Nov 01, 2018 Why Palace X Polo Ralph Lauren is Huge
London’s Palace Skateboards revealed their collaboration with one and only Polo Ralph Lauren earlier this week. After a billboard with the iconic Polo logo with Palace was popping up in Tokyo’s Shibuya District, streetwear social media went into a frenzy and days later both Palace and Polo RL posted the lookbook for the upcoming collaboration. This is the biggest moment in streetwear, even bigger than the Supreme X Louis Vuitton collab.
Ralph Lauren is widely considered the greatest designer of our time, from the likes of Kanye West to James Jebbia. Polo Ralph Lauren is an iconic brand due to being beloved by the streets and the country clubs. It’s aspirational yet attainable, bougie yet proletarian. It sums up the American Dream. Although Polo RL is this iconic and recognizable brand, it’s never been too keen on collaborations. Outside of sponsoring sporting events such as the US Open and outfitting the US Olympic Team, Polo RL always seemed to be in its own lane and by not collaborating with other brands, it wanted to maintain that status.
This all changes on November 9th when the Palace X Polo Ralph Lauren collection drops. “For Palace, there is no brand held in higher esteem than the one and only Ralph Lauren. Palace have been true fans of Polo for forever, but for many years, the prospect of collaborating with the iconic American fashion house remained in the realm of fantasy. Palace Ralph Lauren is a timeless collection that represents a love letter from a young London skateboard company to their favourite brand in the universe.” This cements the influence and legacy of streetwear on a new level while also keeping the spirit of Polo Ralph Lauren alive. There’s no better representation of this collab than seeing the classic Polo Bear kickflipping on the sweater.
While this is a true game changer, only time will tell if this is a one-off or a new direction for Polo Ralph Lauren. With classic Polo RL collections such as Snow Beach, Stadium, CP-93 and Hi-Tech being rereleased in the last few seasons, will Polo keep digging through the crates or work with other brands to stay relevant. The full lookbook can be seen here and the Palace X Polo Ralph Lauren collection drops on November 9th on Palaceskateboards.com, Polo.com and at Dover Street Market.