Sunspel - disappointed!! Whats happened?

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 :(

8f96e0b6.jpg
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Comments

  • jz007jz007 Posts: 362MI6 Agent
    Wow! Sorry to hear, welsh!

    While certainly faded, the collar construction, alone, on the old Sunspel looks a hell of a lot sturdier than the new one.
    jz007
    Bond on a Budget
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Excuse the pic of my old sunspel - needs an iron!! :))

    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
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  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Here is the shoulder seam. An I being fussy? It buldges out due to poor construction

    33c297a5.jpg
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  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    the seam under the collar (hidden but surely very poor machining?)

    05b3a012-1.jpg
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  • Bond_James_BondBond_James_Bond +++ Classified +++Posts: 569MI6 Agent
    edited December 2011
    I'll be honest with you Welshboy, I have also not been happy with my 2 Sunspel polos. I bought the Riviera in Blue back in 2008 and was just not happy with the fit. I bought a medium which fitted perfectly (body) but the arms were both too short and too wide (and i actually have quite large arms) - the arms do not look fitted at all.

    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.
    The name's Bond_James_Bond
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Well thats good to know Bond_James_Bond.

    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 :(
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  • nms75nms75 United KingdomPosts: 1,233MI6 Agent
    I have six Sunspel polos -3 in black and 3 in navy. While the black ones are the same the navy ones do seem to differ slightly in colour with one seemingly darker than thr other two. I guess the differences come with different batches but that is no excuse. When I replace these I will be going to a different brand.

    NMS
    A sense of humour is no laughing matter!
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    nms75

    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 :)) especially for approx a 60 quid polo shirt!

    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!
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  • toutbruntoutbrun Washington, USAPosts: 1,501MI6 Agent
    I bought mine from a member here and didn't like that much and didn't understand all the fuss. But now I understand! It's the new (on the left), shitty version! How do you get the older ones?
    If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
  • toutbruntoutbrun Washington, USAPosts: 1,501MI6 Agent
    I must say that my fav polos are by American Apparel for the price, and they're made in America. For the more expensive, Paul & Shark has very nice polos, yacht-inspired.
    If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Well I guess they have changed the way they make them so we will never get the older version again!!

    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!!
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  • WildeWilde Oxford, UKPosts: 621MI6 Agent
    I think it might be the Navy variety with the problems, as they sell through more of those. I know for a fact that supply has been an issue at Sunspel of late, with retailers struggling to source sufficient stock to meet demand.

    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 -{
  • KittlemeierKittlemeier U.S.Posts: 432MI6 Agent
    I bought black, navy, red, and cream all at one time back in '08. The black and red were great(except they sent the wrong size in red, but promptly sent the correct size before I had even shipped the wrong one back), but the navy had two different sized arm holes. It was a pretty big difference, very noticeable to the point I had to have it altered. Other than that I quite like the ones I got.

    The cream might be good for alternative night at the club. A little sheer for my tastes.
  • nms75nms75 United KingdomPosts: 1,233MI6 Agent
    Are Sunspel polos made in England or elsewhere? Sounds like poor supply and quality control issues to me.

    NMS
    A sense of humour is no laughing matter!
  • Ens007Ens007 EnglandPosts: 863MI6 Agent
    Has anyone else noticed sizing discrepancies between the navy & black Riviera? I bought one of each within a month of each other & the black is almost like a size down.

    The pictures posted don't show Sunspel's quality in a good light at all ... did you hear back from them Welshboy?
  • David SchofieldDavid Schofield EnglandPosts: 1,528MI6 Agent
    Individual quality control issues would be my best guess.

    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.
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    Ens007 wrote:
    Has anyone else noticed sizing discrepancies between the navy & black Riviera? I bought one of each within a month of each other & the black is almost like a size down.

    The pictures posted don't show Sunspel's quality in a good light at all ... did you hear back from them Welshboy?

    My old black is way smaller then my old Navy - your def right there!!

    I have not written yet, will do tomorrow!!
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  • WildeWilde Oxford, UKPosts: 621MI6 Agent
    welshboy78 wrote:
    Ens007 wrote:
    Has anyone else noticed sizing discrepancies between the navy & black Riviera? I bought one of each within a month of each other & the black is almost like a size down.

    The pictures posted don't show Sunspel's quality in a good light at all ... did you hear back from them Welshboy?

    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. -{
  • toutbruntoutbrun Washington, USAPosts: 1,501MI6 Agent
    welshboy78 wrote:
    Well I guess they have changed the way they make them so we will never get the older version again!!

    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!!

    Yes, they are made in Turkey.
    If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
  • toutbruntoutbrun Washington, USAPosts: 1,501MI6 Agent
    edited December 2011
    Individual quality control issues would be my best guess.

    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.

    Were yours made in Turkey?

    EDIT: Mine is.
    If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
  • SeamastSeamast SevillePosts: 119MI6 Agent
    I have got a Riviera blue polo and a black polo shirt (no Riviera). The last one is smaller than the second one.
    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.



    welshboy78 wrote:
    Ens007 wrote:
    Has anyone else noticed sizing discrepancies between the navy & black Riviera? I bought one of each within a month of each other & the black is almost like a size down.

    The pictures posted don't show Sunspel's quality in a good light at all ... did you hear back from them Welshboy?

    My old black is way smaller then my old Navy - your def right there!!

    I have not written yet, will do tomorrow!!
  • Roland007Roland007 United KingdomPosts: 58MI6 Agent
    This might interest you all, Sunspel on 'Working Lunch', went out on BBC in May 2009.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROAsZrWhkCg
  • toutbruntoutbrun Washington, USAPosts: 1,501MI6 Agent
    May I suggest that the difference, maybe, is simply that the [nice] one is the Pique polo http://www.sunspel.com/us/mens/polo-shirts/pique-rib-collar-polo-shirt-navy.html

    and that the [bad] one is the Riviera?
    http://www.sunspel.com/us/mens/polo-shirts/riviera-polo-shirt-navy.html
    If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    toutbrun wrote:
    May I suggest that the difference, maybe, is simply that the [nice] one is the Pique polo http://www.sunspel.com/us/mens/polo-shirts/pique-rib-collar-polo-shirt-navy.html

    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!!!!
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  • Mr BeechMr Beech Florida, USAPosts: 1,749MI6 Agent
    This is scary! I hope they correct the problem.



    Side note: This is such a first world problems thread :)) But I totally see the problem.
  • 007 and a half007 and a half LondonPosts: 595MI6 Agent
    Got one of these and I prefer it to the Sunspel polos.

    http://www.reissonline.com/shop/mens/mens_sale/atlantic/black/
  • welshboy78welshboy78 Posts: 10,292MI6 Agent
    I will send them an email today, to be honest I can't see them correcting the color and quality anytime soon if they indeed have moved production to Turkey so I am getting my money back for the time being! My Tom Ford Polos arrived yesterday (one navy & one black), therefore pretty content - they are heavier then the Sunspel but look like they will last forever!!
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  • jz007jz007 Posts: 362MI6 Agent
    Be sure to post pics. I'm curious, as the rounded pocket does not look as good as Sunspel's pointed pocket, but from the naked eye, it's possible one won't even notice the difference.
    jz007
    Bond on a Budget
  • 7700777007 Posts: 502MI6 Agent
    Damn. I'd be pissed. That color is way off. I'd say return them.
  • spartanrkspartanrk Las VegasPosts: 88MI6 Agent
    i know i'm reviving an old post, but has anyone received any word back from sunspel on this?
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