Sunspel: luxury basics for the great outdoors

As much as one may associate Sunspel's (http://www.sunspel.com) fastidiously engineered quality clothing with fairly languid settings - perhaps the living room, where one of the Nottingham firm's drawstring trousers are a perfect match to a mug of freshly brewed coffee and a favourite broadsheet - the brand also has an irrevocable association with the great outdoors. That was only ever going to be a natural consequence of a steadfast commitment to the highest standards of traditional craftsmanship and fabric innovation.

This association began at an early stage, in a 19th century and early 20th century in which a widespread appetite for far-flung places was rapidly developing. But perhaps it took the outbreak of the bloody conflicts of the two World Wars, alongside the comparatively bloodless conflict of the ensuing Cold War, for it to truly embed itself in the Sunspel brand story. After all, both World Wars saw the company donating uniform items and underwear to troops and medical services, in conjunction with the Red Cross and military bodies.

The military link also had a curious part to play in the development of what is now one of Sunspel's undoubted icon products, the quality T-shirt, with veterans combining their uniform trousers with their undershirts and in the process, popularising this garment as a symbol of rebellion and freedom. While the Sunspel white T-shirt was reaching its iconic simplicity, other items of Sunspel luxury clothing were proving their worth in the most hostile outdoor environments, such as on Oxford University's 1963 Expedition to Northern Persia.

By this time, Sunspel had already reaffirmed its military connections, signing a contract with The War Office to provide the Royal Air Force with a special range of underwear. But with the passing of the subsequent decades, it is civilian contexts in which Sunspel's clothing has come to the fore outdoors. One only needs to look to such recent examples as polar explorer Ben Saunder's use of Sunspel thermals and merino base layers, renowned for their ability to insulate and trap moisture away from the skin, even in conditions that are the most extreme of the extreme. Indeed, a trip to India saw them being further flight tested by the actor Dominic West and James Mallinson, the international paragliding ace.

Sunspel even developed some  very special British clothing for some very special British sporting heroes: namely, four of the country's top rowers, Tom Solesbury, Steve Rowbotham, Sam Townsend and Bill Lucas. These rowers may be amateur, competing for non-existent or negligible financial rewards, but such a humble status only makes the intense training and sheer pluckiness of these sportsmen - with or without Sunspel's classic high quality Egyptian cotton clothing - all the more impressive.

Across the Sunspel (http://www.sunspel.com) product range, from its mens polo shirts and T-shirts to its knitwear, outerwear and trousers, there are impeccably crafted garments that make sense across the seasons, standing up to the most vigorous outdoor abuse - a signal of the company's considerable design and fabric expertise.

Editor’s Note: Sunspel UK (http://www.sunspel.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Sunspel clothing covers the full color spectrum

There are many aspects of Sunspel's (http://www.sunspel.com/us) range of mens clothing online that give it the refined, luxurious and highly wearable image that it enjoys. The company's standard of craftsmanship plays a major role, of course, with skills and techniques having been retained across the generations to ensure consistently high standards of design and manufacture, while the English firm has also long had a reputation for the most innovative fabric development.

However, there is another factor, perhaps not as acknowledged as it often ought to be, but nonetheless frequently instrumental to designer menswear buying decisions... color. It has been recognized throughout history, just what special meanings are conveyed when a person opts to wear a certain color, and in the world of Sunspel luxury clothing, the emphasis is on a broad palette of sophisticated and chic shades to match the most wearable, well-designed and well-engineered fashions that boast a suitably timeless aesthetic.

Those looking for a quality T-shirt, for example, are not only able to purchase one from a company that pioneered its development in the late 19th century, benefitting from the supreme comfort, softness and lightness that now characterize this garment, but can also choose from shades including black, blue, brown, green, grey, red, white and more. Even striped designs are available, while the range of blues alone encompasses the likes of Blue, Electric Blue and Navy.

It's a similar story across the women's range of T-shirts, all of which have been designed to ensure the most flattering silhouette. It's clear from this range the extent to which Sunspel's many understated, classic and seasonal T-shirt colors can help to make the garment the perfect complement to many other items of British clothing offered by the Nottingham company. Navy, Denim, Dark Teal, Black, White and Charcoal Melange are among the colors available here, all embodying the cool refinement of the Sunspel brand.

Similarly, mens polo shirts are available in an assortment of colors that reflects their status as a highly versatile wardrobe essential on the cusp between formal and informal, with tasteful but striking Russet, Moss and Aubergine shades joining the customary blues, blacks and whites. Even the most recent additions to the Sunspel collection have been revealing in terms of color, bold and rich shades being evident across incoming T-shirts and sweat tops, made even more fascinating in certain instances by uniquely charming prints.

Even Sunspel's supremely in-demand and only recently introduced swim shorts, reminiscent of one of the most iconic items of James Bond clothing - Sean Connery's pale blue shorts from Thunderball - can now be specified in Black and Navy shades. Much is made of the psychological effect of certain clothing colors on both the wearer and bystander, but often, the most discerning buyers just know that hue that they most desire - and it shouldn't take long for them to choose when they peruse the current Sunspel (http://www.sunspel.com/us) selection of luxury basics.

Editor’s Note: Sunspel US (http://www.sunspel.com/us) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Why a Sunspel polo shirt is the ultimate versatile wardrobe essential

As quality clothing goes, the polo shirt occupies a curiously flexible terrain, between the ultimate formality of the shirt and the more laid-back T-shirt. Today, it is as familiar as any other item in most people’s wardrobes, and yet when Sunspel (http://www.sunspel.com/us) first began to produce polo shirts back in the 1950s, they were yet to reach their present iconic status.

That status was achieved in no small part due to the launch of the Polo Collection of Ralph Lauren in 1972. However, it was another familiar name in the world of polo shirts, tennis superstar Rene Lacoste, who was responsible for the debut of the modern polo shirt at the US Open – replacing the uncomfortable long-sleeved, buttoned up shirts and long flannel trousers that were previously the his court contemporaries’ garments of choice. Before long, even polo players and golfers were adopting the new lightweight, breathable jerseys in place of their own restrictive and heavy shirts.

However, it was the subsequent jump of polo shirts from the world of sport into the affections of non-sportsmen that largely completed this popular clothing item’s journey...at least, until Sunspel became involved. For the popular British clothing firm made the most of long-established fabric and design expertise, as it had applied to its quality mens underwear, in the creation of well-made polo shirts that placed the emphasis firmly on quality, simplicity and comfort. While other companies were increasingly introducing fussy extras and embellishments, Sunspel was concentrating firmly on the most basic essence of the polo.

Those principles hold just as steady today, meaning that customers can encounter a broad range of classic polo shirts based on a familiar template of short sleeves, a soft collar and just a few buttons. Fans of Sunspel’s highly wearable luxury basics have turned time and time again to cotton polo shirts that are lightweight, breathable and perfectly suited to settings ranging from the Italian Riviera to the average American back yard. Sunspel’s understanding of the versatile job description of the polo shirt has made its own Jersey, Pique and Riviera ranges iconic in their own right.

As if any greater endorsement could possibly be required of a quality polo shirt that is slim fitting, timelessly stylish and available in a broad assortment of colors including the likes of Riviera Blue, Cloud, Evergreen and Cherry Red, even the ultimate iconic Brit – James Bond, as played by Daniel Craig – is featured in several Sunspel polo shirts in his Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace outings.  The approval of 007 is just one more reason to investigate the broader range of current mens polo shirts produced by Sunspel (http://www.sunspel.com/us).

Editor’s Note: Sunspel US (http://www.sunspel.com/us) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.