The polo bear is probably Ralph Lauren’s most iconic image. It has appeared in many guises over the course of the brand’s history, usually on sweatshirts and sweaters, but also on hoodies, caps, bedding and towels.
The story goes that during the company’s infant years, Ralph Lauren was given a thoughtful birthday present – a plush teddy bear, dressed in a typical Ralph Lauren western outfit. The clothes on the bear were neatly tailored and made using the same fine materials as his regular branded apparel.
Lauren, so impressed with the gift, decided that such an original product should be made available to his customers too. The bear was born, but the actual bear toys were expensive to make, and therefore expensive to sell, so only the real enthusiasts could afford them. Therefore, Ralph Lauren started making items of clothing with the bear emblazoned on them.
The first sweaters appeared in 1991 and the lines ran until 2001. 2013, however, saw the bear reborn (pictured below).
As part of Ralph Lauren’s bring it back campaign, the bear sweater was the first item to be reborn into the contemporary Ralph Lauren collections.
If Polo is the biggest in hip-hop, the bear is the biggest line. Different polo bear items have become highly sought after and have been worn by a great deal of hip-hop heads like Drake, Kanye and Just Blaze. The Polo Bear trend can be seen as part of lo-life culture.
The demand for Polo Bear never ceases, that’s why we’ve come up with some of our own polo bear items: 5 panels, watches and tees.
