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The authentic and timeless world of Ralph Lauren

May 2026

The Sporting Icons

Five Polo classics inspired by the life athletic, on and off the field.

By Shannon Adducci and Eric Twardzik

The Rugby Shirt

The rugby shirt is having another moment. But before its arrival, Ralph’s rugby has passed through many iterations, from classic prep school yellow and navy or red and blue stripes to more tricked-out versions from Polo Sport’s storied Snow Beach, Stadium, and CP-93 collections—not to mention a whole label that itself was called Rugby. Long before that, the rugged shirt held sway as a new uniform for a sport invented at the influential English boarding school of the same name; later, it became an Ivy League staple. It is the collegiate stripes that make the shirt so instantly recognizable: thick, horizontal bands of solid, dual colors creating a contrast that’s easy to spot on the field, or in a crowd. To this day, Polo’s version follows the original uniform’s details: a concealed placket and rubber buttons to secure the white point collar, heavyweight cotton for protection and durability, and ribbed cuffs to help sleeves stay in place along the wrist or pushed up on the arm.—S.A.

Classic Fit Khaki-Collar Rugby Shirt

Big Fit Polo Sport Rugby Shirt

Big Fit Polo Sport Rugby Shirt

Classic Fit Khaki-Collar Rugby Shirt

Big Fit Polo Sport Rugby Shirt

Ranger Leather Boat Shoes

The Canvas Sneaker

First introduced in the 1930s, the canvas sneaker was at once traditional and radical. Traditional in that, as the name implies, it was essentially an attempt to mimic the shape of the low-profile oxford dress shoe with more modern materials. And radical in that those materials happened to be a cotton canvas upper and a rubber sole.

The rubber sole gripped ship decks, and canvas made it quicker-drying, and it was soon adopted by hobbyist sailors and during WWII, the U.S. Navy. Peacetime saw it enjoying some R & R, appearing with John F. Kennedy as he piloted his 62-foot presidential yacht “Manitou” and Paul Newman while the actor lazed about the deck of a friend’s boat during a 1967 fishing trip to the Florida Keys.

This DNA runs through Polo’s Keaton Washed Canvas Sneaker, constructed with a cotton canvas upper whose special dye treatment ensures it fades with wear for a rugged, salt-washed look.—E. T.

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

The Big Bayport Jacket

Keaton Patchwork Trainer

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

21.5 cm Classic Fit Linen-Cotton Shorts

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

The Big Bayport Jacket

Keaton Patchwork Trainer

Keaton Washed Canvas Trainer

21.5 cm Classic Fit Linen-Cotton Shorts

The Tennis Sweater

Instantly recognizable by virtue of its cable-knit, cream-colored body and the colorful striped trim at its V-neck, cuffs, and hem, the tennis sweater is the iconic representation of a sport it predates by decades. Yes, that’s right—while the rules of lawn tennis (or as it’s better known today, “tennis”) were codified by 1874, the first tennis-style sweater was brought to market in 1840 to complement another very English sporting pastime: cricket.

That it’s wound up enmeshed in the popular imagination with another sport is largely thanks to early tennis star William “Big Bill” Tilden, who in 1920 became the first American to win Wimbledon and was frequently photographed in a sweater of the same design. In the years that followed, it quickly became country club standard-issue and part of the prep canon itself, on and off the court.

Cricket or tennis—pick your sport—Polo has offered a version of it since 1972. Made with breathable, thick-gauge cotton (or wool, in winter) and featuring an embroidered, Gothic-script logo above the right sleeve, the tennis sweater remains the ideal synthesis of sport and tradition, practicality, and style—E.T.

18 cm Relaxed Fit Twill Officer’s Short

Crest-Embroidered Twill Ball Cap

Polo Soft Modern Fit Linen Suit Jacket

Linen Johnny-Collar Polo Shirt

18 cm Relaxed Fit Twill Officer’s Short

Crest-Embroidered Twill Ball Cap

Polo Soft Modern Fit Linen Suit Jacket

Linen Johnny-Collar Polo Shirt

The Ball Cap

It’s a bit obvious to call a ball cap a classic. Reductive, even. While the Brooklyn-born hat continues to be a sports staple (in the outfield, up in the stands, on the tennis court, on the green, on the water, out at a tailgate—you get the idea), it’s in all of its myriad non-sporting moments that the hat really proves its mettle. Out and about, it has an air of mystery, the sort that can escape paparazzi (real or imagined). It looks great with a suit, statement outerwear, or a simple T-shirt and sweater. It’s the undisputed hero of a bad hair day. All apply to women’s looks, too. Polo’s hat has all the standard features of a sports cap (a six-paneled construction, seamed bill, ventilating eyelets, and a buckled strap) plus 982 individual stitches that make up the signature embroidered Pony logo. But it’s the softness of its cotton chino twill that makes the hat look collectible, an instant heirloom from day one.—S.A.

The Polo Shirt

Graphic Prints

The Stadium Polo shirt’s graphics reference posters and photographs of Olympians from the 1930s.

P-Wing

Embroidered on the shirt’s chest, the P-Wing logo is inspired by vintage track-and-field patches.

Runner’s Bib

The “bib” design at the chest takes after the paper patches worn by participants in major marathons, which are worn for purposes of identification during the race but often become prized souvenirs after.

Graphic Prints

The Stadium Polo shirt’s graphics reference posters and photographs of Olympians from the 1930s.

P-Wing

Embroidered on the shirt’s chest, the P-Wing logo is inspired by vintage track-and-field patches.

Runner’s Bib

The “bib” design at the chest takes after the paper patches worn by participants in major marathons, which are worn for purposes of identification during the race but often become prized souvenirs after.

From its inception in the early 20th century as the tennis player’s shirt of choice, what we call the Polo shirt today has always had an athletic edge. That particular spirit was celebrated in 2017 with the release of the Stadium Polo shirt, marked by graphics inspired by the now legendary 1992 Stadium collection, including a P-Wing logo at the chest, a runner’s bib, and a collage featuring artistic renditions of early 20th–century athletes. Created as a limited-edition homage to one of Polo’s most sought-after collections, the Stadium Polo shirt has itself become a grail for modern-day collectors.—E.T.

Original Fit Mesh Polo Shirt

CHF 285,00 CHF 143,00

Polo Ralph Lauren Yankees Polo Shirt

CHF 235,00 CHF 165,00

Original Fit Mesh Polo Shirt

CHF 285,00 CHF 143,00