Cable-knit sweaters, well-worn denim, a polo pony on the chest: Ralph Lauren’s American uniform is hard to mistake. In Tokyo, far removed from the Ivy League campuses and country clubs that helped shape it, it’s been reworked for decades—specifically, since 1976, when the brand first launched in Japan—by collectors and fans with a style all their own. Now, a new multidimensional experience brings that story to Harajuku, gathering vintage pieces and the people who have made Polo part of the city’s fashion culture.
From October 23 to 25, PoloFest will transform Jing Harajuku, an event space in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, into a living archive of the designer’s influence. The festival’s centerpiece is an archival exhibition of rare Polo grails, tracing the brand’s evolution from classic tailoring and outdoor workwear to graphic, sport-inspired streetwear.
The brand also invited 17 collectors and dealers from around the world to bring their best vintage Polo finds. The lineup spans decades and sensibilities: Chandler Guttersen, founder of New York vintage shop Vintage Grace, focused on prairie-leaning pieces, including an intarsia wool pullover from 1989. Julia Rabinowitsch of Millennial Decorator chose denim workwear, while other dealers will offer everything from equestrian suiting to fringe-trimmed suede coats and, of course, hard-to-find Polo colorways.
The collector culture is fodder for the city’s fashion scene. “Ametora,” a Japanese slang term and portmanteau meaning “American traditional,” describes the country’s long-standing practice of reinterpreting American style. It’s rare for a brand to put its own vintage pieces, and the collectors who treasure them, at the center of the conversation, but it’s a smart move for the brand, whose fans have made vintage Polo a world of its own.
Chandler Guttersen of Vintage Grace.
To commemorate the festival, exclusive merchandise will be available, including one-of-a-kind Polo pieces reworked by local artisans. And it’s only the beginning: as Ralph Lauren approaches its 60th anniversary in 2027, PoloFest is the first in a series of celebrations honoring the brand’s influence on style and culture. Long live Ralph-mania.
