The authentic and timeless world of Ralph Lauren
April 2026
RL/Men

Polo Society

A new collection inspired by a timeless sport and the hand-refined techniques of a faraway place where it’s been played for centuries.
By Eric Twardzik
It’s been called “The Sport of Kings,” and for good reason. Polo was codified into the game we recognize today in third-century Iran, where it was embraced by the monarchs and nobles of the Parthian and Sasanian empires. From there it spread as far afield as Constantinople (whose emperor Alexander reportedly died of exhaustion during a match), China, and even Japan. Among its stops was Tibet (polo means “ball” in the Tibetic Balti dialect) and India. The latter was where the British first encountered the game, who introduced it to their home country and in time the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
Reversible Twill-Madras Track Jacket
C$598.00 C$424.99
Engine Turned-Buckle Leather Belt
C$228.00
Chamois Letter Ball Cap
C$105.00 C$79.99
Polo Tailored Fit Linen Suit Jacket
C$1,098.00
Paisley Linen-Blend Scarf
C$228.00
Pleated Linen Suit Trouser
C$528.00
Maestra Calfskin Penny Loafer
C$798.00
While polo has an undeniably international flavor today, it remains deeply rooted in India, which claims both the world’s oldest pitch (Imphal Polo Ground in the northeastern state of Manipur) and continuously existing club (Calcutta Polo Club, founded in 1862). For these reasons and more, India serves as the fixed point where players from around the world meet to partake in the ancient game. The Polo Society collection celebrates the sport’s elegant allure, international appeal, and historical roots by reinterpreting Polo icons through traditional Indian craftsmanship and materials. Khaki field shirts and pants are made unique using multimedia techniques including embroidery, appliquéd patches, and water-based prints; authentic madras is rendered in inky, saturated hues through the use of vegetable dyeing and sometimes further enhanced by traditional wood-block prints; and mesh Polo shirts and knits feature large-scale polo scenes set in India and based off of original, hand-drawn artworks. Myriad other details, from bespoke brass buttons to patchworking to utility-inspired features like self-belt closures, hint at the deeper story behind each piece.
Cashmere Graphic Sweater
C$898.00 C$724.99
Pleated Wool Barathea Trouser
C$528.00
Embroidered Cotton-Linen Cricket Sweater
C$528.00 C$424.99
The Iconic Classic Fit Mesh Polo
C$150.00
Paxton Crest Velvet Slipper
C$398.00
The RL67 Patchwork Linen-Blend Jacket
C$1,598.00 C$1,124.99
Fair Isle Cotton-Linen Sweater Vest
C$498.00 C$399.99
Full-Grain Leather Belt
C$165.00
Linen Suit Trouser
C$528.00
Rugby-Stripe Sunglasses
C$225.00
Custom Fit Oxford Shirt
C$228.00
Striped Silk Repp Narrow Club Tie
C$165.00
Striped Seersucker Suit Trouser
C$528.00
Maestra Tassel Calfskin Loafer
C$798.00
Craftsmanship
Eastern Standard
Our madras is made the time-honored way, with the artisan’s hand present at every step.
“Authentic Indian Madras.” When these words appear inside a Polo garment, they signal it has been made from a colorful, breathable, and distinctive fabric, woven in the traditional way in the city that once shared its name. No one knows exactly when madras was invented, but there’s no dispute about where it originated. Madras—renamed Chennai in 1996—is a city on the Bay of Bengal where the climate shifts from hot to hotter. In response, artisans handloomed a lightweight cotton fabric with a gauzy, open weave, often patterned in checks and dyed with vibrant natural colors These non-colorfast dyes gave madras its most famous trait, captured by another label: “Guaranteed to Bleed.” “Guaranteed to Bleed.” In India, madras is worn as a loose, sarong-like garment called a lungi. It wasn’t until the 1950s that it reached the West, appearing on college campuses as brightly colored button-downs, sport coats, and trousers, and entering the preppy canon. It soon became a staple of spring and summer Polo collections, used for everything from neckties to patchwork pants. This season, the fabric returns in deep, saturated hues with a signature Polo refinement, building on a decades-long archive curated by Ralph himself.
For more than 40 years, we’ve partnered with a producer in Chennai whose fabric qualifies as genuine madras, following traditional methods with a few updates. After the yarn is dyed (using mostly colorfast dyes, except indigo, which still fades over time), it is warped on bamboo frames, one strand at a time. It is then “sized” by hand with starch, strengthening it for weaving. The warp is wound onto a beam and distributed to local villagers, who weave the fabric in their homes. These households—many of which have produced madras for generations—now rely largely on power looms to meet demand, though the machines must still be set by hand. They produce up to 30 yards per day, far less than industrial factory looms. The fabric is then washed to remove starch and shrinkage and hung on bamboo frames to dry. Despite its global reach, this madras remains a true cottage industry, where the artisan’s hand shapes nearly every step. Look closely, and you’ll notice small knots and subtle irregularities in the weave—details that reflect its handcrafted nature and enduring character.
Origins
Written Up
 Bold prints inspired by an eccentric, century-old collegiate tradition take to the field (and the streets).
Back in the early 20th century, students at Purdue University created “senior cords,” where they wrote and doodled on a pair of pants to capture memories of their final year in school. Inspired by this tradition, jackets and pants in our Polo Society collection feature what we call “diary prints”—the kind of hand-drawn graphics and sketches you might see doodled on a corner of loose-leaf.
The RL67 Plaid Summer Tweed Jacket
C$1,298.00 C$914.99
Heritage Round Sunglasses
C$315.00
Classic Fit Denim Shirt
C$175.00
Distressed Leather Belt
C$298.00
The Iconic Rugby Shirt
C$198.00 C$159.99
Keaton Washed Canvas Sneaker
C$145.00
Whereas those adolescent Hoosiers used yellow corduroy as their canvas, we’ve opted for khaki cotton, a fabric whose own history is inextricably tied to India (“khaki” itself comes from the Urdu word for “dust”). Using this most neutral of neutrals as a foundation, we’ve filled the blank spaces of a jacket with everything from Gothic lettering to faded brand insignia to a vibrantly colored scene of polo players in action. The end result is undeniably maximalist, a quality we’ve doubled down on by pairing it to three-dimensional flourishes including embroidery and patches. From Indiana to India, the diary print continues to write a new page.
Eric Twardzik is a writer with a deep reverence for things that get better with age, from tweed jackets to single-malt Scotch. He has contributed to titles including GQ, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler and serves as deputy editor of Wm Brown magazine. He lives in New England with his family and owns too many ties.
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