‘As always with us, everything starts with the fabric,’ says David Telfer. The creative director of Sunspel is talking up the brand’s new autumn/winter 2024 offering, comprising a lineup of classic knitwear, loopback sweatshirts and twill jackets. It’s all unimpeachable stuff, although there are a couple of standouts. First, Sunspel’s new Harris Tweed jacket – a take on the classic Harrington jacket, cut from lightweight British-made Harris Tweed.

‘We try to make clothing that’s as timeless as possible,’ Telfer says. ‘And to do that, we strip things back to their essence. Obviously, the Harrington has a lot of history. But at its core it’s a beautiful crop-length jacket with a collar.’ The first Harrington-style jackets came about in the 1930s. The piece then achieved menswear immortality in the 1950s when James Dean showed us how to wear it in Rebel Without a Cause. ‘The original was a bit more cropped, a bit bigger up top,’ Telfer notes.

Sunspel has taken steps to reign in those proportions and to create something more contemporary and flattering. ‘For us, fit is really important,’ Telfer says. ‘It’s about having something that feels comfortable but that also looks quite smart. And getting back to the essence of the item, which is that it’s a very versatile product.’

The brand has further moved away from the garment’s workwear origins by creating this new version in Harris Tweed. ‘That use of fabric can really tweak how the Harrington feels,’ Telfer says. ‘Harris Tweed is very British and more casual. It’s a subtle herringbone with an interesting tone of blues and greys where you can’t really tell what the colour is. And I think that works really well in a guy’s wardrobe. Plus, it’s woven in Scotland, so it’s full of character.’

The other new piece worthy of special attention is made from boiled wool sourced from a renowned Italian mill and comes in two options – a jacket and a pleated pair of trousers. These items may be worn individually or together, as a set. ‘So you get that modern take on a work suit,’ Telfer explains. Contemporary and elegant, the zip jacket is fully lined for comfort and features welt pockets. The trousers have a tailored waistband, slanted side pockets, a single rear well pocket and horn buttons.

‘Pleated trousers in general are really flattering,’ Telfer advises. ‘There’s a little bit more volume at the top and then they taper down. And this fabric’s got enough weight that it gives a really nice silhouette down the leg. The boiled wool jersey gives it a weight and a stretch, so it’s really comfortable to wear,’ he notes. ‘Again, it’s Sunspel taking a classic style and reproducing it in a modern fabric, so it’s really elegant.’

Business is in rude health at the 164-year-old brand, with America becoming a big growth area and Japan soon to get a number of pop-up stores. Like the UK, those countries are particularly responsive to Sunspel’s uniquely British heritage – it grew from crafting high-quality cotton underwear in the 19th century. But its success may also be down to grasping exactly how men want to dress two centuries later.

Both its new jackets and its pleated trousers come with clean shapes that will pair well with any of the brand’s catalogue of classic T-shirts or winter knits. For men, winter is the season where layering comes into its own. ‘Absolutely, I love layering,’ Telfer says. ‘We’re still selling a lot of suits in cord, linen, cottons and wools. But more and more people are looking for versatility. So, they’ve got to have a trouser or a jacket that works with lots of things. And then if you want to wear it as a set, it’s easy to do.’

sunspel.com