Sunspel in America: doing its bit for the ‘Special Relationship’

Observers on both sides of the Atlantic, in Sunspel’s (http://www.sunspel.com) native England as well as the many admirers of the brand Stateside, know all about what is known as the ‘Special Relationship’ between the two powers, as well as the small – albeit interesting – role that the Nottingham company’s luxury clothing can, and continues to have in it.

Although the term ‘Special Relationship’ crops up seemingly every time there is dialogue between these two great nations, it actually dates back to the 19^th century, as recognized by rival powers. Troops from the two countries began to fight side by side in overseas skirmishes in 1859, coincidentally just one year before the establishment of Sunspel by the enterprising Thomas Hill in one of the UK’s leading industrial cities.

Thus began a finely intertwined relationship between the always outward-facing company’s quality clothing with British history as a whole, and by extension, its relationship with the United States. With the British Empire the firmly established power and the United States a rapidly emerging one, the two democracies were to share a common bond of sacrifice in World War I, and by 1915, conscription began to deplete the firm’s then predominantly male workforce.

As women stepped into the breach at the factory, the company assisted troops with its donations of uniform items and underwear. Military cooperation between the United Kingdom and United States was to become more pronounced later in the century, with British Prime Minister during World War II – Winston Churchill – placing an especially great emphasis on it. The son of an American, Churchill first referred to a ‘special relationship’ in a speech in February 1944, and mentioned it again at the outset of the Cold War in early 1946.

World War II had seen an unprecedented level of military cooperation en route to an Allied victory, with Sunspel continuing to do its own bit by donating items of British menswear in conjunction with military bodies and the Red Cross. It maintained strong military links through the RAF into the late Fifties, a time when the two nations continued to deeply cooperate. As the decades passed, the UK and US remained close through political and military conflicts including the Cold War, Gulf War and 21^st century invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

All the while, Sunspel took the chance to learn a thing or two from the latest quality mens clothing developments in the US, with the boxer short, for example, famously being introduced to Britain by John Hill in 1947 after he spotted them being worn in America, the only part of the world where they were then available. He went on to significantly refine the design.

In 1985, there was another key meeting between Sunspel (http://www.sunspel.com) and the US, as Nick Kamen immortalized both Levi’s denim and Sunspel boxers in the iconic ‘Launderette’ advert broadcast in the UK – and today, Sunspel continues to provide its finest designer mens clothing to major stores and ardent admirers across the States.