Sporting an Icon

Style is the ultimate test of individualism, and like art, finds unique ways of self-expression. This year celebrates one of the most iconic products from an equally iconic fashion brand: Ralph Lauren’s Polo Shirt. To mark 50 years of this style legend, a new coffee table book has been published by Rizzoli International, which reflects on the incredible cultural impact that this enduring wardrobe classic has had over the past five decades. But the past is only perfect when it finds a way to become relevant in the present. The brand has also reintroduced the Polo shirt to a new generation of consumers through a series of initiatives and installations, a collection of sustainable, creative and customisable Polo Shirts are also available for purchase. Immersive storytelling apart, the Polo shirt is a uniquely American cultural symbol that embodies a chic casualness. “The Polo shirt is to Ralph Lauren what Mickey Mouse is to Disney or the Empire State Building is to New York City.” Icons in the realm of fashion may be plentiful but when it comes to style, creativity seeks only a handful. As Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation, says in the introduction: “I wanted the shirt to become part of the life of the person who wore it. I never knew that after fifty years it would become such a personal icon all over the world…”