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
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Must be true, you saw it on the interwebs
The “Workman Shirt”, SC Indigo Wabash
Sportsman catalog, Spring 2016
Made in USA
Here is a new iteration of our ‘heritage workwear’ shirt pattern called “The Workman”. Truly one of our most innovative christening achievement, the “Workman” is already available in several options. Originally released in the Sportsman catalog during Spring 2015 in New Old Stock Indigo Pincheck and NOS HBT Denim, a Fall 2015 version was also issued in NOS 2×1 Denim soon after.
Never late to milk a good cow, Mister Freedom® is introducing a Spring 2016 Choo Choo Charlie Workman shirt special, a Wabash Indigo Stripe version á la J.L. Stifel & Sons.
Now, brace yourselves for an accurate historical background:
Following a recent discovery in an Indiana barn, the travel journals of a dry goods trader by the name of Kiya Babzani confirmed that he had several encounters with Wabash Confederacy tribes during his days hauling wares burro-back across the American Mid-West of the 1800’s. Some of the American Natives he met had taken-up decorating textiles as a good way to entertain relentless waves of invading railroad workers and homesteaders. While bartering his Men Of The Frontier goods, Kiya recalls several tribe members chanting “A few dots a day keep the white man away”, as skilled elders adorned solid indigo cloth with rows of white glass beads imported from Venice, Italy. The white man really took a liking to decorated workwear. The Wabash cloth legend was born, bead work eventually evolving into fabric print patterns, as Choo Choo Charlie grew tired of picking up his beaded uniform off the caboose floor.
By the early 1900’s indigo discharge printing had become the trademark of the fashion-conscious railroad worker, aka the original hipster.
The exact whereabouts of Kiya Babzani are mostly lost to the prairie winds, but legend has it that he kidnaped a young mysterious Princess on a Greek island, and both went on to open a thriving trading post in Mexico…
And that, my friends, is, to the best of my knowledge, the truest facts about Wabash fabric available on the interwebs at the moment.
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Kiya’s Trading Post, Mexico, circa 1890
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Engineer, also circa 1890
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The Stifel boot
The 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 1940’s-50’s classic workwear shirting.
FABRIC:
8 Oz. “Wabash stripe” selvedge 100% cotton indigo x indigo twill, discharge-printed with a dotted stripe pattern on the face. The reverse side of the fabric is mostly solid with no discharge bleed through but features a sparse Sugar Cane Co logo print, lifted from the classic Stifel-style boot logo. Fabric milled and printed in Japan exclusively for Sugar Cane Co.
DETAILS:
* No chin strap, sorry Charlie.
* Black corrozo wood cat-eye buttons.
* Indigo blue cotton popeline button placket facing.
* Traditional double chest matching pocketing.
* Tonal stitching, 100% cotton
* Selvedge side gussets.
* Chainstich construction, “Sportsman” green color on the inside.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
This shirt 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 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.
 
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. We recommend turning indigo blue/denim garments inside out to avoid marbling from the washing cycles.
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, 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
(We thank our friends Kiya and Demitra for their crucial yet involuntary cooperation to the story.)
 Everyone got the memo at the denim bros convention, San Bernardino, Calif., 1955. Save for the Aloha shirt dude.
The “WORKMAN” shirt, 2×1 NOS denim.
Sportsman catalog, Fall 2015.
Made in USA.
Introducing a new option of our ‘Workman” shirt for Fall 2015. This shirt is a no-bell-no-whistle, clean-cut, vintage style uniform/work shirt. The body and general pattern stay the same as the original two models introduced this Spring, in pincheck and HBT stripe denim.
The fabric we opted for this season is a New Old Stock two by one (2×1) 100% cotton blue denim of about 8 Oz. Originally very dark in color, this lightweight denim will over time naturally develop its blues, with normal wash and wear cycles.
We went for olive green color cotton stitching to add to the intended muted character of this shirt. The stitching matches with the olive green popeline side gussets and olive green phytelephas arecaceae endosperm buttons.
The Sportsman “Workman” shirt is designed and manufactured in California by Mister Freedom®, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
NOTE: The beat-up MF® Trooper Boots featured are still unavailable in your size right here.
SPECS:
PATTERN:
Original MFSC pattern, inspired by 1940’s-50’s classic workwear shirting.
FABRIC:
New Old Stock two by one (2×1) 100% cotton blue denim, about 8 Oz., origin USA.
DETAILS:
* Still no chin strap!
* Olive green phytelephas endosperm cat-eye buttons.
* White cotton popeline button placket facing.
* Traditional double chest matching pocketing.
* Olive green stitching, 100% cotton
* Olive Green popeline side gussets.
* Chainstich construction, “Sportsman” green color on the inside.
* Made in USA.
SIZING/FIT:
This shirt 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 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.
 Workman 2×1 Sizing Chart 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
Available from the mighty www.misterfreedom.com, from our attractive Los Angeles brick & mortar store, and from outstanding fine retailers on Planet Earth.
Email sales@misterfreedom.com or call 323-653-2014 with any questions unanswered above, such as “say chief, the what buttons?”
Thank you for your support.
 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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