The Polo by Ralph Lauren

Equipped with nothing but sheer talent, Ralph Lauren, once a young tie salesman in the Bronx, was destined for success; his brand has been a mainstay ever since the 70s. Gaining recognition through the preppy and put-together costumes he created for the film adaption of The Great Gatsby, it was thanks to his logo that the brand became an icon. It was in 1971 that the brand’s insignia first appeared: a polo player mounted on a horse, inspired by the bourgeois sport that Ralph Lauren admired so much. Stepping into the ranks of self-made men, he found success through the polo in 1972. Made available in his Beverly Hills store, indistinguishable from an authentic English countryside manor, the keystone piece was released in 24 different colors. Short-sleeved, light but dressy, the polo is the quintessential element of Ralph Lauren style, made for a family summering in the Hamptons.

The polo gave this designer the place he deserved among the greats, as Calvin Klein recalls. “He always wore something original. I was more marginal, more provocateur […] Ralph seemed to come from somewhere else.” The “Laurenization” of America continued through the polo and its versatility, making the 80s a decade definitively stamped with the name Ralph Lauren. The women’s version, borrowed straight out of the male wardrobe, was added to the ready-to-wear collection just one year after the release of the men’s style. It was actually by request of his wife Ricky Lauren, who was used to putting together outfits with men’s clothing, that he created his first clothing line for women.

A classic representation of an accomplished and distinguished America, the Ralph Lauren polo has been exported and globalized, a muse of timeless and casual chic. After taking part in the creation of the uniforms for the United States Olympic team in 2012, the designer reaffirmed the international presence of his indubitably successful star piece. A substantive for a garment that originally went by other names, like the Lacoste “tennis shirt”, the polo is single-handedly the pioneer of an entire genre. A universal image of elites and upper middle classes the world over, the polo is popular first and foremost because of its quality, the designer’s primary concern. It’s literally a dream come true for young high-schooler Ralph Lauren, who wrote in his yearbook that he wanted to be a millionaire someday. Thanks to the polo and its inventive new releases, the brand has been going strong for over 40 years now. As David Lauren, the designer’s son, puts it, the story of the brand is the story of a polo: “It’s not about fabric. It’s about dreams.”