Sea Island Cotton: James Bond’s Choice

The character James Bond’s preference for Sea Island cotton is referenced in several of Ian Fleming’s books including Diamonds Are Forever, Dr No, The Man with the Golden Gun and From Russia With Love. While the books mention both shirts and underwear his preference would surely also extend to polo shirts.

Sea Island cotton (species: Gossypium Barbadense) is cultivated exclusively on the British West Indies islands in the Caribbean where the climatic conditions are ideal for its growth. It produces the longest fibres in the world with lengths greater than 50mm. It is this extra length that helps give the cotton an incomparable silky feel and finish.

Ian Fleming wrote all of the James Bond series from his Goldeneye home in Jamaica. This is where he almost certainly first became aware of Sea Island cotton (grown to a lesser extent on Jamaica than on Barbados).

Ian Fleming wrote all of the James Bond series from his Goldeneye home in Jamaica. This is where he almost certainly first became aware of Sea Island cotton (grown to a lesser extent on Jamaica than on Barbados). Coming from a wealthy background, Fleming would have been accustomed to the finer things in life and cast the Bond character to some extent on his own experiences and preferences.

The production of Sea Island cotton as a proportion of total worldwide cotton production is no more than 0.0001 per cent. A licensing system and a network of long-term partners is in place to guarantee the purity of the cotton. A special hologram is included with every Sea Island garment as a guarantee of the 100 per cent. authenticity of the cotton used.

Try for yourself the experience of Sea Island luxury. Discover the Niccolò P. Sea Island Collection here.