Portrait of Long Eaton Our story began in 1860, but for 89 years Long Eaton has been our home. It was here, in 1947, that John Hill began producing our now-iconic Boxer Shorts. Legend has it that his presence can still be felt around the factory, from the occasional trace of cigar smoke to tools that mysteriously change place, one of the many stories woven into nearly nine decades of Sunspel at Long Eaton.