Hot on the trail of the Californian “Outlaw” and Ranch Blouse, in matching black sulfur-dyed selvedge denim, comes the Mister Freedom® DESPERADO Brush Coat.
The pattern of this addition to our made-in-USA Sportsman catalog was inspired by a blend of vague childhood memories of western-wear from screen characters, visuals from old Marlboro ads, and vintage duck canvas chore coats I’ve come across through my rag-picking years.
After some detective work Texas Rangers-style, I realized that “South Texas Brush Jacket” is how this short and boxy unlined canvas coat style is often referred-to. A favorite amongst horsemen in thorny Brush Country terrain, the style became a staple piece of gear for Texas buckaroos and ranch hands, and was largely adopted by the gritty vaqueros from Northern Mexico such as the kineños, the OG cow-boys hired to work on King Ranch in the mid 1800s.
Besides the signature cropped length of original Brush Jackets, one striking feature is the characteristic contrast corduroy trimming (collar, pocket openings and cuffs). It is said that the corduroy-lined collar was initially-intended to be easier on one’s sunburned neck…
If the saddle length of the originals makes sense if your job description involves a horse, we figured we’d adapt the bolero-style cut to better serve the aesthetics of contemporary city dwellers, less likely to go roping stray cattle in the South Texas mesquite brush. The “cropped look” is an acquired taste, and not easy to pull-of for most.
Because we didn’t have a vintage specimen in our archives for pattern inspiration, we decided to merge our military dungaree FROGMAN jacket A-line style with traditional western-wear brush jacket specifics. A scribbled Post-it®, a rough pocket prototype, and some notes from the MF® Design Dept (we didn’t even have photos of originals at the time) were all it took for our friend Fukutomi San at Toyo Enterprises to draft an original pattern. The DESPERADO was born.
The keen eye will note that we added a slight curve to the arcuate on the corduroy pocket trimming, on the patch pocket bottom shape, and on the cuff piecing. This is in contrast with the common straight lines typical of purified utilitarian fashion, intended to be easier and faster to cut & sew. This subtle tweak, along with the single needle pocket construction adds an elegant early workwear touch to the jacket.
For the fabric, we opted for the same fancy twill featured on our CALIFORNIAN Lot.64 “Outlaw” and its matching RANCH BLOUSE: a premium mid-weight 13 Oz. selvedge denim combining a black sulfur-dyed warp yarn (fabric face) with a black sulfur-dyed weft (fabric reverse), produced on traditional shuttle looms by vintage textile experts in Japan.
The MF® DESPERADO Brush Jacket in black sulfur-dyed selvedge denim is designed in California by Mister Freedom®, and manufactured in USA in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co, from denim fabric milled in Japan.
