Background
Sunspel factory, Long Eaton, Derbyshire.
We’ve spent 150 years perfecting the art of timeless clothing.
Sunspel has been making the finest English underwear and t-shirts since 1860. In 1947 we introduced the boxer short to the UK. Today we continue to create the best t-shirts, polo shirts and underwear in the world.
All our clothes are handmade, and we design them with exceptional care and attention to detail. The result is clothing that feels deeply luxurious yet has an understated elegance and sophistication. They are extremely long-lasting, because we refuse to cut corners in their manufacture. Indeed, they improve with age.
We are proud to be an independent company and we believe in traditional business principles of value, courtesy, attentiveness and respect.
What sets Sunspel apart
An independent attitude, classic style, an uncompromising tradition of excellence rooted in craft skills handed down the generations – all these set us apart.
Yet there is another crucial element: a readiness to innovate.
Throughout our history we have experimented with new styles, fabric structures and knitting techniques. We made some of the world’s earliest t-shirts and underwear; back in the 50s we developed our unique fine mesh underwear range, worn to this day by customers who appreciate its warming qualities in winter and ventilation in summer. More recently we have added a luxurious two-fold cotton, and our t-shirts made from it are highly prized around the world.
Many successful designers collaborate with us – names such as Paul Smith, Margaret Howell, Thom Browne and Kris Van Assche. When Nick Kamen removed his jeans in the Levi’s ‘launderette’ advert it was to reveal Sunspel boxer shorts. In the recent Bond movie Casino Royale, Daniel Craig wears a classic Sunspel polo, and we produced bespoke t-shirts for Christian Bale in Batman – The Dark Knight.
As Lindy Heming, Academy Award winning costume designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Gallery and numerous James Bond films, puts it: “There have been many characters I have dressed in Sunspel vests, t-shirts and underwear because they are classic, timeless and beautifully made.”
Why our clothes are a pleasure to wear
All our clothes are designed to feel luxurious. By sourcing exceptionally soft cottons such as Long Staple Egyptian Cotton and creating unique fabric structures, we are able to make clothing of unparalleled comfort: well designed, well constructed and tailored to fit.
Our clothes are timelessly stylish. They improve with age, the polar opposite of today’s ‘throw-away’ fashion. The longer you own one of our garments, the more you appreciate its qualities.