Ralph Lauren FW26 comes as an eyebrow-raiser for many in the industry. Particularly, over the fact that Ralph Lauren hasn’t shown a runway show in Milan since 24 years ago. Until now. What was always delivered during the fashion week seasons was packaged in a presentation-style format. The clothes stood in stillness, and it was free roam for guests to explore at their leisure.
For FW26, the inverse is in play. Attendees were seated, and the newest offerings by the American house were given movement and life by models. This, in itself, is a big, neon-lit sign by Ralph Lauren that the tides are changing, and they seem to want to be more assertive of their presence this year. After all, sales for Ralph Lauren are up globally, as the company increased revenue to $3.79 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year. Same goes for the current cultural pulse, with Gen Z now adopting preppier-leaning aesthetics (i.e., ‘old money,’ though that term is far too played out, and a burgeoning, legitimised term is set to emerge pretty soon); all signs point ‘go’ for RL.
So, we finally land ourselves in Milan. Expectations are high. Potential margins, even higher. If Ralph Lauren hits the ball while running, consider the fashion industry officially in its favor. And to a degree, it did. In tough times, one exercises restraint. If you boil it down to its core, Ralph Lauren has always been known as the go-to for all things military, workwear and establishment-Americana aesthetics. This time around, however, times aren’t tough — and you can see the house choosing to diversify, or rather, reintroduce just how expansive the RL brand truly is. See, it would’ve been tired to play the ‘old money’ card, too reductive for a house that has always been multi-faceted.
This is most evident in the Polo label segment of the show, where American elegance is reimagined through brightly coloured pullovers, caps, and puffer jackets, styled for men who look ready to take on the climate of the Pacific Northwest. Sweaters and knits looked as if they were pulled straight from the set of Twin Peaks. Western and cowboy influences also surface, from cowboy boots to fringed leather jackets, all layered together with varsity-esque colourways of dark green and blue.
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The show then pivots sharply into their Purple Label line — the brand’s highest-tier menswear line, that places heavy emphasis on Savile Row-level tailoring and craft. The Western influence carries over to help with the visual transition. Models now don cowboy hats with sharply tailored suits, camel coats with large leather carryalls and briefcases, and double-breasted coats arrive with a severity that could give every Wall Street exec a run for their money.
“I started with a tie, but it was never just about a tie — it was a way of living. When I began designing menswear, I was drawn to timeless tradition but never bound by it. What I do lives in the many styles and moods I create. … [My collection is] inspired by the different ways men live, their individuality, and personal style,” notes the designer in a press release. Returning to Milan isn’t something that you do without making a clear statement. For Ralph Lauren, that is very evident, and its messaging shall echo to the masses.
What Ralph Lauren‘s bringing to the table is another player in the fight for increasing market share among the youth. In today’s landscape, to put very simply, a lot of the youth seem to be losing recipes. Style today has never been so abstract and undefined before. Perhaps, the brand that our parents’ and grandparents’ generations could still have a few tricks up their sleeve — and so far, they do. It’s not necessarily a matter of flexing authority (by that, nobody can really challenge the empire that is Ralph Lauren Corp); the brand positions itself as a reference point, showing the youth how it’s always been done.
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