Three years after Polo Ralph Lauren broke ground with a collection and collaboration with Spelman and Morehouse Colleges, the legacy fashion house has its sights set on The Vineyard.
On Thursday, July 24, Polo Ralph Lauren will release a new limited-edition capsule collection honoring Oak Bluffs, the historic Black summer coastal enclave on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, long known as a summer vacation spot for many Black elites. The line, which will be available globally on RalphLauren.com, blends that signature regal Ralph Lauren preppy aesthetic with the cultural richness of the Black nautical town. It’s dropped with stunning visuals depicting Black collegiate vacationers taking on The Bluffs in crisp summer whites, striped rugby shirts, resort formal styles, cardigans, and pastels.
Designed in collaboration with Morehouse and Spelman alumni on Ralph Lauren’s creative team, the collection, with a pastel meets rich-maroon palate, includes coastal crewnecks emblazoned with collegiate markings and Oak Bluffs monograms, varsity jackets embossed with Oak Bluffs details, collegiate cable-knit sweaters, rugby shirts, summer dinner jackets, a white wrap dress, caps, preppy patchwork outerwear, and more.
According to a release, the Polo Ralph Lauren for Oak Bluffs collection “speaks to the on-island styles” of residents—dating back generations—and vacationers alike, whose summer fashions often include mixing their college baseball caps with their “salt-weathered” crewnecks along with their swimwear.
“This collection is about more than a charming coastal town; it’s a story of the American dream,” said Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation. “Oak Bluffs’ unique history, traditions and sense of community deeply inspire me and speak to what we are all searching for – a place where you can be free, uncontrived, joyful and truly at home.”
The collection is the latest installment of Ralph Lauren’s ongoing Design with Intent initiative, a corporate and creative commitment to uplift the many diverse and underrepresented voices in the broader story of American style. This latest line, arriving on the heels of the successful SpelHouse capsule collection that dropped in 2022, is meant to also celebrate the legacy of the many Black HBCU students and alumni who flock to The Vinyard’s shores every summer.
Oak Bluffs has come to hold a singular place in Black American history. In the late 1800s, it was one of the few towns on Martha’s Vineyard where Black families could own property and vacation freely. It quickly evolved into a beloved summer haven for Black laborers and migrants from the South seeking respite and opportunity, and later for professionals, artists, politicians, and entertainers. Over the decades, it’s welcomed generations of legacy families and cultural icons alike, from early civil rights leaders to luminaries like Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Diane Carroll, Spike Lee, and President Barack and Michelle Obama. The town’s iconic gingerbread cottages, slow-strolling promenades, and longstanding traditions have become synonymous with Black excellence, wealth, and joy.
To further contextualize the collection and the legacy of Oak Bluffs, Ralph Lauren is also releasing “A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs,” a short documentary. Directed by author and filmmaker Cole Brown with photography by Nadine Ijewere and cinematography by Azariah Bjørvig, the film—through oral histories, archival footage, and sweeping visuals of the island—captures the intergenerational story of the town. The film will premiere on July 24 on Ralph Lauren’s YouTube channel and will also screen on August 8 at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.
As with the first SpelHouse capsule collection and the several other projects that have come through the brand’s Design with Intent efforts, this latest line continues to challenge who gets to be synonymous with the story of American style.
