SPECS

PATTERN: Inspired by vintage 1930s~40s US Navy watch caps, revisited.

FABRIC: 100% cotton ribbed knit, indigo-dyed.

DETAILS:
* Three continuous knit patterns, two ribbed knit sections finished by a “purl knit” bottom band.
* Traditional six-dart 1×1 ribbed knit crown.
* Shallow profile, designed for single wide fold/cuff.
* Woven mfsc rayon label exposed on cuff, backed with concealed old style USN mermaid “Liberty” patch.
* One size.
* Made in Japan.

SIZING/FIT

The Mister Freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap comes ready to wear, no shrinking protocol.
Due to the cotton knit stretch, this is a “one-size-fits-all” type cover.
Style it your way, new school or old school, cocked to the side, slung in the back of the skull, pulled over the ears with a narrower cuff…

CARE

Professional dry clean only. This is a wool item, do not machine wash or put in a heat dryer.
Hand washing with eco-friendly wool detergent is possible but might result with stretching or shrinking of the knit hat, to be done at your own risks.

STORY

The LOOKOUT Watch Cap is a Mister Freedom® spin on the vintage 1940s US Navy “Enlisted Man’s Watch Cap” pattern, with the usual liberties we take with our military-inspired pieces.

First, we opted for 100% cotton yarn, as opposed to the worsted wool of the originals. The warmth properties of the cotton knit is obviously not comparable to that of wool, but this makes our cap a bit more all-season for us Californians. Then we went for indigo-dyed rather than the traditional navy blue color, for a beautiful patina overtime.

The construction is a combination of three continuous knit patterns: two distinct ribbed knit sections finished by a “purl knit” bottom band at the cuff. The hat features a six-dart 1×1 ribbed knit crown.
We revisited the silhouette for a rather shallow profile, staying clear of the “ski cap” vibe of contemporary beanies with pointy/high crowns, aiming for more of a vintage seaman style.

We’re not big on obnoxious outside branding in general, but our old school “MFSC Naval Clothing Tailor” woven rayon label is stitched to the visible side of the cuff, in all its glory! We’re proud of what we make at MF® — or what we don’t make, and where we make it — so, once in a while, we flash our little brand’s name. That label looks pretty cool when worn on the side or back of the head.

The “liberty” mermaid patch on the other side of the cuff is a nod to the salty tradition of liberty cuffs in the US Navy, a customized uniform detail we’ve often played with. That rayon patch is stitched on 3 sides, so feel free to slide a folded sawbuck in there as an emergency fund, when you really need that hipster cappuccino but left your wallet at home, and the phone battery gave up on you after prolonged exposure to the vast wasteland of TikTok.
And when the dude standing in line behind you for his cup of joe enquires about the flag of Scotland on your lid, go salty and mention that those are actually maritime signal flags: diagonal white cross on blue background is international naval code for Mike, the letter “M”. Red diamond on white background is Foxtrot, “F”. He’ll reply Tango Mike.

Anyways, “Lookouts to the bridge!” (sub lingo here) calls the conning tower CPO to the three bubbleheads (port/starboard/stern) on watch… “Dive, Dive, Dive!” into our FW2024 SUBMARINER story here, and check out the whole line-up here.

The Mister freedom® LOOKOUT Watch Cap design is reimagined in California, USA, and produced in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.