caseywisenbaker

pretty stoked on these...

here is some info from MF:

From the late 1800’s all the way to the first half of the 20th Century, a dreaded future for french draftees and ruffians was to “get sent to Biribi.â€

The term Biribi encompassed penitentiaries in Algeria and Morocco. Often associated with the Bat’ d’Af’ (French military disciplinary battalions of North Africa), Biribi was the solution chosen by the French government to tame hard headed rebels, anarchists and other misfits.

Youngsters with a misdemeanor police record, individuals who had tried to dodge the draft (common practice was to stick a rusty fork in your thigh to invalidate yourself…), or just had an issue with authority, ended up doing time under the blazing sun in the ol’ African French Colonies. Fun activities included breaking piles of hot rocks, building never ending roads, enduring constant humiliation such as the infamous crapaudine, but mainly learning the ropes for a future life in the underworld. Biribi made the tough tougher and buried the weak.

Biribi and other French colonies penitentiaries (Bagne de Cayenne…) disappeared in the mid 1950’s, after numerous testimonies of survivors had shaken public opinion, and international pressure had forced the government to change its penal system. The year 1972 marked the official dissolution of the last Bat’ d’Af’ unit.

On a lighter note, Biribi will be the background for a small limited edition group of garments. We will be using NOS (New Old Stock) rolls of disparate vintage fabrics, mainly cotton/linen homespun style early french textiles and selvedge stripe ticking twills, NOS vintage buttons/trims and single needle machine construction. Early French bourgerons (military work dungarees) were often made of unbleached linen or linen/cotton blends, plain or HBT weave. The use of stripe fabrics for early penitentiary gear is believed to be a way to facilitate the spotting of escapees, before they could get their hands on more blending outfits…

The MF â€Biribi Bourgerons†pictured above are a sample of our small production.

these look RAD!

Rockford red heel monkey socks (by fox river mills)

are the jam..don't sleep on this restock!

sock monkey steezin'

kiya might be able to chime in with a specific time...but as far as i know BR only releases these in the fall, so it wont be for quite awhile thats why people jump on them so quick..

elclintor- yes they run a little small (its a true vintage cut) most of our customers here at SELA size up one to achieve the fit they are after... none of our store have a black L at the moment..but it looks like SF has a black XL which may work depending on the fit you are going for..

strike gold leather keychain 3 months (brand new one on the left)...at some point due to boredom i drew that cross on there.

couple of detail shots.. fit shots soon

IRON HEART 634sr

as stated before started Nov. 30.

in the sun..

eligible?

too bad i started my IRON HEART 634sr nov. 30th!

one day too early..they are starting to get good..maybe ill just hit you guys with some unofficial updates periodically...good luck everyone..wear em hard!

Saturday:

Headed to the East Side for brunch at Marche`.

nice updates!

ive eaten at Marche' several times while in nashville..that place rules

ive also jammed/practiced/slept at woodland several times..its one of my favorite places in the world..so many rad things have been recorded there!

have you ever been to rumors wine bar? that place is good too..i don't drink wine but they have really good food..

MFSC Spring 2011 “Les APACHESâ€

The Paris of the Belle Époque (1900s) saw the emergence of a certain type of street outcasts. They lived in secret dens in the seedy and dimmed outskirts of the City of Lights, abhorred honest labor, hunted the Faubourgs and Quartier de Halles, and danced in local Guinguettes and dives, decked out in flamboyant outfits.

They were called Les Apaches…

Issued from the French lower working class, with a lack of education and absence of Future, they regrouped in loosely organized neighborhood gangs. Abiding by their own hoodlum code of honor, they woke up late, spoke the obscure slang Jare, and wore specific flashy clothes. Their dandy accoutrement combined with intimidating attitudes imposed both respect and fear from the Parisians and their police.

For 30 years, Paris’ Apaches gangs marked their territories by terrorizing honest bourgeois citizens, committing petty larceny, pimping and street fighting their lives away. For those who had ducked the knife and the bullet that bared their name or the ravage of the “Grande Guerre†(WW1), it was the inevitable outcome of Biribi or the Bagne de Cayenne.

In the 1920’s one a many high society dame was spotted mingling with charismatic Apache groups in local Java dance halls, letting her hair down in a famous Dance Apache, immortalized later by Hollywood (“Charlie Chan in Parisâ€, 1935) and several Broadway Shows. The French movie Casque d’Or (1953) relates a true story of a famous Apache event that took place in 1905.

Bourgeois newspapers of the period and universal fascination with the underworld turned the reign of the Apaches into a mix of myth and imagery that will forever mark the Paris of the 1900s to 1930s…

These are the premises and backdrop of the MISTER FREEDOM® x SUGAR CANE Spring 2011 Collection.

Influenced by early French haberdashery and work clothes, European tailoring and Old World silhouettes, this new venture is a departure from the “Americana†inspiration of previous seasons. After extensive research and development we turned a corner onto an unfamiliar avenue (Rue de la Grande Truanderie?) to offer this new look of the Old World…

The collection includes:

* Fancy shirting in printed calico fabrics, cotton jacquard, indigo “Métis†(cotton/linen weave) and pastel color dyed cotton pique.

* French workman outfits in cotton/linen indigo “Métis†twill and indigo ticking.

* Fancy city clothes in intricately woven stripe cotton fabrics.

More to come….

just realized those photos were huge...sorry

Truth! Showed up on my feed from Casey and folks were asking about it.

hahah.. thats tight..

you gotta give the kids what they want..

true to size.. definitely no need to size down and if they are a little snug they will stretch to perfect..mine did.

quick update:

we (SELA) just finished the repairs..the jeans are all packed up and wating for our mail man to take them away

BAerts...comin at ya'

dkatz... pleasure meeting you the other day, great leg of the tour.

P.S. they look AMAZING.

Wondering what the front of these look like...

Did you buy a pair?

Your portrayal of the indigo makes me excited for that package (which has already been shipped) to arrive. Hopefully Friday. Fingers crossed.

didnt buy a pair, a bit to slim for me plus im trying to put in some work on the IH 634sr that i just got. but i work at SELA so i have been handling them all day and watching people try them on..

is it just me or the denim on the black looks different from the indigo one? the black looks less slubby and less loom chatter..

it doesnt feel as slubby/chattery as the indigo in person either..it is definitely lighter in color and slubby in comparison to the normal black imperial denim (on the DUKE for instance) it seems a bit hairier too.

the indigo is quite rough and slubby to the touch similar maybe to what you might find on the strike gold denim.

both colors look like they will make for some amazing fades..this is by far my favorite thing to ever come from imperial..cant wait to see these things down the road

just thought i would add that the banner for this jean that has been displayed on this forum looks AWESOME... i really like the artwork for the superfuture patch on the jean and it made for a great banner..

just a quick heads up,

we've been getting a lot folks asking about IRON HEART 634s-B Overdyed

we just got a full restock here at SELA, all sizes available phone orders are always welcome.

-Casey

my californians: 2 hot soaks 1 machine wash (all due to crazy stretching)

sorry for the cell phone pics.. color is pretty true in the sun.. there are some really bright blues coming through

leather patch:

Saw the new collection last night, let's just say it's going to surprise everybody.

I will only say one thing, there is no denim or chambray in the collection.

no denim? no cham?

that only leaves two options ..LEATHER & LACE.

stoked.