When it comes to creating a definitive understanding of menswear, what you often find is a vast network of roots and branches that spread far and wide. Between denim jeans’ origins as uniform for miners, factory workers and farmers during the nineteenth century, the rise of the t-shirt thanks to early film stars, the dapper Ivy style that defines cultural depictions of prestigious universities, and countless other reference points, what we now understand instinctively as menswear is incredibly fragmented in its origins. The reason the image comes to mind so quickly today is largely down to the work of one man who brought all those influences together and created the essential wardrobe: Ralph Lauren. Although classic pieces like oxfords, chinos, flannels, and polo shirts had long been staples for the men during the twentieth century, it was Ralph Lauren who first endeavored to create classic clothing, purposefully designed for men to wear and look stylish. Virtually every brand that launches today aims to create clothing for a specific type of customer. With his erudite blend of Ivy and prep styles, everyday apparel, country club uniform and timeless workwear-rooted silhouettes, Ralph Lauren’s muse was simple; everyday sophistication. In the 50 years that have now passed since he first set up shop in a makeshift showroom in the Empire State Building, Ralph Lauren and his label’s distinctive Pony logo have become household names in every corner of the globe, with cultural resonance everywhere; from hip-hop to punk; from skateboarding to basketball; from Ivy League corridors to European soccer stadiums. We all have our own understanding of what Polo Ralph Lauren represents, but to say that Polo Ralph Lauren is one of the most popular brands among consumers isn’t enough, because the template laid out by Ralph Lauren as a designer and cultural curator is one that has been replicated and imitated by virtually every other menswear designer who followed—whether they realized it or not. Put simply, he’s your favorite designer’s favorite designer. So we spoke to some of the leading figures in menswear right now to ask them about the enduring appeal of something as simple as a Ralph Lauren oxford shirt, and how that came to represent something much bigger than an embroidered Pony logo.

“Ralph Lauren captured the American identity in a way that, no one had before—expanded on it, even. There was the reality of prep style, and then there was Ralph’s version, which was suped-up. More interesting, and more fun. I grew up in Long Island, a community where all those influences Ralph Lauren was drawing from actually existed. It was already in us, so we just appreciated the fact that he did it well and gave us options that weren’t really there prior. Before Ralph Lauren, prep, Americana, whatever you want to call it, was pretty narrow; blazers, white oxford shirts, khakis, jeans, Shetland sweaters. He took that as a platform and went way beyond, but the core lifestyle he was representing was already around us. When we talk about Polo Sport and Snow Beach, that was never intended to be for ‘urban’ kids, but this is the beauty of people. Skateboarding and hip-hop communities really created themselves, taking and borrowing from other places and making it their own. With Polo, a lot of it had to do with flexing. ‘This is the stuff that symbolizes success, so here I am, check it out.’ But what people have to understand about New York in the late ‘80s is that 99% of the skate industry was out in California, and a lot of it was basically shared with surf. For kids in New York skating at the Brooklyn Banks or whatever, pink-and-yellow shorts don’t necessarily make sense. You know, we have weather here! The environment was rough, the places you were skating were kind of sketchy, and the clothing reflected that. Additionally, you were still in New York, a center of culture and fashion, so whatever was happening was still going to influence these kids. I find it really fascinating, what occurred with brands like Polo, and how it eventually became the overarching skateboarding look. Even today, it’s really left a mark on the entire industry. Before Polo, skateboarding was more surf and punk inspired—for lack of a better word, ‘raggedy’. But the New York kids looked fresh. You might go skate in some fucked up sneakers during the day, but if you were going to a house party that evening, you weren’t gonna look fucked up. And that was the New York thing.”

“In the UK, Polo has always been typified by oxford shirts, Harrington jackets, anything like that with the Pony logo on it—the Polo Sport phenomenon was much more rooted in the New York scene. For me, that relationship started in school, maybe 14 or 15 years old, at that age where you’re just starting to really form your own opinions and tastes. The thing is, for young kids looking to dress well, there weren’t many options, and Ralph Lauren was almost an entry point. It was a relatively-affordable designer brand, the first step. It was almost like a rite of passage. You had to have a Ralph Lauren Harrington jacket as a way of proving you’re not a kid anymore. It was also part of what was going on with club culture in the UK at the time; if you wanted to get in, you had to wear a shirt, and the Ralph shirt was the go-to option. You’d walk past a queue of people lining up and it was almost like a rainbow of pastel oxford shirts and Pony logos. Even when we talk about Ralph’s legacy in skateboarding, I remember reading in magazines about skaters in New York wearing Polo and Nautica. Obviously, they meant Polo Sport, but I read that and interpreted it as classic Polo. It was like cross-pollination but in a much more British style because we never saw as much of the Polo Sport stuff. That’s the thing with Polo—it can be worn across the board. It might have been targeted toward a particular group, and it’s certainly popular among well-heeled, well-to-do people, but it’s also worn by absolute scallywags. And they’re all buying it for the same reason—‘That’s simple and easy to wear, and with that little Pony on my chest, I can show people I’m doing well for myself.’”

“Ralph Lauren is a true lifestyle brand. Not just in the sense that they make homewares and lifestyle goods, but in the sense that you want to live the ‘Ralph Lauren’ lifestyle. They’re an aspirational brand, but they’ve also created this image of what Ralph Lauren is—you can close your eyes and everyone sort of thinks of the same thing. It’s more than any one piece of clothing. You take in the whole Ivy and Prep thing, all those connotations to a life you don’t lead, but want to. When you think of Hollywood, you think of glitz and glamor, silk tuxedos, but this was more than that. It was the hardworking laborer as well. The plaid shirts, the lumber jackets. It wasn’t workwear, but he was clearly looking at the people who built the American Dream. His wardrobe was very much inspired by that. If you think about what’s happened during these last 50 years, that’s kind of when fashion became the expressive art-form that it is. Roughly before that, it was clothes; stuff you wore because you needed to wear something. When pop culture happened, clothing became affordable and people wanted to express themselves. Ralph Lauren didn’t necessarily start that, but he was part of that movement, giving people stuff they could buy to express who they are. That’s branding. It’s a luxury brand. It’s aspirational. But those polo shirts are an affordable and easy way to bind yourself to the brand, similar to a perfume or a handbag. I think also, growing up in Europe, it’s quintessentially American. Whether you’re from the UK or Sweden, we’ve always been obsessed with American culture—food, music, film, and clothing. Next to the Marlboro Man, what represents that more than Ralph Lauren?” As the comments above demonstrate, that the Ralph Lauren aesthetic depicts a particular way of life never stopped others from being able to enjoy it. Not only that, where other labels might have tried to wrangle their name out of the hands of customers they didn’t relate to, it feels like Ralph Lauren was always much more democratic. After all, if you’re going to be the menswear label of the everyman, it doesn’t make much sense if you can’t be worn by every man. Ultimately, what shines through most about the legacy of Ralph Lauren as both a brand and a designer is the way he managed to synthesize so many distinctive looks into a cohesive style. In many ways, what the label has done since its launch 50 years ago is collate dozens of reference points from everyday life and represent them in an elevated form. But more than anything else, the great skill of Ralph Lauren the designer is one that has been innate to every fashion great—an ability to look at disparate markers and concepts and create a singular thread that runs through them all. Cowboys, military men, rappers, country club members, Ivy League students, skateboarders, alpine explorers; all are united through their place in our collective consciousness, whether real and romanticized. The mythos of the American dream put to cloth.