This year the legendary Polo Shirt by Ralph Lauren turns 50, and for the occasion the brand has created a coffee table book published by Rizzoli International, which celebrates this iconic, quintessential and singular piece of clothing.
Embodying a chic casualness that is uniquely American, the Polo shirt is a cultural symbol, a back drop and inspiration for many dreams, hopes, and ambitions for people all over the world.
The campaign to accompany the book launch will reflect on the incredible cultural impact that the Polo Shirt has had over the past five decades and pass it to the Gen Z consumers through a series of initiatives and installations, a collection of sustainable, creative and customizable Polo Shirts available for purchase, immersive storytelling and more.
The first chapter of the volume begins with the following statement, “The polo shirt is to Ralph Lauren what Mickey Mouse is to Disney or the Statue of Liberty is to New York…It’s the signature of the company Ralph Lauren created over five decades ago, a symbol that conjures up not only a luxurious way of living, but a chic casualness and ease that has become a cornerstone of American style itself.”
“When you wear a Polo shirt you’re instantly engaged in a profound irony between being unique, but also—because so many others in the world wear it—belonging.”
Loved and worn by everyone, the Polo is celebrated over the years through historic imagery and the personal stories of celebrities, politicians, presidents, royals, athletes and everyday people that interpreted the piece each in a different way. From a chapter dedicated to the Polo pony logo itself, the classic white polo, the weathered polo, the Earth Polo, as well as its appearance in the Olympics, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, this rich volume illustrates the whole storyline of the shirt.
To promote the book launch and to follow its sustainable goals, Ralph Lauren will offer an expanded range of the classic Polo shirt: a limited number of vintage designs that will be made available for purchase in select stores and regions, as well as on the polo app; and a selection of pieces that have been repaired by hand by artisans from the Los Angeles-based circular design platform Atelier & Repairs and given a new life.
New options for ordering polo shirts will also be available through the company’s Custom Polo, Made to Order program.
In addition, to enhance the celebrations, the company will open The Ralph Lauren Polo Shop Concept Store in Tokyo on the Ginza and in Berlin.
The shops will showcase the company’s polo shirts and include customizaion shops for men, women and children.
“It was never about a shirt, but a way of living.”
