A Guide to Buying Men's Underwear

Sunspel has always been renowned for high-quality underwear and although today we offer a full wardrobe, our underwear heritage underpins everything we do. Since 1860, we’ve developed cellular cotton, introduced the boxer short to Britain and helped popularise the style in an iconic Levi’s advert. Indeed, when Leicester City won the Premier League, Gary Lineker honoured his promise and made history by appearing live on the BBC wearing nothing but Sunspel boxers.

Thanks to over a century and a half of experience, we believe our underwear is the finest available.

The Boxer Short

In 1947, John Hill, the great-grandson of Sunspel’s founder, discovered the boxer short on his honeymoon in the US. Not only did he introduce it to Britain for the first time, but he also perfected its design, adding a back panel and using the finest cotton poplin fabric, thus turning a functional piece into a luxury undergarment. The style became an overnight sensation in 1985 when Levi’s released their iconic Laundrette advert in which heartthrob Nick Kamen stripped off his jeans to reveal a pair of crisp white Sunspel boxers. They’ve been bestsellers ever since. Loose, comfortable and cut to perfection, they come in a range of prints. 

Trunks and Shorts

A similar style to the boxer, our shorts also come in our Superfine cotton fabric, which is based on the iconic Q82 Classic T-shirt fabric. They are available with one or two-button closure. Offering a closer fit than the boxer, our trunks come as either short or long leg and are crafted from extra-soft jersey with a slight added stretch for greater ease of movement.

Briefs

With a slim, precise fit, these are ideal for everyday wear and offer superb flexibility. These are available in Superfine cotton jersey or cellular cotton. The latter were a firm favourite of Christopher from the Sopranos.

Underwear Tops

We have several underwear top styles beginning with our cellular mesh cotton vest and T-shirt.

First developed in 1914, this iconic fabric has been a staple of our underwear collection ever since. It’s designed to wick moisture away from the skin keeping you cool in the heat and the high quality of the cotton used makes it smooth and soft on the skin too. We have several other vest fabrics too. Superfine cotton is one of our most popular while our Sea Island cotton undershirts, made from the world’s finest and rarest cotton, are unrivalled for pure luxury.

Sea Island Cotton

All our underwear is available in the world’s finest and rarest cotton. Farmed in the Caribbean, Sea Island cotton has an extremely long staple length making it the smoothest and most durable cotton available and resulting in exceptionally luxurious garments. We’ve been making Sea Island cotton underwear since the 19th century and our fabric has been perfected to have a natural stretch for extra comfort. Sea Island cotton underwear will be the finest you own.