SPECS

Pattern inspired by a rare vintage 1930’s US Army wool uniform classic shirt, revisited MF® style.
Full 6 button front opening.
Rounded tails.
Brown corozo wood “cat-eye” buttons.
Two large utilitarian chest pockets with flaps, each with a pen slot.
Unstructured one-piece collar (no collar band.)
Elbow reinforcement patches.
White poplin button placket facing.
Chainstitch construction with narrow folder.
100% cotton tonal stitching.
Red bartack side seams in lieu of side gussets.
Mister Freedom® mfsc “Survival School” double neck labeling: woven rayon “MFSC NAVAL CLOTHING TAILOR” topped with printed “EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH UNIT” labels.
Made in Japan.

FABRIC:
100% cotton herringbone twill (HBT), classic Army Green shade 44 (AG-44) color, textured and lightweight (about 6 Oz.), milled in Japan.

SIZING/FIT

The SNIPES HBT AG-44 shirt comes RAW/unwashed. It is cut so that the measurements match the labeling after an initial cold soak/line dry. We recommend this usual protocol before wearing:

* Cold soak for about 30-40mn, with occasional hand agitation.

* Machine spin dry cycle, then line dry.

At 5.7’ ~145 lbs, I opted for a SMALL for a trim uniform-like fit.
We recommend sticking to your usual mfsc shirt size, understanding that what will work best for you depends on your body type and how you like your shirts to fit.
Please refer to our sizing chart reflecting soaked measurements (= 30mn cold soak, spin dry and line dry.)

CARE

Machine wash on DELICATE, cold water, mild eco-friendly detergent. Hang dry.
Heat dryer may result in excessive/irreversible shrinkage.

STORY

The pattern of the MF® SNIPES is inspired by the earliest model of US Gov-issued uniform shirt in a full button-front design, a departure from earlier 1/2 button-front pullover styles.

Identified as Specs “No. 8-26C Shirt, Flannel, Olive-Drab, Coat Style” by the Quartermaster Corps, it was introduced sometime in 1933 and issued to US Army and Air Corps personnel and FDR’s CCC enrollees alike. This new “Pattern 1933” uniform shirt was deemed “Coat Style”, marking a practical departure from its predecessor, the mustard color pullover wool shirt commonly associated with WW1 Doughboys. The overall design was borrowed from civilian workwear, back when utilitarian garment-making skills bordered on fancy tailoring prowess. This is definitely an intricate pattern by today’s workwear clothing standards, Dickies and the likes.

Besides the full six-button front placket improvement, the characteristics of the early 8-26C shirt included a one-piece unstructured collar (no collar band), a singular style of elbow reinforcement patch, and two large functional chest pockets, each with a pen slot.

The Mister Freedom® SNIPES retains all of that military design DNA, and we only decided to get creative with our choices of fabrics for each release.
This is our fourth iteration of the SNIPES, swapping the original US Army OD wool blend fabric with a Buzz Rickson’s Chambray in 2020, an OD cotton poplin in 2021 — a visual reference to classic US Navy N-3 type shirts —, and a light indigo HBT denim in 2023.

For mfsc FW2023 Survival School story, our SNIPES gets a new fancy skin, an all-cotton herringbone twill (HBT) in a classic US military color: Army Green shade 44 (AG-44) — think US Army Class A Green Service Uniform (1954-2015). This is an attractive textured and lightweight fabric, about 6 Oz., milled in Japan.

The term “snipes” refers to US Navy enlisted personnel working in the engine room, the “sailors that sail below”, also known as “Black Gang” for their grease-covered blues and dixie cup covers. See Machinist’s Mate Jake Holman’s dungarees for a Hollywood rendition.

The MF® SNIPES Shirt is designed in California by Mister Freedom® and manufactured in Japan in collaboration with Sugar Cane Co.