MANIFESTO

#62

NEW MODERN REALISM

Ralph Lauren’s Polo Shirt

2022.05.04

Text by Guia Ortolani

Ralph Lauren celebrates its iconic Polo Shirt’s 50th anniversary with a New Collector’s Book.

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.”

– Ralph Lauren

Matthew Levin.
Emma Allegretti.
Carlos Davis.
Jane Golliher.

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.”

– Ralph Lauren

COLLECTION

MIU MIU HOLIDAY

2023.12.04

Made of embellished dresses, eyewear and embroidered velvet slippers, Miu Miu Holiday Collection celebrates private space and the precious moment of holiday.

TRANSCENDENT SPIRIT OF TRAVEL

2023.12.01

Louis Vuitton presents the first Pre-Fall Men’s Collection in Hong Kong, where a mix of local tradition blends with multicultural influences. Pharrell Williams sails in the wake of the sailors, and together with them, he is influenced by the moon and the stars by embarking on new horizons.

Rick Owens + Moncler

2023.11.30

Rick Owens + Moncler present the creation of a Sleep Pod, a soundproof steel capsule ready to accommodate two people. In its regenerative and relaxing function, the unprecedented architecture houses fascinating and conceptual garments characterized by maximum leisure comfort.

Exhibition

Sculpting the Senses

2023.11.29

Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses is the exhibition that pays tribute to one of the most dynamic and interdisciplinary designers in contemporary fashion system. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs hosts an immersive journey through a singular and hybrid universe punctuated by the designer’s research and experiments.

FASHION

Language of freedom

2023.11.27

The exhibition at Galerie Dior tributes and traces collaborations with all the figures who symbolize the Maison’s commitment to a feminine and plural vision. The power of sisterhood dear to Maria Grazia Chiuri creates an odyssey in the exhibition that underscores the Maison’s inventiveness.