Calling all skaters: Ralph Lauren has teamed up with Palace. We don’t know exactly when, but we do know it’s happening and it’s going to be huge. So brace yourselves and take this time to get your finances in order. Here’s what we know so far: four days ago three cryptic billboards appeared in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, upon them was plastered a deep blue background with two contrasting white logos. The first, Ralph Lauren’s signature polo player motif, frozen readying his mallet, which sat above the increasingly iconic italicised Palace logo. After copious amounts of frenzied speculation from various news outlets and a global hubbub, it was revealed that, yes, it is true, Ralph Lauren and Palace will be dropping a collaborative collection “immanently”.
This really isn’t Palace’s first rodeo, the adroitly seasoned pro-collaborators already have successful collections with adidas, Reebok, Umbro and most recently Oakley under their belt. Ralph Lauren, on the other hand, are virgins to the game. After 50 years of business, this will be the preppy American brand’s entry point into the world of streetwear. Who can forget the success of skate brand Supreme and Kim Jones’s Louis Vuitton’s 2017 range, which still has fans heads rolling and with some hypebeasts willing to fork out up to £44,000 on the resell market. Gulp.
If you know anything about skaters you will know that Ralph Lauren shirts, chinos, polos, jackets, boxers and caps have all been sartorial staples since day. “It’s the only brand that you can wear to a board meeting, a funeral and go to the football in – and all in the same day,” Palace’s founder Lev Tanju told Business of Fashion. “For me and Lev, this is a massive moment for us and a real pinnacle,” adds co-owner Gareth Skewis. So it’s pretty darn fitting that Palace’s first clothing collaboration should be an ode to their favourite brand. This really is a collab-come-true. “Palace Ralph Lauren is a timeless collection that represents a love letter from a young London skateboard company to their favourite brand in the universe,” read Ralph Lauren’s Instagram caption. Awh! We’ve got our fingers crossed that those teddy bears from RL’s SS19 show make an appearance.
