Welcome to Sunspel Jermyn Street

The History of Jermyn Street

Paris may be regarded as the home of women’s fashion, but London has long been the centre of menswear. Much of this is thanks to Savile Row and Jermyn Street, which since the 18^th century, have been home to the best tailors and clothiers in the world. The relationship between Jermyn Street and Savile Row is that of suit and shirt. Gentlemen would order their suits from Savile Row’s famous houses before crossing Piccadilly to Jermyn Street where they could find everything else they would need: hats, grooming services, fragrances, handmade shoes and bespoke shirts.

Today the street is still home to several retailers who have been here since the 18^th century. Paxton and Whitfield, the oldest cheesemonger in London, has been here since 1797, while Floris, the family-owned perfumer whose customers have included George IV, Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill and the Queen, opened its doors at 89 Jermyn Street in 1730.

Today the street is still home to several retailers who have been here since the 18^th century. Paxton and Whitfield, the oldest cheesemonger in London, has been here since 1797, while Floris, the family-owned perfumer whose customers included George IV, Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill and the Queen, opened its doors at 89 Jermyn Street in 1730.

What made Jermyn Street one of the most famous menswear locations in the world, however, was its bespoke shirtmakers. Today it still has several of the world’s finest, including Hilditch and Key, Harvie and Hudson, and Budd, many of whom have been here for over a century. Turnbull and Asser meanwhile have been crafting bespoke shirts for royalty and movie stars since 1885, including Michael Cain and multiple James Bonds from David Niven to Daniel Craig. Indeed, Ian Fleming himself, who used to stay in the Cavendish Hotel, was a regular Jermyn Street customer for everything from shirts to his perfume, which was the same as Bond’s – Floris no. 89.

Sunspel and Jermyn Street

Sunspel first moved to Jermyn Street in 2020, however, our relationship with the street is much older. Throughout the 20^th century, retailers stocked Sunspel underwear, including our Original British Boxer Short which we introduced to Britain from the USA in 1947. We also made garments in our factory in Long Eaton, England for several other brands including a company called the Jermyn Street Shirtmaker. The store’s head cutter and manager left to establish their own brand Harvie and Hudson which remains on Jermyn Street today, however, by a unique twist of fate, the original Jermyn Street Shirtmaker was at 23 Jermyn Street – the exact location of our new flagship store.

Our New Flagship Store

Our new flagship store is located at 23 Jermyn Street. Spread over two floors it houses our full menswear collection including our iconic products: the Sunspel Classic T-shirt, the Original British Boxer Short, and the Riviera Polo Shirt tailored to Daniel Craig’s James Bond.

Downstairs is home to a unique archive exhibition which displays rare artefacts from our 160-year history, tracing our roots from Industrial Nottingham, where we were founded to make luxury underwear, to the present day. Many of these pieces such as original Sea Island cotton T-shirts and Q14 Cellular underwear from the early 1900s have never been displayed outside our archive in Long Eaton.

The Sunspel Bespoke T-shirt

The store also sees the launch of the Sunspel Bespoke T-shirt service. Fitting perfectly with Jermyn Street’s rich heritage of tailored shirtmaking, it offers our customers the opportunity to create their own bespoke T-shirt, crafted to their specific requirements from our range of luxurious fabrics. Though we have long offered this service to select customers, including Daniel Craig’s Bond and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, the new store has a dedicated consultation space which allows us to extend it to all our customers. Each bespoke T-shirt will be handmade by a single craftsperson in our factory in Long Eaton, England where we have been making garments for Jermyn Street clientele for decades.