TOKYO — Fejringen af Ralph Laurens 60-års jubilæum næste år er allerede begyndt med debuten af PoloFest i Tokyo.
Denne tre-dages begivenhed samler Polos førende vintage-samlere fra hele verden, førende kulturelle stemmer, forbrugere og fans af mærket for at fejre dets tidløse stil og lidenskabelige fællesskaber.
Japans lange historie og dybe forbindelse til Polo gør det til baggrund, der passer til begivenheden.
“When I first came here with my father 40 years ago, we met people who were collecting Ralph Lauren,” said David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer. “They took us to see their collections, and we realized there was a whole subculture here in Japan. There were stores dedicated to buying and selling vintage Ralph Lauren, and we hadn’t realized this entire culture existed.”
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“As we started meeting collectors, we discovered they were trading with people in Italy, France, England, Germany, across the United States and really on every continent. Through Japanese collectors, we began meeting people from around the world who were trading Ralph Lauren,” he said.
“We realized that if we could bring everybody together, it would be amazing. We considered New York and London, but we felt there was something special about doing it in Tokyo. It marks our 50th anniversary in Japan, as we approach our 60th global anniversary and it’s also the 20th anniversary of our store in Omotesando. A lot of things came together to make this a unique opportunity.”
I et pop-up begivenhedsrum få skridt fra Harajuku Station og Meiji-helligdommen har Ralph Lauren skabt en detailoplevelse, der føles som en af deres fritstående butikker, med træpanelvægge, dybe blå og grønne nuancer og lagdelte tæppebelægninger, der giver en klassisk, hjemlig fornemmelse. Forskellen ligger dog i produktskemaet. I stedet for de nyeste Polo-kollektioner er der en imponerende række vintage-stykker, der går tilbage adskillige årtier, alle kurateret og bragt ind af lidenskabelige samlere.
“Ralph Lauren was always highly regarded in my house. My mom worked in fashion for many years, so she introduced me to fashion at a young age. The first designer she introduced me to was Ralph Lauren,” said Julia Rabinowitsch of Millennial Decorator. “I was always a dreamer as a kid, and I loved imagining myself in worlds I wasn’t part of. That’s what drew me to Ralph Lauren. He created entire universes out of hopes, dreams and imagination.”
After a career of sourcing fashion items in the U.S. to be sold in multibrand boutiques in Japan, Kazutaka Yadomoto opened Vault Up in Chigasaki, a beachside town outside of Tokyo, less than a year ago. The area is home to lots of active people, which works well for Vault Up’s sporty aesthetic.
“Ralph Lauren is my favorite brand,” Yadomoto said. “And I wanted more people to become interested in it as well, so I decided to specialize exclusively in Ralph Lauren.”
A total of 20 collectors from 17 stores contributed merchandise to the selection, which is organized by theme and style. Laird Mackintosh is a former Broadway actor and prominent collector of Polo ties and tailored pieces, which he sells at his store Thoroughbred NY in upstate New York.
“Meeting Ralph Lauren 12 years ago was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I told his son, who I met last night, that even though I was practically incoherent from being starstruck, I managed to tell Mr. Lauren, ‘I think you’re a great artist.’ I genuinely believe there is so much artistry in his work, and that’s what I respond to,” Mackintosh said. “There’s a refined beauty to what he has created. He has explored so many different styles, but I’m particularly drawn to the English-inspired tweed jackets, the haberdashery, the beautiful silk ties and the Fair Isle sweaters. There’s a real beauty in those pieces. The jacket I’m wearing is one of his tweed jackets from the 1970s. It’s 50 years old, and it’s timeless. There are a million tweed jackets in the world, but his are special for a number of reasons. That’s how I feel about them.”
“It’s not really about a shirt or a dress. It’s about community. Most fashion brands focus on a shirt or a dress, but we’re about a way of living, a culture, a community and a shared set of values. People may share a love of clothing, but what really matters is the meaning and the stories behind it,” Lauren said.
The opening party for PoloFest on Thursday night attracted a number of local and international celebrities, including André 3000, Janelle Monáe, Conan Gray, Mark Lee and Tyson Beckford.
Beckford, who has worked with Ralph Lauren for 34 years, said that being at PoloFest was like stepping into a time machine.
“It takes me back to when all these pieces first came out. Every room has something from that era, and I modeled some of those pieces myself,” Beckford said. “It’s nostalgic. You can’t find this kind of history and breadth at just any other brand. Maybe Chanel has a comparable history and Balmain as well, and there are other heritage brands, but Ralph Lauren is different because it encompasses everything: men’s, women’s, children’s. I don’t think the other brands I’ve mentioned offer a lifestyle quite like this. Ralph Lauren has everything. You’re going mountain climbing, sailing on a yacht or playing golf. He created a world around all of it. Other brands could do something similar, but he actually did it. There will never be another one.”
Udstillingen viser Polos dybe bånd til Japan. Håndværkere, der specialiserer sig i reparation og restaurering af klassisk arbejdstøj, har upcyclet vintage Ralph Lauren-stilar til unikke genstande, der er smukt lappet og syet sammen, indtil de får nyt liv. En af håndværkerne, Yui Narita fra Brown Tabby Works i Osaka, skabte 38 upcyclede designs på blot seks måneder. Besøgende ved PoloFest kan købe disse enestående stykker, som vil blive sendt til dem efter arrangementets afslutning.”
“It’s an absolute honor to be participating,” Narita said. “It hardly feels real.”
Lauren said that it’s not only a shared love of the Ralph Lauren aesthetic that has drawn Japanese consumers to the brand’s clothes, but also shared values.
“What you see here are the stories behind the clothes,” the executive said. “The artisan collaborations reflect a love of craftsmanship and denim, and a love of taking preppy Americana and giving it a unique Japanese twist. Japanese culture adopted American style in its own way. There’s a maturity and sophistication to that interpretation that you can’t find anywhere else in the world, and it has inspired us. Ralph Lauren is proud that Japanese people wear the clothes, but he’s even prouder of the way they’ve made them their own, bringing their own style, perspective and distinctive way of wearing his designs.”
Ralph Lauren has planned a number of other initiatives around the world to celebrate six decades of the brand’s history. While it has not been revealed if PoloFest will have iterations in other cities, Lauren said that if it did, the company would localize its content to each city.
“I think what this event does is crystallize the idea that fashion doesn’t need to be transient and ephemeral. Good clothes and good design are about timelessness. Every generation, especially younger generations, is searching for things that last. This event crystallizes our vision and inspires us to recognize that our brand is more relevant now than ever, because its philosophy and values are needed more than ever,” Lauren said. “Younger people walking through here are craving things that have meaning and value, things that aren’t disposable or discarded after a year in the closet. They want clothes that become part of their lives and get better with age. This event is proof of our philosophy, but it’s also a launching pad for connecting with a new generation. It reinforces who we are and gives us confidence that, over the next 60 years, we have something that is truly timeless.”
PoloFest åbner for offentligheden fredag i tre dage. Selvom indgangen er gratis, skal besøgende registrere sig for billetter via Ralph Laurens officielle Line-konto. David Lauren sagde, at 10.000 mennesker har tilmeldt sig for at deltage i begivenheden i dens tre dages løb.
“There’s a tremendous energy and love for Ralph Lauren here in Japan,” he said.
Emma Lund
Jeg skriver om luksus med fokus på detaljer, æstetik og de historier, der giver mening bag overfladen. Mit arbejde kredser om kultur, livsstil og rejser, altid med et skandinavisk blik og en forkærlighed for det autentiske. Gennem mine artikler ønsker jeg at formidle inspiration, der er både tidløs og forankret i nutiden.