Sunspel - disappointed!! Whats happened?
welshboy78
Posts: 10,321MI6 Agent
As a huge fan of Sunspel I recently took advantage of their special offer and bought another 2 Riviera Bond Polos. They arrived in the post last week.
I was off out last night so I got my 1 year old Sunspel Navy Riviera out of my closet and then at the last minute thought that I might as well open a fresh new one!! Upon opening the packet I was dismayed at how light the colour was!! Reject?? Hmm so I open the second one and it is exactly the same!!
Now bear in mind my old Riviera has been washed many a time and is a little faded, here is the "new" one against my old one
Im not very happy, love my old Sunspel polo but this is pretty poor. Upon further inspection the Sunspel Made In England tag on the neck is poorer quality and also the buttons are different and look of a lower quality too, the edges of the buttons look a tad rough and the Sunspel wording around the button now creeps onto the edge of the button and not perfectly aligned like my older shirts.
I have not tried it on yet however I'm sure the material is nowhere as near soft as the black and navy originals that I own.
I have more Riviera T-Shirts in the post also as I love how soft they are, I have a bad feeling when they turn up they are also going to be subpar.
I think they might have lost a customer here due to moving to cheaper production methods
Here is a pic to see the colour difference, its actually worse in real life then the pic (also remember my original has also faded)
Disappointed, very disappointed! I know I can send them back but I'm disappointed I have lost my fave polo shirt maker
I was off out last night so I got my 1 year old Sunspel Navy Riviera out of my closet and then at the last minute thought that I might as well open a fresh new one!! Upon opening the packet I was dismayed at how light the colour was!! Reject?? Hmm so I open the second one and it is exactly the same!!
Now bear in mind my old Riviera has been washed many a time and is a little faded, here is the "new" one against my old one
Im not very happy, love my old Sunspel polo but this is pretty poor. Upon further inspection the Sunspel Made In England tag on the neck is poorer quality and also the buttons are different and look of a lower quality too, the edges of the buttons look a tad rough and the Sunspel wording around the button now creeps onto the edge of the button and not perfectly aligned like my older shirts.
I have not tried it on yet however I'm sure the material is nowhere as near soft as the black and navy originals that I own.
I have more Riviera T-Shirts in the post also as I love how soft they are, I have a bad feeling when they turn up they are also going to be subpar.
I think they might have lost a customer here due to moving to cheaper production methods
Here is a pic to see the colour difference, its actually worse in real life then the pic (also remember my original has also faded)
Disappointed, very disappointed! I know I can send them back but I'm disappointed I have lost my fave polo shirt maker
Instagram - bondclothes007
Comments
While certainly faded, the collar construction, alone, on the old Sunspel looks a hell of a lot sturdier than the new one.
Bond on a Budget
Inspecting the new one closer the construction of the arm sleeve is def pretty poor, material warped in some places at the seams, whilst perfectly aligned on the old one.
I heard rumours they had switched to Turkey for manufacture but never seen it officially in writing. Def a case of another traditional English company whose going for £ rather then quality.
I think I'm going to shoot them an email, I'm pretty pissed off even though I can return them
Anyway i decided to purchase a black polo from them (Not the Riviera) and the fit of this one (also medium) was amazing - completely different fit and shape to the Blue Riviera. But the quality of the black one was dreadful to say the least - i wore it a few tines and after a few washes it looked like i had owned it for years, the colour faded to a grey very quickly. At the back of the polo behind where they sew on the label several small holes appeared. After that i decided never to buy anymore.
I was so dissapointed by the Sunspels because everybody was raving about how good the quality was. I'm afraid that I cannot agree.
When you pay the amount that Sunspel charge for a polo shirt you expect a little ( if not a lot) more. So i agree completely with you, no you are not being fussy.
Last year I posted another thread about one of my Black Rivieras shrinking, it was washed in the same cold water as my Navy one as I washed and dried both together (same conditions). Anyhow the black one shrunk and the Navy didnt. To be fair they replaced it and the black replacement one shrunk slightly but was still wearable unlike the other one!!
Im debating now whether to keep these two or get my money back, I now have in the back of my mind that if I do keep them then they might get worse. I mean they are more dull grey then Navy so any colour loss and they will start looking grey!! Either that or they shrink again!.
I think I will try and send them an email, they were nice before but they have certainly lost a customer here, however as stated before I'm not concerned about the £ its more the fact I used to love their garments!
I hope the T-Shirts have not had the same quality drop
NMS
The one I have is very light compared to my old one, its not even close. Im not normally a fussy guy and would prob keep it anyhow but after closer inspection and seeing the amateur stitching it has pushed me over the edge
Now to look for alternatives, I have a Smedley on the way as I do like their jumpers etc so will be interesting to see how they are. The Ralph Lauren custom fit is nice on me however the "tail" is ridiculous and I like to wear mine untucked. Also I'm not a fan of logos
I just picked up a Tom Ford for quite cheap (well very cheap for Tom Ford but the equivalent for 1.5 Sunspels) so will be interesting to see how they are!!! This and the Smedley should hopefully arrive next week!
I heard a rumour (on here I think) that they are no longer made by Sunspel in England but now a factory in Turkey! Not sure if that is correct but something has def changed for the worst!!
Im sending them back Monday morning and getting my money back!!
I own a pair of Riviera polos one in Cobalt and the other in Navy, both are lovely, soft and very very well made.
Looking at the images, I would have to agree with you. I am quite shocked at the quality of the shoulder seam, looks like the machinist was rushing and hasn't followed the right line. This, in turn, leads me to not only question production quality, but also their in-house 'rigorous' quality control.
As soon as a manufacturer starts using cheap labour and cuts corners, they lose a little of my good opinion.
Send it back and demand a new one to the standards they advertise and we all expect.
Regards,
Wilde -{
The cream might be good for alternative night at the club. A little sheer for my tastes.
NMS
The pictures posted don't show Sunspel's quality in a good light at all ... did you hear back from them Welshboy?
I've bought lots of stuff from Sunspel - including three long sleeve T shirts in the last month - and I've never had a single problem with fit, colour or quality.
Very unfortunate for you guys who have been disappointed.
My old black is way smaller then my old Navy - your def right there!!
I have not written yet, will do tomorrow!!
They are usually very good at responding to complaints regarding quality. -{
Yes, they are made in Turkey.
Were yours made in Turkey?
EDIT: Mine is.
I bought the Riviera polo in 2008 and the No Riviera polo in 2010. The two are an excelent quality. I can't say anything about the poor quality of the new polo shirts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROAsZrWhkCg
and that the [bad] one is the Riviera?
http://www.sunspel.com/us/mens/polo-shirts/riviera-polo-shirt-navy.html
Both of mine are Riveiras!!!!
Side note: This is such a first world problems thread
http://www.reissonline.com/shop/mens/mens_sale/atlantic/black/
Bond on a Budget