This season, quality British brand Sunspel have collaborated with the RA on an exclusive series of t-shirts. The shirts are dyed in the shades of Moses Harris’ famous ‘Prismatic’ colour wheel, from his book The Natural System of Colours, which was dedicated to the RA’s first President, Sir Joshua Reynolds (c.1785). In the book, Harris attempts to explain the principles by which a multitude of colours can be made from three basic ones.

Fast forward to 2018 and the historic Sunspel factory in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, have carefully matched six fabric colours with the original tones in the wheel, creating not only an exemplary cotton summer staple, but the potential for some lovely, playful t-shirt displays at their Jermyn Street store and beyond.

“When Thomas Hill founded Sunspel in 1860, his vision was to create simple, everyday clothing,” CEO Nicholas Brooke tells us. “This approach remains at the very core of the brand today. Sunspel is founded in heritage, but fundamentally contemporary through its simple commitment to timeless staples.”

Proceeds from the t-shirts, which are unisex and available in four sizes, will go towards the RA’s acclaimed exhibition programme specifically for young people, RA Schools.

“The Royal Academy is an iconic, quintessentially British landmark,” Brooke continues, “and Sunspel shares so much of the Academy’s heritage – so when it came to finding brands to support their 250th anniversary celebrations, it seemed like a perfect collaboration. We are honoured to be involved.”