A first-ever, three-day event celebrating culture, community, and collecting

The Event

TOKYO, JAPAN

PoloFest is a celebration of Polo Ralph Lauren through the eyes of collectors, enthusiasts, and cultural voices who have made it their own. Over three days in Tokyo, the event brought together creative voices and artisans from around the world through a vintage marketplace, curated exhibition, and live conversations. Ralph chose Tokyo as the first home of PoloFest because Japan has long been one of Polo’s most passionate and imaginative communities.

Since 1976, when Ralph Lauren first arrived in the country, Japanese enthusiasts have developed a distinctive expression of Polo style, shaped by a mutual appreciation for authenticity, beautifully worn and repaired objects, collegiate tradition, English tailoring, and classic Americana. PoloFest explores this unique and ongoing exchange.

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CULTURE / COMMUNITY / COLLECTING /  CULTURE / COMMUNITY / COLLECTING / 

I made a promise to myself when I started as a model: “One day, I’ll be invited to a Polo event.” Today, that dream came true.

– Jeon JeongHoon

I hope to pass this love for Ralph Lauren to my kids. The timeless beauty of it all still amazes me every day.

– Minori Tachimoto

The Polo oxford shirt was my very first fashionable piece; it gave me a sense of class and confidence in school.

– Edward Man

Highlights

  • Curated Exhibition
  • Vintage Market
  • Traditional Artisans
  • Speaker Series
  • Limited-Edition Collectibles
  • Ralph’s Coffee

PoloFest Tokyo opened with an immersive exhibition tracing the 50-year cultural exchange between Polo and Japan, alongside an expertly curated vintage market featuring Japanese and global collectors - each spotlighting an iconic era of the brand’s history, from our love of haberdashery and tailoring to outdoor workwear and graphic, sport-inspired streetwear.

A daily speaker series brought the community’s most influential voices into the conversation – the collectors, tastemakers, and obsessives - unpacking what keeps this relationship alive. Among the many values that have resonated in Japan is Ralph’s belief that garments improve with age.

In recognition of this shared appreciation, PoloFest brought together a small group of Japanese artisans whose work is dedicated to reimagining a piece of unique clothing as a way to preserve its longevity. Through traditional mending techniques, they have given new life to classic Polo pieces, transforming them into one-of-a-kind expressions of craftsmanship and personal history.

PoloFest Tokyo

Curated Exhibition

PoloFest Tokyo

Vintage Market

PoloFest Tokyo

Traditional Artisans

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PoloFest Tokyo

Speaker Series

PoloFest Tokyo

Limited-Edition Collectibles

PoloFest Tokyo

Ralph’s Coffee

Enduring Polo Style

Across the globe, from New York to Tokyo, collectors and enthusiasts showcase how they have made Polo uniquely their own

The Collectors

From Tokyo to across the globe, vintage Ralph Lauren collectors gather for a market curated around four classic Polo sensibilities

Featured Collections

Thoroughbred New York

Through his store in Kingston, New York, Broadway actor–turned–vintage collector Laird Mackintosh sells one of the largest collections of vintage Polo tailoring in North America. A native of Calgary, Canada, Mackintosh worked in his hometown’s Polo store in the 1980s before embarking on an acting career that saw him play the Phantom of the Opera in the long-running show’s final performance in 2023.

Safari

Yoshihito Murayama, a lifelong Polo enthusiast who has worn and lived with the brand for more than 30 years - displays treasures ranging from Western-inspired hand-knits to rare Polo Country outerwear at his Kōenji, Tokyo, shop, which constitutes one of the largest vintage Polo archives in Japan. The inspiration for the store’s name comes from a rare 1989 travelogue written by Ricky Lauren about her experiences in Africa, of which Murayama owns an original copy.

Vintage Grace

Raised on a cattle ranch in Colorado and now working out of a showroom in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood, Chandler Guttersen has an expert eye for designer vintage that spans the full world of Ralph’s sensibilities. Founded in 2021, Vintage Grace has since won acclaim in fashion magazines and earned a reputation as an industry-insider favourite.

Reflex

Dedicated to his lifelong admiration of the brand, Tez Saito, a former Ralph Lauren employee, has spent four decades amassing a collection of exceptional Ralph Lauren heirlooms and heritage pieces. His unique collection lives within his Tokyo, Japan–based store, Reflex, which has become a revered destination among collectors worldwide.

Global Collectors

Millennial Decorator

Los Angeles–based Julia Rabinowitsch is a vintage fashion collector and curator known for her distinctive visual lens and notable curations in the vintage space. Through her Substack and Instagram, she shares her discoveries with a dedicated audience.

Procell

Procell is a destination boutique in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City, run by founders Brian Procell and Jessica Gonsalves, that carries a unique mix of vintage streetwear, sportswear, and designer ready to wear, including some of the hardest-to-find Polo pieces.

Whistler/Chart

Hideyuki Yumikura’s twin stores in Kōenji, Tokyo, are famous for their vast, meticulously organised collections of vintage wares, with Whistler specialising in “trad” clothing while Chart carries more casual goods.

Vault Up

VAULT UP, a select shop in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, owned by Kazutaka Yadomoto, specialises in Ralph Lauren. With a particularly strong offering of Polo Sport, the shop curates a broad range of styles spanning streetwear, classic American casual (“Amekaji”), and contemporary city style.

F as in Frank

Brothers Jesse and Drew Heifetz operate F as in Frank in Vancouver and Toronto, whose inventory of vintage Polo Sport and Polo Country pieces is among the largest in North America.

Big Apple Store

Ryunosuke Matsushita opened his Yutenji, Tokyo, store in 2024 and quickly gained attention for his discerning selection of Polo pieces, ranging from rare archival finds to well-chosen everyday classics.

Metropolis Vintage

Richard Colligan began selling vintage at flea markets in the 1980s before opening his Manhattan store in 1990, which features an entire “department” dedicated to Polo.

The Polo Archive

Through his Instagram, London-based Albie Robert has built a substantial following documenting some of the most desired Polo pieces from the 1960s and beyond.

Nero

Owner Raiya Sato’s eagle eye for vintage Polo is on display at his compact Tokyo shop, which carries everything from rare knits to children’s clothing.

Youth Vintage

Takahiro Arai has built one of Yokohama’s premier destinations for vintage Ralph Lauren, with a collection encompassing everything from Polo to Chaps to RLX, with a focus on made-in-USA pieces.

Chunk

Located in Ushiku, Daiki Takahashi has assembled an enormous inventory of vintage Ralph Lauren spanning the men’s, women’s, and children’s collections, with a sensibility for outdoor wear and timeless American style.

Row

Owner Tatsuro Sugihara has assembled an eclectic inventory of ’80s and ’90s Polo, Polo Sport, and Double RL at his Osaka store, with a particular eye for bold graphics and styles tied to skate culture.

Tartan Vintage

Husband-and-wife team Cosimo Ciampolini and Valentina Fiaschi opened their Florence shop as a tribute to English style and all things tweed, and have since expanded its scope to include more rugged items like Westernwear and leather jackets.

RALPH IN JAPAN

Polo Ralph Lauren first arrived in Japan in 1976 through a partnership with Seibu, opening a shop in the flagship Ikebukuro location of the department store - then one of Japan’s most influential retailers, known for its progressive approach to fashion and culture.

A Polo fashion show, held at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, marked the occasion and left a lasting impression: Editors and journalists were struck by the collection’s relaxed, sporting sensibility and unexpected combinations. One look paired English-inspired tailoring with hiking boots, an early expression of what would become a Polo hallmark: the juxtaposition of tradition and informality.

The Ralph Lauren Timeline

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