Baloo Jacket

Pattern: An original pattern inspired by 1930’s sportswear ‘Cossack’ type unlined leather jackets, 1930’s “Grizzly” type leather jackets, and other vintage sportswear and outdoor garments.

Leather:
* Black vegetable-tanned “Tea-Core” full grain cow hide leather, black topcoat with natural-color flesh side, milled and supple, about 2-3 Oz weight. Exclusively developed for MF®.
* Soft-hand genuine sheepskin panels.

Lining: 100% cotton brushed flannel with a 1940’s-50’s-inspired vibrant plaid pattern, discharge-printed. Fabric milled in Japan.

•  Vintage 1930’s style, inspired by our Cossack-style MF® Campus Jacket and Grizzly-style American sportswear jackets.
• Fully lined with a soft cotton brushed flannel featuring a vintage style discharge-printed plaid pattern.
• Single panel sheepskin back.
• Slash pockets with arrow-head pocket stops.
• Side gussets with adjustable side straps (NOS metal slide buckles)
• Keyhole button holes.
• Corozo ‘Cat Eyes’ wood buttons, backed by genuine bone buttons.
• Mister Freedom® woven “Sportsman” label.
• Made in USA.

NOTE: The Mister Freedom® Black BALOO Jacket is made of genuine leather. We use full-grain, and not top-grain leather (aka corrected or buffed leather, sanded to level surface inconsistencies). No two hides are alike and each panel may feature variations in texture along with natural imperfections.

The Mister Freedom® Baloo Jacket is available ready to wear as-is. Please refer to sizing chart to determine which size works for you.

CL's Advice:

The fit could be quite snug, depending on one’s body type. If planning on layering, with a heavy cable knit wool sweater and a denim jacket for instance, considered sizing up for a comfortable fit.
I am usually a 38 in mfsc jackets and opted for a 38 in the Black BALOO, with enough room for a lightweight layer underneath.

No specific initial conditioning or pre-treatment is required. Just wear and enjoy the slow patina evolution.
According to frequency of wear and exposure to the elements, some conditioning might be applied to the sleeves if the leather feels dry, using products similar to Pecard Antique Leather Care. Be aware that conditioning should be applied with care and expertise.

• Do not use heavily-oily products designed for footwear, such as neatsfoot oil.
• Do not attempt to condition the sheepskin panels…
• Do not dry clean. Even professional leather cleaning facilities might not be competent on how to treat the specific BALOO jacket veg-tan leather/sheepskin/cotton lining combo.
• Should parts of your jacket get accidentally stained from normal wear, consider this a normal stage of the evolution of a garment made for the outdoors.

Embrace the fact that the black “Tea-Core” leather is prone to get nicked and scratched, revealing the natural color under-layer, unavoidably showing signs of wear. Occasional conditioning when needed (according to actual frequency of wear) will contribute to an attractive warm tone natural patina, and a healthy-looking leather.

The Baloo Jacket is our take of the famous vintage “Grizzly” style, a popular garment of 1930’s working America, combining mouton fur and leather in one handsome waist-length fashionable coat.

We spent some time developing this black “tea-core” leather. “Tea-core” leather refers to an old-school tannery dyeing method, distinct from the more common dip-dyed method. “Tea-core” dyeing results in the skin side color being different from the flesh side color. 

The BALOO being fully lined, the “tea-core” is initially only noticeable to the keen eye, on the edges of the side cinch straps, key-hole button holes, and arrow-head pocket stops. As the Black BALOO gets some mileage and naturally ages, normal abrasion of the thin black topcoat from wear will reveal the natural ‘pink’ underside, in turn evolving into a rich golden tone. With patience, regular wear, with the expected nicks, scratches, water spills, natural sun-exposure and occasional conditioning with products such as Pecard Leather Dressing, an attractive patina is likely to develop.

DISCLAIMER: Your BALOO Jacket may feature the authentic ranch “branding iron” (scar) mark typical of livestock raised outdoors. Each hide we select features its own single original ranch branding, more or less visible/well-defined. When both the yield of a hide and the ranch brand position permit it, our factory cutters have been instructed to include the original mark usually on one of the shoulder yoke panels. Not all of our leather jackets feature a branding iron mark, but those that do are much sought-after by our customers for their uniqueness.

The MF® “Black BALOO” Jacket in black veg-tan ’Tea-core” cowhide leather and matching sheepskin panels is designed and made in California by Mister Freedom®.