Who is Ralph Lauren and What is the Polo?

If you have heard of the Polo shirt, it is most likely the name Ralph Lauren is also familiar to you.

While the polo is older than Ralph Lauren, it was Ralph Lauren who made the polo shirt what it is today. The polo shirt’s beginnings may have started as early as the mid-1800s. Sporting teams were wearing long sleeved jerseys made from the same knitted material as the polo is today. Rene Lacoste added some flare to the shirt in 1926 producing it in white with short sleeves and with an un-starched, flat protruding collar. It also had a buttoned placket, and a longer shirttail in back than in front for tennis players. As a tennis player, he first wore the shirt at the 1926 U.S. Open championship.

Later on, clothing retailer Ralph Lauren, born Ralph Lischitz, was getting his own name brand off the ground. This was in the late 1960s. By 1971, Polo Ralph Lauren launched its first women's collection and his first standalone store in Beverly Hills, California. Ten years later, in 1981, the brand went global with its first international store on London's New Bond Street. The Polo Sport line was introduced in 1993.

Ralph Lauren’s brand now produces clothing, accessories, fragrances, furniture, operates the restaurant RL in Chicago. The flagship store is located in the former Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York City. Ralph Lauren is one of the largest retailers in the United States with revenues reaching $4.2 billion in 2007.

Some of Ralph Lauren’s classics are of course his Polo. One of the most famous pieces in the Polo line is the classic polo short-sleeved knit shirt featuring the now-iconic Polo player on the left breast of the shirt. This shirt in particular became a fashion must-have in the 1980s with the preppy set. Other Polo classics include the cashmere cableknit sweater, chinos and the oxford cloth button-down shirt.

Since Ralph Lauren's first brand, Polo, was launched in 1967, the company has expanded to include a variety of luxury brands. They include:
* Purple Label: Launched in 1994, this is Ralph Lauren's signature, and highest end, men's line, with classic, traditionally British styling. It includes ready-to-wear suits and sportcoats (made by St. Andrews and Cantarelli), dress shirts, sportswear, accessories, and footwear, as well as a collection of made-to-order suits, sportcoats, shoes (made by British company Edward Green), dress shirts, exotic skin luggage, small leather goods, and jewelry. Purple Label is only available in Ralph Lauren stores, the company's online store and high-end department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.
* Black Label: Black Label for men and women. The men’s clothing tends to have a more modern, Italian cut to its suits, sport coats (made by Raffaele Caruso), dress shirts, and sportswear, with higher armholes and a slimmer silhouette. Black Label for women demonstrated more modern, high-end casual and semi-formal women's wear.

* Polo Ralph Lauren: His first brand for men, and also the most widely available. This 'blue label' line spans from tailored clothing (ready-to-wear and made to measure), sportswear, accessories (including luggage) to small leather goods. Available at many department and specialty stores as well as Ralph Lauren stores and the company's online store.
* Polo Golf: A sporty collection catering to golfers since 1987 and often featuring celebrity golfers as advertising models (see Sports sponsorship below).[4]
* Polo Jeans Co.: Denim inspired line. Now discontinued in the US.
* Polo Denim: A 2007 relaunch of the Polo Jeans Co. line of 1996. Denim basics available online and in department stores.
* Lauren Ralph Lauren: Basics and suiting. Divided into Green and Silver (slightly slimmer cuts) Label. Available primarily through department and outlet stores, and not at RL stores or ralphlauren.com.
* Ralph by Ralph Lauren: Men’s clothing exclusively available at Dillard's stores, this label offers suits, sport coats, dress trousers and suit vests.
* Collection: The highest end clothing line for women (also carries a purple tag), as seen in his runway shows. Includes classic eveningwear, tailored blazers, outerwear, sportswear, handbags, and accessories.
* RLX: A technical sports apparel line, focusing on clothing and outerwear built for outdoor sports such as tennis, golf, skiing, sailing, and hiking, launched in 1998. Primarily distributed through RalphLauren.com
* Polo Sport: A discontinued line of casual sports clothing that was introduced for men in 1993 and women in 1996. It was retired in 2005 and ultimately replaced by RLX as well as the Golf and Tennis lines. The Polo Sport fragrance lines continue to exist as remnants of this label.
* RRL (pronounced "Double-R L"): A denim and sportswear line that takes its influence from the American West. Available in Ralph Lauren stores as well as several smaller signature Double RL stores.
* Rugby Ralph Lauren: A brand launched in 2004 focusing on collegiate apparel with a similar look to the pricier Polo and Blue Label brands. Sold at signature Rugby stores.
* Tennis: Sports clothing for tennis players. Special collections for the US Open tournaments.
* Pink Pony: A charity line of sportswear and accessories all carrying a pink Polo pony. A portion of the proceeds benefit cancer research. Predominantly for women, the line also includes polo shirts for men.

Yes, the polo shirt spurred on the growth of a number of other types of clothing but it is still the preferred style of shirt for outdoor enthusiasts and for business casual. It is still comfortable and colorful, even after all these years.

Justin Morris is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t-shirt. Companies purchase t-shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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Style, Fashion and Tennis

Tennis players and their apparel have changed drastically over the past one hundred years. This is especially the case for women who once had to play in large bustles and petticoats.

But it isn’t just comfort that tennis players have evolved into, it is also fashion and performance. With new types of performance fabrics being created from fabrics like polyester, nylon, and spandex – which breathe unlike traditional textiles allowing you to stay cool and dry even during the height of summer, tennis clothing has become functional in addition to fashionable. They are also practical in that these high tech fabrics hold their shape and color much better than their cotton counterparts, allowing you to look good before, during, and after your match, and their high durability will allow you to continue to look good in the future.

While tennis apparel for many years came in the colors of white or white, so that when one sweated it couldn’t be seen – today tennis apparel comes in numerous bright colors and prints. Tennis players are enjoying more and more the versatility they are offered off the court, during warm up and during competition. Most tennis players own a warm-up outfit, which is typically a two piece suit consisting of long pants and a long sleeved top. A warm-up outfit helps the athlete stay warm and get loose before a match, and it is also the traditionally preferred attire for arrival at the court. Tradition also holds that warm-up suits should be removed during the actual match unless it happens to be a very cold day.

Yes, there is still tradition in tennis apparel, despite the evolution of fabrics. What are some of these traditions? During a match, men should wear tucked shirts and tennis shorts, although more and more the untucked look is becoming a presence in professional and amateur tennis. Women should wear short sleeved or sleeveless shirts paired with skirts or skorts – shorts that have styling that resembles a traditional skirt.

In some places, such as country clubs or in certain countries, proper tennis attire is very important. It is important to note that the traditional tennis attire is still alive and well in some places, particularly at some tennis and country clubs. If you are invited to play as a guest at a club, check with the club or your host in order to be certain that your tennis clothes are appropriate and fitting with their dress code.

Beyond the regular tennis apparel are the tennis accessories. No tennis outfit is complete without the ever-important accessories. There is the very important tennis shoe. As with most shoes, the tennis shoe is designed specifically for tennis and it is important that you wear such shoes on the court. Not only will such shoes perform better, but they will not have black or dark colored soles, which can leave scuffs on the court and are therefore banned from many courts

And what about the sweatbands, hats, wristbands and such? These too are important as they will keep the sweat out of your face and your hands dry so that you can keep a good grip on your racket. A good sun visor will help protect your eyes from the sun above and shade your face.

Yes, in many ways the apparel and fashion of tennis has evolved and changed and in many ways it is much the same. While there is flexibility in some areas of tennis wear, there is practicality and tradition in others. The most important thing is to be comfortable and enjoy the game.

Justin Morris is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t-shirt. Companies purchase t-shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit http://www.leadapparel.com

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The History of Tennis Apparel and Fashion

Clothing, from style to fabric, has changed drastically in the past one hundred years. This counts for tennis as well. Since tennis competition began, apparel wore by tennis players has gone from full-length dresses for women to short skirts, from pants on men to shorts.

Tennis apparel has become so important that there are numerous designers in the business and Wimbledon has now become the stage for tennis fashion as well as play.

Let’s look back in history to see the changes. Starting in the 1860s when women first began playing tennis, the outfit of the day was a heavy material, like flannel or serge. Believe it or not, some women’s tennis apparel included a bustle and sometimes a fur. But that was all changed. In 1884, when Maud Watson won the first Wimbledon Ladies' Championship, white tennis apparel had become the most popular. Why? It was simple – it was all because of sweat. When the trussed-up ladies of the 1890s played in earnest, they wore white because colors revealed sweat stains. This was the start of the tennis whites, which prevailed as acceptable tennis apparel for many decades.

So now that women’s clothing was white, it was time to experiment with styles. When Lottie Dod won Wimbledon, she wore calf-length skirts. But she only got away with it because they were part of her school uniform.

May Sutton, in 1905 won at Wimbledon wearing one of her father's shirts. She claimed it provided extra freedom of movement. She created even a bigger stir when she rolled her sleeves back revealing her wrists. She had complained that the sleeves on her dress were “too long and too hot.”

Hats and bustles went out of style between 1903 and 1914. Dorothea Lambert Chambers, Wimbledon’s seven times champion during this time wore two or three stiff petticoats, as well as corsets with her tennis apparel. This must have been difficult to play in!

Suzanne Lenglen changed tennis apparel again in 1919. She wore a flimsy and revealing calf-length cotton frock with short sleeves and delivered women from the corsets on the court. Ms. Lenglen changed her tennis apparel even more. She added several yards of colored silk chiffon, shiny white stockings that were rolled to her knees, and a headband. She created quite a stir on the court with her new tennis apparel.

It seemed that the women who dominated Wimbledon set the fashion mood for other tennis players who followed. Before the Second World II, Helen Wills Moody dominate Wimbledon for 14 years. She made the golf-style eyeshade a fashionable addition to tennis apparel and also wore the familiar school-type white blouse and pleated skirt. On cool days, she stopped her tennis apparel with a lambswool cardigan.

Today’s game not only embraces new fashion as well as color beyond white, but also sophisticated fabrics. Performance fabrics that include Coolmax™ and Wickaway™ are available in a wide range of knits and colors. People on and off the court enjoy these performance fabrics not just because they are utilitarian but also comfortable while relaxing or playing.

Where will the future of tennis apparel go for men and women? Who can tell, but it should be interesting to see its potential.

Justin Morris is a Managing Partner of LEADApparel.com. LEADApparel.com offers first class Screen Printing & Embroidery services, custom clothing including printers t-shirt. Companies purchase t-shirts print services from LEADApparel.com at heavily discounted prices. For more information, visit www.leadapparel.com.

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