Mister Freedom by Sugar Cane (TOYO)

[eltopo]

Some wear on the rider dungarees. www.banditphotographer.com

 

[robin]

^ Good to see you on styleforum, welcome aboard!

 

[Fiddy]

Originally Posted by eltopo

Some wear on the rider dungarees.
www.banditphotgrapher.com

Great shot Cory. BTW, the link to your blog is broken...

 

[eltopo]

Hey Guys, Thanks for the compliments. Thanks Fiddy I fixed the link.

 

[garmis]

^^Cory, your blog is amazing--I am totally captivated. Please come down to Austin, Texas and take some shots!

 

[eltopo]

Picked up the Black Mulholland.
www.banditphotographer.com

 

[Fiddy]

^^^ That jacket is awesome.

 

[tiger02]

Yeah, quoting an old post, but it brings up a question--is there much of a difference in build or fabric quality between MF and other Toyo-produced brands? I get that he's bringing his own design to the table and that commands more money, but (the example I've been eying) there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the MF Road Champ boots and the Lone Wolf engineer boots. All leather sole vs NOS cat's paw and maybe slightly better goodyear stitching doesn't seem to add up to a $300 price difference.

Tom

Originally Posted by zissou

At this point, it's not going to be easy at all to find one. You'd be better of going with a Buzz Rickson Deck Jacket, which is very similar but has "US NAVY" on the back. And, it's half the price.

 

[jaydc7]

Any info on that vest eltopo?

 

[garmis]

Originally Posted by tiger02

Yeah, quoting an old post, but it brings up a question--is there much of a difference in build or fabric quality between MF and other Toyo-produced brands? I get that he's bringing his own design to the table and that commands more money, but (the example I've been eying) there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between the MF Road Champ boots and the Lone Wolf engineer boots. All leather sole vs NOS cat's paw and maybe slightly better goodyear stitching doesn't seem to add up to a $300 price difference.

Tom

I don't have an answer to your question, but I would also like to learn more about Mister Freedom and Toyo Enterprises. Toyo's website is, well, a bit difficult to navigate. And by a bit I mean extremely.

 

[zissou]

Well, it's all subjective, tiger02. On the one hand, some things like the boots might be hard to justify, but much of the clothes are, at least for me. I haven't sampled all of the Japanese repro brands out there, but compared to everything else I have seen, TOYO blows them all away. Buzz Rickson's crewneck sweats are unreal, and all of the design and construction that goes into MF is truly next-level for workwear. Plus, the Sugar Cane 50/50 denims have a ton of character. Most other TOYO brands seem to be straight up repro, but MF has many designs that you'll not see anywhere else. You really should see some MF in person before deciding, as seeing and touching it up close is so much different than looking at photos online.

kiya once told me something along the lines of "MF is completely insane and on a different level than almost anything else he sells". If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

 

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by zissou

Well, it's all subjective, tiger02. On the one hand, some things like the boots might be hard to justify, but much of the clothes are, at least for me. I haven't sampled all of the Japanese repro brands out there, but compared to everything else I have seen, TOYO blows them all away. Buzz Rickson's crewneck sweats are unreal, and all of the design and construction that goes into MF is truly next-level for workwear. Plus, the Sugar Cane 50/50 denims have a ton of character. Most other TOYO brands seem to be straight up repro, but MF has many designs that you'll not see anywhere else. You really should see some MF in person before deciding, as seeing and touching it up close is so much different than looking at photos online. kiya once told me something along the lines of "MF is completely insane and on a different level than almost anything else he sells". If that's not an endorsement, I don't what is.
Sure, z, I'm with you--I'm contemplating diving in after all. Unfortunately I'm not in a place where I can do much trying before buying so have to gather as much info as possible. I guess another way to put the question is--for all the Toyo produced MF pieces, are the fabric and construction at another level, as well as the design? That deck jacket is a good example, where the silhouette and materials looks to be the same or similar, from pictures. Again not taking anything away from detailing, just wondering if other things being equal, there's a difference in fabric and construction. Just stumbled over the boot shitstorm on SuFu. Sounds like the boots aren't produced by Toyo anyway so they're a non issue. I'd love to find out who the producer is in LA and score an actual custom pair. $950's not over the top for that. By the way I've appreciated all the time and effort you've put into educating people about the label. One thing I haven't found in following your sizing--what's your chest measurement? Cheers Tom

 

[zissou]

Hey Tom, I have an actual chest measurement of 39" and wear a M in everything, except the chambray utility shirts, in which I wear a L because they shrink a whole size. I am a 38 in the Liberty Issue P coat. I understand about not being able to try stuff on. I had to drive 12 hours to do that

Keep in mind, though, that Self Edge or Mister Freedom would take exchanges if you get the wrong size. I would say yes to the design being on another level as well. I can't say how apparent this is on the deck jacket, especially compared to the Buzz Rickson version, as I have not seen them in person. But, when it comes to things like the CPO shirt, denim utility shirt, 7161 jeans, P coat, Mechanic's shirt, I'd say definitely next level design. Sometimes I look at some of the features and I wonder how the hell they made them. Yeah, there is a lot of boot and Bronco Champ criticism on sufu, but whatever... That sufu thread is a great read from start to finish. Also, not all Mister Freedom is MFSC (i.e., made by Sugar Cane). Examples are boots, bandanas, tube-body thermals, some of the deadstock t shirts(?)...

 

[tiger02]

Hrm, that gives me some pause. I'm built like MrF + 30lbs and it's not all good weight. ~41 chest. I have no problem buying Ls except that I'm yearning for the chambray in white. Will keep my eye on the washed L. Wish I had known about his shop last time I was in LA!

I kinda dig the Bronco Champ. Vintage moto is much more my style than naval so hoping more spring stuff trickles out soon.

 

[zissou]

For some reason, I think Christophe is also a Medium like I am. You would probably need one size larger for your chest, but shirts might be a little long if you are not particularly tall. If you wanted to try something to see what fits, you should do it with something that is either washed or sanforized, of course. Good luck...

By the way, ss10 is up on the MF website... You're in Hungary? I'd recommend Burg & Schild in Germany. They usually have a good stock.