Sunspel Archives - Style&Minimalism

Christmas Gift Guide 2018

As I’m a little short on blogging time these days I thought it best to combine my Christmas gift lists into one big Christmas gift guide this year, covering all the family. It’s much easier for me and, hopefully, easier for you if you’re able to see everything in one place.

I prefer to order online as I’m not a fan of crowds or wet weather, and if you can have something delivered to your door then why wouldn’t you. I just hope that my orders arrive in minimal, recyclable packaging; nothing worse than a huge box with a tiny one inside, such a waste.

My preference is towards more unique gifts that are harder to find but worth trawling for. I love to support small shops and brands, so I hope you’ll find something unexpected and special in my Christmas gift ideas. You’ll also find a few well-made, timeless classics; good investment items that everyone can appreciate.

1. Study 34 Crew Neck Baby Alpaca Jumper in Grey | 2. Cox & Cox Drip Glazed Table Lamp | 3. Wood & Meadow Japanese Sentei Garden Scissors (use code welcome10 for 10% off) | 4. Architectmade BIRD | 5. Price & Kensington Teapot 1100ml in Grey | 6. Grainger & Jameson Children’s Bunny Stool (website closed)| 7. Tilly Sveas Small Gold T-Bar On Fine Gold Belcher Chain (sign-up to their newsletter for 10% off) | 8. Susanne Kaufmann Best of Body Limited Edition | 9. Allbirds Wool Runners in Kotare Jo | 10. Sunspel Woven Cashmere Scarf in Navy | 11. uki.be Toothbrush & Spoon | 12. Beatrice Felicki Nordic Light Print | 13. House Doctor Atmospheric Matter Wall Hanging Mobile | 14. Jono Smart Low Bowl in Textured Grey | 15. Laura Lombardi Curve Hoops | 16. Chemex 3-6 Cup Filter Drip Coffee Maker

I won’t go into detail about everything in my guide but I wanted to highlight a few of the brands so you understand a little more about why I’ve chosen to include them.

Study 34 is a wonderful, sustainable brand that uses baby alpaca in their knitwear; it’s very warm and incredibly soft. Everything is designed in Newcastle and made in Peru.

Allbirds are an environmentally-friendly footwear brand that use natural materials like merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre and sugar cane to make their comfy, machine washable trainers.

uki.be specialise in teethers for babies that are BPA-free and made from food-grade rubber. They don’t look like your standard teethers either.

Beatrice Felicki‘s beautiful monochrome prints are atmospheric and eerily beautiful. (Thanks for the introduction Abi.)

Jono Smart makes his minimal ceramics in a studio in Glasgow. His timeless pottery always sells out fast so be quick. (Also check out his partner, Emily’s wood turned creations.)

Christmas Gift Guide: For Him 2017

Christmas is just around the corner and I’m finally thinking about gift ideas. I always aim to buy presents that are useful. Unless I know someone needs something specific, I try to keep it quite simple. I love to buy things that people can eat, drink or use in the home, as I know they’re not likely to go to waste.

1. David Mellor Rosewood Starter Knife Set | 2. Prévu Core Combed Cotton Hoodie in Olive | 3. Cate & Nelson Nº 173 40 mm Watch in Black | 4. Gestalten Small Homes, Grand Living – Interior Design for Compact Spaces Book | 5. Iris Hantverk Shoehorn | 6. Murmur Speck Throw in Grey, White & Black | 7. Native Union Lightning Cable Collection | 8. Moleskine Wine Journal | 9. Muuto Corky Carafe | 10. Willow Organic Men’s Shower Set | 11. Sunspel Pima Cotton Lounge Pants in Navy | 12. Sunspel Cotton Cellulock Long Sleeve T-Shirt in Navy | 13. ferm LIVING Brass Semicircle Stand | 14. ARKET Vetiver Hand Wash 500ml | 15. Toast Christmas Hamper | 16. PB 0110 CM39 Coin Case in Black | 17. Herbivore Beard Tonic Sampler

Toast‘s Christmas hamper contains enough goodies to keep most men happy, at least until the start of the new year. There are some things I know will always go down well. Most men will not be disappointed to receive a watch for Christmas, as long as it’s a classic style and I think Cate & Nelson make some pretty awesome watches. They’re great value as the quality is very good, with supple leather straps and Swiss movements. Loungewear has come a long way in the last few years, it’s much smarter and much more comfortable, perfect for those lazy Sundays on the sofa. I love the soft cotton of Sunspel and have my eye on so many pieces from new menswear label, Prévu (I may end up having to steal anything I do buy, so naughty). If anyone else finds their man “borrowing” their phone charger cable on a regular basis Native Union have some very nice designs that he’ll know are his (or ask for a set yourself so that he can’t suggest it’s his). Hopefully there’s something in my list that will be a good fit or will inspire you to buy something nice for the men in your life. I’ve only selected pieces from brands that I believe produce good quality products. Happy shopping.

Sunspel Factory Visit

This post was created in collaboration with Sunspel.

I imagine quite a few of you will remember the infamous Levi’s ad, in which a guy strips down to his boxer shorts so he can wash his jeans at the laundrette. The boxer shorts he wore (that revolutionised men’s underwear in the UK) were made by Sunspel. Daniel Craig also wore Sunspel t-shirts, polo necks and underwear during the filming of Casino Royale.

I discovered the brand a couple of years ago when I came across their Redchurch Street shop in Shoreditch. Even though they’re a predominantly menswear brand, I loved it from first sight. The shop’s clean, minimal style and the racks of clothing carefully merchandised in a neutral palette are all pretty heavenly.

Sunspel is a brand that takes great care over every product it creates and has done since it was established. They are specialists when it comes to cotton and for their top range jerseys they work with rare Sea Island cotton; a fine cotton from Montserrat in the West Indies that has an extra long staple length, fine uniform texture and silky lustre. This makes it smooth, strong and durable, as well as looking and feeling incredible. It’s also harvested by hand. They’ve always been an innovative brand and have developed countless techniques and fabrics, always endeavouring to make a better finished article. They’ve developed luxury fabrics, such as their warp knit (an evolution of pique cottons commonly used for polo shirts) was made to be lightweight and breathable but supremely soft. It was invented by Peter Hill, the grandson of Sunspel’s founder, so that he could keep cool and comfortable in the hot summer sun of the Riviera. There’s also loopback, the fabric traditionally used for sweatshirts, theirs uses an extra fine yarn that is tightly knitted to create a fabric that is softer, lighter and more resistant to pilling.

Sunspel invited me to visit their factory up in Long Eaton, just outside Nottingham, an area which was once the centre of British lace-making. An early start, a short train ride out of London and we arrived at the factory, which includes two of the red brick buildings the brand moved their (then) underwear business to, back in 1937. We were welcomed by the factory’s manager, John, a man with a wealth of knowledge about the industry.

I was introduced to many of the team at the factory and was given an insight into how their classic men’s cotton t-shirt is made, going from the cutting table, through to the finished packaged garment. When you’ve see this in-person it really changes your perspective on how you view a garment. Seven women were involved in the making of that one t-shirt, you couldn’t get much more handmade than that. They work with precision and speed. I got the chance to try using one of the machines, hemming the sleeves of a t-shirt; I went at half their speed.

Fewer, Better Things

What Is Slow Fashion?

Slow fashion is the antithesis of fast fashion, it’s a backlash against cheap labour, poor quality, environmental damage and unnecessary consumerism. It’s about buying well-made products that will be used again and again until they finally fall apart and can’t be mended, or (with beauty products) you have scraped the last drop from the pot. More is not always better, certainly not for the environment and the welfare of factory workers around the world. And more can mean harder decisions for you every day.

When I go into a shop and try on clothes I don’t just look to see how they fit, I look for good craftsmanship and quality materials, whether they’re organic and where they’ve been made. I want to know as much as possible about a product and where it comes from before I commit to investing in the company that’s made it. Every time you buy from a brand that’s what you’re doing, saying that you want to give them your money to keep doing what they are doing, and that you approve of what they are doing.

Why not invest in brands that are not only making something beautiful but also doing something that’s good for the world. Knowing which brands are isn’t always that obvious so my research often starts before I leave home. Slow fashion brands are not trend lend, they look to create something that is timeless and often classic. They tend to be the brands that create wardrobe basics and essentials.

Favourite Slow Fashion Brands:

Tag: Sunspel