The Journal

The Sunspel Long Eaton Factory

Our factory in Long Eaton is at the heart of everything we do. Our home since 1937, it is where our approach to people, quality and craftsmanship begins. It is only factory in the UK to still produce luxury T-shirts, harnessing exceptional skills that have been refined over generations. This commitment to craft extends to everything we make, ensuring all our clothes are of the highest quality. The care we put into every step of production is something we are proud of, and it’s a key part of the Sunspel ethos. 

As our business has grown, the knowledge and expertise we’ve gained here has guided how we work with our partners across the UK and Europe. Many of these partners are small, family-owned businesses with the same dedication to craft, environmental responsibility and ethical working practices that we uphold in Long Eaton.

The home of the brand since 1937

The business was founded in Nottingham in 1860 during the Industrial Revolution. In 1937, in the wake of the Great Depression, we moved to nearby Long Eaton to the building we still occupy today. Once a lace mill, its modest red brick walls, hipped roof and large arched windows might seem understated from the outside. However, behind the heavy wooden doors, skilled craftspeople carefully handmake our T-shirts, and just across a small courtyard, our design and technical teams work alongside our archive—a rich collection of samples, swatches and artefacts from our 160-year history. This close connection between craft, heritage and design shapes every Sunspel collection, underpinning the care and attention to detail that defines the brand.

Where every Sunspel Classic T-shirt is handmade

Since we made some of the world’s earliest T-shirts in the early 1900s, we’ve refined every step of the process for our Sunspel Classic T-shirts. This special garment begins with our unique superfine Q82 jersey, crafted from extra-long staple Supima cotton sourced from a family-owned farm in California. Because of its exceptionally fine nature, working with this fabric requires skill and expertise. Unfurled and smoothed on the cutting table, the fabric is sized and shaped before the sewers carefully construct the garment, adding a distinctive bound neckline inherited from our underwear heritage.

10 individual craftspeople work on each garment and the process is carefully overseen by a specialist. Quality control is ingrained in every aspect of production, led by individual workers and complemented by additional examinations along the way. Throughout the 12-step process, there are 15 strict quality control checks, guaranteeing that every stitch, bind, hem and seam is perfect. Once pressed and ironed, the T-shirt undergoes a final inspection and the craftsperson who performs it leaves a sticker with their name — a finishing mark of quality.

The heart of the Sunspel community

Sunspel has been a family business for most of its 160-year history and our factory maintains a community feel and connection with the town of Long Eaton. Many of our craftspeople are second or third-generation employees while others have worked with us for over 20 years. Knowledge and skills have been passed down through generations and the care that goes into every Sunspel product is rooted in the expertise of the craftspeople here.

This commitment to quality and community continues to define the Sunspel factory and its exceptional products. It also sets the standard for our relationships with all our partners throughout the business. We know the farmers, spinners, knitters and dyers involved in our products and we carefully choose partner factories and suppliers who share our values. This way, we can ensure that everyone involved in a Sunspel product is treated with respect and care and that the final piece will be of the exceptionally high standard that Sunspel is renowned for.