How bold branding, NYC clothing collectors and early ’90s hip-hop culture birthed an iconic capsule.

Emerging in the same era as Polo Sport, ‘Stadium’ changed the trajectory of fashion and streetwear, bringing the two closer together permanently and forever altering Ralph Lauren’s own design language.
While sportswear-as-fashion and terms like “athleisure” might be commonplace today, it wasn’t long ago that the two worlds were starkly divided. It was only with the emergence of jogging toward the end of the ’70s that the idea of regular exercise outside of competitive sports took off. With that came a gradual demand for athletic gear that was more than just utilitarian.

Ralph Lauren was uniquely positioned to answer this call in the early ’90s. As both a credible fashion label and one with implicit connections to sports like golf, polo and skiing, producing sportswear goods under the Ralph Lauren mantel was a no-brainer. And because sportswear is all about visibility—colors, numbers, names, sponsors and so on—Ralph Lauren’s efforts to create authentic sportswear entailed the same thing: big, bright colors with even bigger branding details. ‘Stadium’ fit this philosophy to a tee, reimagining track jackets, sweatsuits, windbreakers and more with Ralph Lauren branding and track-and-field iconography.

It was one of the earliest examples of a fashion label experimenting with the way its products, and by extension the brand itself, presented itself to the world. In 1992, even the idea of a sportswear giant like Nike releasing shoes in a variety of colorways was still incredibly novel. With ‘Stadium,’ one of America’s most recognizable and beloved fashion labels decided to zig while others zagged, adding stories around typography, logo placement and graphics to its mythology. Gone is the ubiquitous Pony logo. In its place are “POLO SPORT” and “STADIUM” chest prints, alongside new P-Wing logos.

An equally important movement that played heavily into ‘Stadium’ collection’s success was the Lo Lifes. The loose collective of Ralph Lauren collectors, originating in New York City but spread across the entire United States, first made their names collecting—by any means necessary—Polo Sport pieces. Like Air Jordans, Timberland boots and Champion hoodies, Ralph Lauren’s co-sign by New York City’s flourishing hip-hop culture effectively turned Ralph Lauren, Polo Sport and any associated sublines into instant must-have items.
The impact was more than street-level, however. Ralph’s ’90s sportswear lines found purchase among numerous high-profile names, most notably Wu-Tang’s Raekwon, who was famously shot in the notorious Snow Beach windbreaker jacket for the group’s 1994 “Can It Be All So Simple” music video. And the fervor that has kicked up any time Kanye West has been photographed with Ralph Lauren himself goes to show that the roots laid down during that period run deep, and remain inextricable from the long arc of street culture and fashion history.

Effectively, ‘Stadium’ did for menswear what Air Jordans did for sneakers, creating the very idea of ready-to-wear clothing as something to be collected and cherished. Considering the modern iteration of this phenomenon, Supreme, was itself heavily influenced by this period in Ralph Lauren history—James Jebbia famously revealed the American icon to be his biggest inspiration—goes some way in illustrating it was Ralph Lauren and the Lo Life movement that first created the formula.
In 2017, Ralph Lauren revived the ‘Stadium’ collection to commemorate the line’s 25th anniversary, reinforcing the capsule’s impact on global style. And now the collection returns once more. Given Japan’s own penchant for subculture, nostalgia and Americana-done-better, the ‘Tokyo Stadium’ collection, featuring new designs adorned with the original’s 1992 decorative marks, encapsulates the spirit behind the capsule’s irresistible appeal.

American labels standing shoulder to shoulder with the revered houses of Europe has historically been something of an anomaly. Undoubtedly, the country has produced a plethora of successful brands over the years, but few have succeeded in enduring through trends and across generations. Out of all of them, Ralph Lauren accomplished that. And it’s hardly difficult to see why. Ralph Lauren is underpinned by a single guiding concept: America. It’s an idea that’s both broad and all-encompassing enough that it speaks to people on a grand level, and yet small and subjective enough that anyone can bring their own interpretation and meaning to it.&nbsp;
In the traditional form, the America of Ralph Lauren is one of country clubs, old money, Ivy League graduates and family connections. With ‘Stadium,’ Ralph Lauren’s guiding light is reconfigured to speak to the journey towards something else. A journey whose path and end point is determination, competition, defiance, a will to outperform and outshine all others, to go from one among the crowd to the name people remember and write down in the history books to come. Ralph Lauren holds these two concepts simultaneously, speaking to two entirely different subsections of the American consumer. Ralph Lauren ‘Stadium’ has endured because it’s built on the most enduring mythology of all: the American Dream.

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Tank Top 'Red/White/Aviator Navy'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Trainer '1992'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Jacket 'Aviator Navy/Whte/Sapphire Str'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Short 'Red'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Classic Fit Polo Shirt 'Aviator Navy Multi'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Ball Cap 'Aviator Navy/Whte/Sapphire Str'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Hoodie 'White'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Vest 'Aviator Navy'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Waist Pack 'Navy/Royal'

Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Tear-Away Pant 'Red'

Shop Polo Ralph Lauren Tokyo Stadium Collection

The Enduring Appeal of Polo Ralph Lauren’s ‘Stadium’ Collection

Paris Fashion Week returns, replete with oversized puffers, tonal outfits and clashing patterns.


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