This one comes straight out of classic Americana athletic wear.
The Mister Freedom® PODIUM jacket takes its cues from vintage 1940s-60s award/letterman/baseball/varsity/club/warm-up jackets. Our interpretation features the expected traditional waist-length style, rib knit waistband/cuffs/stand-up collar, and a raglan sleeve pattern.
We opted for a 1950s-style traditional 50% rayon/50% cotton shell (rayon side out, mid-luster), backed with a fancy cotton flannel body lining and traditional cotton “kasha” sleeve lining.
As a footnote, we had initially developed that gem of a printed plaid flannel fabric – replicated from a 1940s garment – to use as mfsc shirting. During R&D, we thought it complimented our PODIUM jacket so well that we used it for the project as a killer lining. Only you will know, but that’s who matters.
We left our PODIUM jacket un-branded on the outside, no back embroidery, chest logo or anything, and left it up to the wearer. We believe the solid version is plenty, but if so-inclined, reach out to the many talented custom chainstitch artisans out there, or patch your jacket up with the high school chenille letter of your choice etc… The bay is a fun source for NOS letterman letters, if you’re looking for your initials.
What we spent time on however, is the specific “heather” rib knit. This type of athletic stripe “melange” ribbing can be found on some of the most desirable vintage club jackets out there, mostly pre-1960s specimen. Thinking production of heather ribbing might only be a thing of the past, we sent a few vintage samples to our friends at Toyo Enterprise for reference anyways, crossing fingers. As expected, such athletic knit ribs were not commercially available from manufacturers, but after some challenging R&D, Toyo’s textile experts managed to get our color combinations custom-milled. And they nailed it! This special ribbing is old-school too, 100% soft wool, unlike the polyester/polyurethane blend of contemporary sport gear.
For the front closure, we opted for mfsc painted metal snaps, a bit more practical for sports than 1940s-style buttons. The hi-luster rayon contrast arm inserts and soutache (braided piping), along with the contrasting pocket trims, all ad to the vintage sporty vibe.
The MF® PODIUM Jacket in rayon/cotton satin is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
