Makers of luxury basics since 1860
Sunspel has been making original clothing in England and elsewhere for over 150 years.
Sunspel factory in Long Eaton
Factory interior, where we still make many of our clothes today
Sunspel Q14 'Cellular' Fabric
We have always been innovators, with a history of introducing new kinds of clothes and developing our own unique fabrics. Today we draw on a rich heritage to create clothes which are both timeless and modern. Sunspel has always been a peculiar combination of tradition and innovation.
Our design philosophy is to eliminate the unnecessary while perfecting the essentials. Sunspel clothes are simple, long lasting and wonderfully comfortable. We pay rigorous attention to detail in both design and manufacture, which is why our garments are hand-cut, hand-sewn, individually inspected and ironed before being dispatched from the factory.
The company is based in Long Eaton, near Nottingham, in the factory we have occupied for the best part of a century. We continue to draw on the traditional clothing techniques and expertise of the Nottingham area where the company was founded back in 1860. All our t-shirts are made here as well as many of our other clothes, and every single item of clothing is checked here individually. It is always our aim to manufacture in the UK, but increasing demand has meant we have had to make some of our clothes elsewhere, initially in Turkey and now in Portugal where standards are even higher. This is not simple outsourcing – we provide the fabric know-how and work hard to ensure the standards are as high as in our own factory.
Our legendary Q14 fabric, a soft, breathable ‘cellular’ cotton, was developed here in Long Eaton on old lace machines in 1958 and is still used in our vintage underwear. Another of our original fabrics that has become a Sunspel staple is Q82, a fine jersey knit which gives our classic t-shirts their extraordinary lightness and softness.
One of our more renowned innovations was the boxer short, which we introduced to this country from the US in 1947, refining its design as we did so. It was immortalised in the 1985 Levi’s ad in which Nick Kamen stripped to his white Sunspel boxers, catching the attention of women across Britain, which didn’t escape the notice of the nation’s men. Another Sunspel invention, the Riviera polo shirt, complemented Daniel Craig’s physique in the James Bond film Casino Royale. This was made from our Q75 warp knit cotton, a lightweight mesh fabric designed in the 1950s to be cool in the heat of the Italian Riviera.
Recent developments include a new range of womenswear, high performance stretch underwear for men, Merino wool base layers designed for extreme conditions, and a range of knitwear made using a new seamless technology.
Here at Sunspel we remain committed to developing timeless modern designs. Most of all, we’re driven by the sheer pleasure of beautifully made clothes.
