Sunspel

Sunspel is a British garment manufacturer and retailer, founded in England in 1860. The brand is particularly well-known for its range of boxer shorts, T-shirts and polo shirts.

Sunspel
IndustryFashion
Founded1860
FounderThomas Arthur Hill
HeadquartersUK,
Long Eaton, Derbyshire
ProductsClothing
Websitewww.sunspel.com

History

Sunspel was founded in 1860 by Thomas Arthur Hill, who established a textile factory in Newdigate, Nottingham (the centre of the British lace making industry).[1] Since 1937 the company’s UK manufacturing base has been at Long Eaton, in Derbyshire.[2] In 1947 Sunspel first introduced the boxer short from the United States into the United Kingdom.[3] In 2005 Hill’s great-grandson, Peter Hill, sold the company to a former barrister, Nicholas Brooke, and his then business partner Dominic Hazlehurst. The pair sought to modernise the brand, without losing the appeal of its historical heritage.[4]

Notable products

T-Shirts

The earliest garments that Sunspel produced were tunics and undershirts, which were manufactured in their Nottingham factory at the height of the industrial revolution. They were amongst the very first t-shirts ever made.[5]

Boxer Shorts

Sunspel introduced the boxer short to the UK from the USA in 1947.[6]

In 1985, a Levis advertisement saw English model Nick Kamen wearing a pair of Sunspel boxer shorts.[7] This advertisement is widely attributed as being the moment that brought this underwear style to mass popularity in the UK.[5]

Polo Shirts

In 2006, Sunspel designed a custom polo shirt for the James Bond film Casino Royale. The shirt was based on a classic 1950s Sunspel polo shirt, which was selected and updated by award winning stylist Lindy Hemming.[8]

Recent developments

After the change in control of the company in 2005, the new owners focused at first on building its brand on the internet.[9] However, since 2010 a number of Sunspel stores have opened worldwide – at first in London, where five stores had been opened by 2013,[1] and more recently in Berlin and Tokyo.[10]

In August 2018, Sunspel announced the imminent opening of its first store in the United States, at 85 Mercer Street in New York’s SoHo district.[11]

Film and media exposure

In 1985 Nick Kamen starred in a celebrated Levi's advertisement, in which he removed his jeans in a launderette, to reveal a pair of white Sunspel boxer shorts.[12]

In 2006 Daniel Craig wore a Sunspel Riviera polo shirt in his first James Bond film, Casino Royale.[13][14]

In 2016, the television football pundit Gary Lineker undertook to present the season-opening edition of Match of the Day in his underpants if Leicester City became Premier League Champions. He performed his promise in a pair of Sunspel boxer shorts.[4]

Sunspel official web-site

References
  1. Sunspel official web-site, Sunspel History (accessed on 11 September 2018)
  2. Financial Times, 19 January 2018, Factory floor: how Sunspel makes its signature T-shirt
  3. Bill Prince, The evolution of men’s underwear; why boxer shorts are back, Daily Telegraph, 25 August 2016
  4. Sarah Shannon, Sunspel’s Second Coming, Best of Fashion, Business of Fashion, 14 November 2017
  5. http://www.theweek.co.uk/92111/the-story-of-james-bonds-favourite-t-shirt-brand
  6. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/mens-style/the-evolution-of-mens-underwear-why-boxer-shorts-are-back/
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q56M5OZS1A8
  8. https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-11-06/dress-like-daniel-craig-with-sunspel-james-bond-look
  9. Leonie Roderick, Sunspel’s CEO on telling new stories as a heritage brand, Marketing Week, 21 December 2016
  10. Oliver Guyat, Sunspel sets foot in Paris at PHM Saint Peres concept store, Fashion Network, 26 June 2017
  11. Tars Hounslea, Sunspel to open first US store, Drapers, 20 August 2018
  12. Simon Chilvers, Men's fashion: Sunspel launch design-it-yourself T-shirts, The Guardian, 18 November 2011
  13. Felix Bischof, The story of James Bond's favourite T-shirt brand, The Week, 6 March 2018
  14. Square Mile, Brand Watch: Sunspel, 25 June 2018
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