It’s often noted that Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, son of Jewish immigrants from Belarus. But Lauren has never tried to hide his origins, nor his company’s early financial struggles. Struggles, that is, until they came up with the Polo shirt in 1972. Seasonal fashion may get press, but if you want to build an empire, you need a beloved staple—something people will buy again and again.

The Polo shirt was not original; it copied Lacoste, down to the logo on the chest. But it had the quality of yesteryear: natural fibers, better stitching, pearlized buttons instead of plastic. It was designed to fade, to embody the easy glamour and inherited confidence of old Ivy League money, referencing an aristocratic sport almost nobody actually plays. But strangely, the shirt is somehow a blank canvas. This is its magic—this garment embodying elitism and exclusivity is profoundly democratic, thriving on mass adoption. Everybody has worn a Polo shirt.

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Ralph Lauren showed us that the American Dream is not just about making money, but about writing our own story. He created his myth and gave us the tool to create our own, to imagine our life as a fantastically gorgeous narrative. Bounded by nothing but the limits of our desire.

Special thanks to Christina Rees for suggesting the Polo shirt.

Links:

• "How the Polo Shirt Became an American Classic," by Horacio Silva, W Magazine, June 2, 2022

  
  

• "50 Years of Ralph Lauren's Iconic Polo Shirt," by Brock Cardiner, GOAT, date unknown

  
  

• “Lo End Theory: The Secret History of the Lo-Life Crew,” by Angel Diaz, COMPLEX, September 23, 2015

  
  

• “A Brief History of The Polo Shirt,” by Noor Lobad, L'Officiel, August 22, 2022

This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

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