FT How to spend it, 14th October 2009
There is an expectation in fashion that anything manufactured west of Turkey will automatically carry a hefty price tag. So it’s completely refreshing to find a label such as Sunspel which makes everything in Britain but doesn’t penalise you for the privilege.
The company was established in 1850 as a maker of fine men’s underwear. Today it produces what I think is one of the best ranges of T-shirts, polo shirts and underwear on the market.
What I like about Sunspel is that its designs are classic, timeless and completely unbranded, but with a really modern appeal. The fabrics are fantastic, the manufacture excellent and the prices exceptionally good. It’s a combination that hasn’t gone unnoticed in fashion circles, with design luminaries such as Paul Smith, Thom browne and Kris Van Asche approaching them to collaborate.
I have multi-purchased their two-fold, warp-knit cotton polo shirt (pictured), which in simple speak is like a cooler, more loosely woven version of cotton pique. I could pretend that I wasn’t influenced by the fact that Daniel Craig wore one in Casino Royale, but who would believe me? They cost £59.50 each, which, for an injection of James Bond sartorial savvy, seems a small price indeed.
