Terrence Cashmere Sweater – Ice Blu

SPECS

PATTERN:
Inspired by classic and timeless vintage V-Neck wool sweaters, 50s-60s casual styles with period fits and silhouettes.

FABRIC:
Luxurious 100% 2-ply Mongolian Cashmere, fine NM 2/26 yarn, sustainable sourcing.
Available in three classic colors: black, “Yale” blue, and “Ice Blu”.

DETAILS:

• Original pattern inspired by vintage classic cashmere sweaters and timeless period fashion.
• Old school 50s-60s silhouette.
• Luxurious 100% 2-ply Mongolian Cashmere, fine NM 2/26 yarn, sustainably sourced.
• Raw white wool material processed/dyed/knit in Japan.
• High 12 gauge knit.
• Classic depth V-neck style with ribbed stitch collar roll.
• “Chunky Rib Stitch” long foldable cuffs & wide waistband.
• Classic “Twisted Twin Cable” knit pattern.
• Panel knitting construction.
• Original mfsc woven rayon label.
• Crafted in Japan by a reputable source member of the CCMI.
• Produced in limited quantities.

SIZING/FIT

The MF® TERRENCE cashmere sweater comes ready-to-wear, it does not need any pre-soaking shrinking routine before wear.

Please remember that the specific proportions and “vintage fit” of this original garment are part of its design and DNA. Our TERRENCE features a slightly shorter body (pairing well with classic high to mid-rise pants), wide ribbed cuffs and wide ribbed waistband (typical period details of 1940s-50s vintage specimen), setting it apart from the modern design twist of the vast majority of contemporary mens sweaters.

CL’s Advice: 

At 5’7 ~145 Lbs, I opted for a MEDIUM, for an old school silhouette.

CARE

Hand wash only, every 5 to 10 wears, according to one’s activities, and layering choices.
When laundering is needed :

• Soak in cold water for ~30mn, using biodegradable woolen mild detergent. Some use baby shampoo, Dirty Labs (USA), Eucalan (Canada), The Laundress (USA) etc…
• Hand agitate to loosen dirt, gently moving the sweater around.
• Gently squeeze sweater, fill sink with fresh cold water, rinse.
• Gently squeeze sweater again (do not wring!), lay sweater on clean white towel, flat surface (do not hang!)
• Let air dry, gently fluffing and flipping garment occasionally if necessary.

We do not recommend dry-cleaning as the harsh process tends to break the fine and fragile cashmere natural fibers.

At the end of your sweater season, properly launder your TERRENCE before storing it in a moth-proof environment (sealed bag/plastic bin) with natural herbal scents (cedar blocks/lavender bags etc.)

STORY

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