We discovered Sunspel on a rainy day in East London three years ago when we were checking out the new shops in Shoreditch. We could tell there was something special happening with the once old and dusty brand. Sure enough Sunspel has been popping up at every trade show and ‘in the know’ menswear stores since.
Founded in 1860 by Thomas A. Hill the company has been at the forefront of simple, iconic design for years. In 1947 they introduced the boxer short to the Englishman (God knows what saggy thing they were sporting before) and perfected the design that we wear today. Due to the tropical climates throughout the British Empire (India!), Sunspel perfected the light weight t-shirt too, which became a classic in the 1950s after WWII soldiers came home sporting only their undershirts as casual wear. Finally in the 1950s Sunspel launched the polo shirt (nice try, Ralph) as an alternative from the button down to wear during the dog days of summer.
This spring/summer the company launches a new collection drawing from their archival prints. T-shirts and sweatshirts were printed with an Airplane once found on letterhead used by a travel agent of days gone by and Bill the Dog was the mascot of Sunspel in the 1930s.
Produced in the U.K they are available now online, so click on and add a piece of history to your summer stock.
