THE JOURNAL
Our exclusive three-part capsule collection celebrates half a century of the visionary American designer.
How to sum up Ralph Lauren, a company that began life 51 years ago as one man selling neck ties out of a drawer in a New York City showroom and has since blossomed into an all-encompassing lifestyle brand offering everything from polo shirts to perfumes and pillows? It’s simple. The company’s stock-in-trade may have grown immeasurably over the past half a century – at the last count, it comprised no fewer than 17 fashion brands and four lifestyle brands operating at a wide range of price points – but it has only ever really sold one thing.
“I don’t design clothes,” the man himself once said. “I design dreams.” One dream in particular, a romanticised vision of America rooted in tradition, old cinema and folk mythology, is stitched into every garment he has ever made. A fantasy world of manicured Long Island lawns, Ivy League campuses, old pumping stations and roadside diners, it’s as American as apple pie and fireworks on 4 July while remaining distinctly, unmistakably Ralph Lauren. And it’s this world that you buy into when you wear the brand’s patched tweed blazers, cable-knit sweaters and Oxford shirts.
Mr Lauren was by no means the first designer to align his product with a certain lifestyle or to embody a certain set of values. Even in 1967, the idea of a “lifestyle brand” was nothing new. Companies with something to sell were already well aware of the persuasive power of speaking to our deepest desires (Marlboro had been pushing its cigarettes as a symbol of rugged masculinity through its Marlboro Man figure for more than a decade by then). But there can surely be no greater example of a brand that has so deftly, and with such consistency, positioned itself as an accessory to an aspirational way of life. Indeed, Ralph Lauren has been part of the image of prosperous America for so long, it has become practically synonymous with it.
“‘I don’t design clothes,’ the man himself once said. ‘I design dreams’”
The secret to the brand’s prolonged success is Mr Lauren himself. The dreams he designs are his own dreams. The Ralph Lauren fantasy world is his fantasy world. (Or, at least, it was before it became his reality.) His Western-influenced line, RRL, takes its name from his family’s private 22,000-acre ranch in Colorado. Ralph Lauren Purple Label, his most luxurious line, is inspired by his love of old-world European glamour. And so on it goes. Even now, a year shy of his 80th birthday, Mr Lauren’s influence continues to loom large over the company that bears his name. This consistency of vision over such a long period of time ensures he is one of a small number of living designers who can truly be described as iconic.
This autumn, Ralph Lauren celebrates 50 years of defining American style. To mark the occasion, MR PORTER has created an exclusive 83-piece capsule collection that features some of the greatest hits from the three main men’s brands – Polo Ralph Lauren, RRL and Ralph Lauren Purple Label – and asked three of the brand’s past and current faces to take it all for a spin. Read on for a little more information on each of the brands, or click here to shop the entire collection now.
POLO RALPH LAUREN
The brand that started it all, Polo was originally known as Polo by Ralph Lauren and was limited to a collection of neck ties sold at department stores Beau Brummel and, later, Bloomingdale’s in New York City. Even at this early stage, the visionary designer knew the importance of placing his product in a larger lifestyle context. The name Polo was chosen to evoke the affluence and glamour associated with the sport, an association he doubled down on in 1971 when he created the now-iconic Polo logo. This country club-appropriate image is still at the core of the brand today. Our exclusive collection, which is modelled here by Mr Corey Baptiste, includes some of Polo’s most recognisable motifs. Expect herringbone tweed suits, striped blazers, collegiate ties, Fair Isle vests and more, all intended to be worn in the brand’s signature thrown-together style.
Named after the Lauren family ranch in Colorado and pronounced “Double RL” – it stands for Mr Ralph and Ms Ricky Lauren – the Western-inspired RRL line is a piece of wearable frontier mythology. Picture dusty roads and vast, open plains set against the majestic snow-capped peaks of the San Juan Mountains. And beyond them – what? The promise of freedom? Opportunity? The romance of the Old West, a time when America seemed boundless and wild, inspires this line, which was founded in 1993 and is modelled here by Mr RJ Rogenski. Expect a collection of cowboyish staples such as plaid overshirts, military surplus jackets, distressed leathers and some of Ralph Lauren’s best denim along with key pieces such as full-length shearling jackets and oiled-suede trousers in shades of rust and ochre. That’s not forgetting, of course, the tradition-inspired elements, such as printed coats, which have become a calling-card of RRL over the years.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label
We asked long-time Ralph Lauren model Mr Patrick Sullivan to showcase our exclusive collection from Purple Label, a brand that features some of Mr Lauren’s most opulent creations. Originally intended as a Savile Row-inspired men’s tailoring line, it has since expanded to include less formal elements of the male wardrobe. So, along with the beautifully cut double-breasted suits that still form the backbone of the collection, you can also expect to see shearling aviator jackets, military greatcoats, hiking boots and cable-knit sweaters hand-stitched from the finest cashmere. The connecting thread? An absolute dedication to quality. If RRL is Mr Lauren at his most rugged, Purple Label is Mr Lauren at his most refined. These are clothes for men who have arrived.
