After a loooong journey of trying to ramp up our knowledge on technical cashmere manufacturing, actual production R&D, crucial decision-making on design and fabric in the midst of supply chain challenges and a pandemic, multiple sample making, constructive criticism, … , we eventually had the MF® TERRENCE figured out! (Read full blog post here)
We opted for 2-ply cashmere (meaning two twisted yarns make one strand), settled on NM 2/26 (where NM is Metric Number, 2 being the ply, and 26 the length divided by the weight of the cashmere yarn, defining its fineness, the higher the number the finer, 26 being a classic magic number for warmth, minimal piling, and longevity of the garment, to the best of my knowledge), and high gauge knit (how tightly-knit and dense the fabric is, measured by the number of vertical rows per square inch, I believe 12 in our case.)
The resulting cashmere fabric of our TERRENCE feels chunky yet breathable, tightly knit with pretty good mechanical stretch recovery, and soft to the touch as Joe’s show hair!
For the type of knit, we wanted something more textured and “special” than plain knit, so we went with cable knit, specifically a classic “Twisted Twin Cable” pattern, with “Chunky Rib Stitch” cuffs and waistband pattern combo. All that inspired by a 1960s vintage specimen from my stash, sporting a “BRAININ of Bond St… Made in Scotland” label.
We chose V-neck for the collar pattern, with a classic depth that worked for our esthetics, not too deep, not too shallow, chef kiss.
The major MF® twist is in the cut and fit of our sweater. We wanted a “vintage” silhouette that would set apart the TERRENCE from his contemporaries: slightly shorter body complimenting one’s natural waist and classic rise trousers, long foldable 40s-50s style sleeve cuffs, and old school 4 inch-wide waistband.
Longer torsos and thin waistbands being the norm for modern contemporary sweaters, our baby is quite unique in its style class, and has definitely quelled my personal quest for hunting down the perfect vintage specimen!
Color wise, it was hard to settle on the right palette, but we eventually opted for classic black, “Yale” blue, and “Ice Blu” (a nod to our Ice Blu denim.)
A beautiful gold color was also part of our first choice, but was unfortunately unavailable at the time of production.
Lastly, the “Terrence” moniker is a reference to a famous Hollywood actor who sure liked his V-neck sweaters, on and off screen. His simple and timeless style is often an inspiration for us, as relevant then as now.
The MF® TERRENCE Sweater, 100% 2-Ply Cashmere, is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan from a well-established reliable source, in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.
Visit the blog for full R&D details
