One piece cuff gusset.
* 100% cotton thread, high stitch count.
* Flat felled seams, with inside green chainstich signature.
* Side gussets with selvedge fabric.
* Original “The SPORTSMAN” woven rayon label.
* Traditional front tail sizing ink stamp.
SIZING/WASHING:
This shirt should be pretty low maintenance, but we still recommend gentle cold wash and line dry. As always, wash when dirty, not when you want a nice instant fade.
If you are usually a medium in MFSC shirting, wear a medium in the ‘Sportsman Shirt’. The shirt will shrink to tagged size. Refer to chart below for raw/rinsed/line dried measurements:
 Chambray Sportsman  NOS Hickory Sportsman  Indigo Popeline Sportsman Available RAW/unwashed.
SIZES:
14½ (Small)
15½ (Medium)
16½ (Large)
17½ (X-Large)
18½ (XX-Large)
RETAIL
a) Indigo popeline $279.95
b) Chambray $279.95
c) Hickory $259.95
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.
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