The Mister Freedom® CONTENDER blends three all-American old-timers: the classic cotton fleeced practice jersey sweatshirt (see our MEDALIST rendition), the hooded sweatshirt, and full zip-front sweatshirt.

For our CONTENDER, we opted for the early “attached hood” type pattern, as it was referred-to in the late 1930s – early 40s. Instead of the classic pull-over hooded sweatshirt pattern, we opted for a zip-front closure.

We worked on the design of the split muff pockets of our CONTENDER for some time, and settled on a curved shape with flat-lock stitch construction, elegantly blending-in the waistband.

The body of the CONTENDER is cut from a yarn-dyed heather grey all-cotton 12 Oz. tubular fleeced jersey knit, and the sturdy construction guaranteed by old-school four-needle flat lock stitching.

SPECS

FABRIC:
Body: Heavy weight 12 Oz. 100% cotton tubular fleeced jersey knit, yarn-dyed Heather Grey, soft brushed pile back for warmth and absorbency. Milled in Japan.
Hood shell/muff pockets: Contrasting blue/grey 100% cotton fleeced jersey knit.
Hood lining: 100% cotton heather grey knit jersey.

DETAILS:
* An original mfsc pattern inspired by vintage 1940s-50s classic American crewneck & hooded sweatshirts and period athletic wear.
* Tubular body (no side seams).
* 1930s fashion “attached hood” pattern, draw string cinch.
* Full-zip front opening, with 1950s-style “Universal” cotton-tape metal zipper.
* “Drop shoulder” pattern.
* Fancy all-cotton 1×5 needle-out ribbing waistband, cuffs, and neckband.
* Original curved split muff pocket design.
* Vintage-style extra-long waistband and cuffs.
* Four-needle flat lock stitching construction.
* Original mfsc “PODIUM” rayon woven label.
* Made in Japan

SIZING/FIT

The MF® CONTENDER Attached-Hood Zip-Front Sweatshirt comes raw (un-rinsed) and we recommend this protocol before wearing, so that the garment shrinks to tagged size:

* Full machine wash, fully un-zipped, cold water, delicate cycle, no detergent necessary.
* Use a tumble dryer on low heat until fully-dry.

Depending on your own personal style, preference of silhouette, body type, and whether you’re going old-school vintage or contemporary streetwear, the size that will work for you is subjective.

CL's Advice: I opted for a size SMALL in the CONTENDER, for a shorter “period” look, matching one’s natural waist rather than covering the back pockets of jeans. Just a personal preference for the vintage vibe. I am 5’7 / 145 lbs.

CARE

Low maintenance garment. Launder when needed, always fully un-zipped.
Machine wash, normal cycle, cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Tumble dry or lay flat to dry on clean towel.

Do not include fragile garments in the same wash/dry load, as the metal zipper pull and teeth may snag delicate knit fabrics.

STORY

The Mister Freedom® CONTENDER blends three all-American old-timers: the classic cotton fleeced practice jersey sweatshirt (see our MEDALIST rendition), the hooded sweatshirt, and full zip-front sweatshirt.

For our CONTENDER, we opted for the early “attached hood” type pattern, as it was referred-to in the late 1930s – early 40s. “Attached” doesn’t mean detachable, but rather refers to the early days when hoods were merely mounted on crewneck sweatshirts, not part of the neck construction.
The hood was stitched to the body, right below the jersey rib neckband, a quick way to retro-fit a regular crewneck sweatshirt for the colder months. In later models of hooded sweatshirts (1940s onward), the hood would completely replace the rib neckband and be serged directly on the neck line, as on today’s common hoodies.

The Mister Freedom® CONTENDER old-school attached hood is lined with a contrasting heather grey cotton knit jersey, of average T-shirt weight.

Instead of the classic pull-over hooded sweatshirt pattern, we opted for a zip-front closure. Buttoned-front cardigans are quite common in 1930s-40s menswear, but full zip-front sweatshirts with rib knit neckbands seem to have entered American sportswear fashion in the mid 1950s (Pilgrim, Akom, etc…), only preceded by occasional home-made protos with DIY zipper jobs. Full zip-front sweatshirts with hoods appear to have been introduced later, sometime in the early 1960s, and grew in popularity in the 1970s-80s.

We worked on the design of the split muff pockets of our CONTENDER for some time, and settled on a curved shape with flat-lock stitch construction, elegantly blending-in the waistband.
Just like our MEDALIST crewneck sweatshirts and GYMSTAR sweatpants, all the rib knit parts of the CONTENDER are made from a fancy 1950s-style all-cotton 1×5 needle-out ribbing, color-matching the blue/grey contrast fleece hood and pockets.

The body of the CONTENDER is cut from a yarn-dyed heather grey all-cotton 12 Oz. tubular fleeced jersey knit, and the sturdy construction guaranteed by old-school four-needle flat lock stitching.

The MF® CONTENDER Attached-Hood Zip-Front Sweatshirt, in all-cotton two-tone tubular fleeced jersey, is designed by Mister Freedom® in California, USA, and produced in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.

The Contender Sweatshirt - Heather Grey