Ralph Lauren SS27: The American Dream, Retold in Three Acts
Ralph Lauren takes SS27 menswear on a cinematic journey from the American West to an Italian lakeside to a Japanese craft collaboration and the result is three acts of impeccable, romantic storytelling.
There are designers who chase the moment, and then there is Ralph Lauren, who has spent nearly sixty years constructing an entirely parallel world and inviting everyone in. For Spring/Summer 2027, that world expands once more and it’s as cinematic, romantic and impeccably crafted as ever.
Shown in Milan on June 19th, the Purple Label and Polo Ralph Lauren men’s show unfolds across three distinctive chapters, each one a different story about the kind of man Ralph Lauren has always been drawn to: adventurous, elegant, and entirely his own.
Purple Label opens with a mood of relaxed refinement neutral and indigo tones, silk-blend suiting in textural patterns, band collar shirts and utility-inspired outerwear that manages to feel both worldly and entirely effortless. Sunglasses and jewellery inspired by the scrollwork on a vintage rodeo buckle add a quiet nod to Lauren’s longstanding love of the American West.
The collection then shifts to an Italian lakeside reverie, where the golden age of racing meets Art Deco precision. Motifs drawn from the sleek hulls of mahogany speedboats translate into sport-inspired outerwear, textured knitwear and featherweight deconstructed neckties. Open-weave and slub linen suits arrive in crisp pinstripes and herringbones, while geometric prints carry a note of mystique into evening tuxedos cut in relaxed silhouettes from unexpectedly rough-textured fabrics.
The third and perhaps most quietly extraordinary chapter is a limited-edition capsule created in collaboration with KUON, a distinguished Japanese design house. The result is a meeting of Italian and Japanese craft traditional tailoring and textiles combined with handcrafted sashiko embroidery by the Sashiko Gals. It’s the kind of collaboration that feels earned rather than engineered.
Polo Ralph Lauren closes the show with a next-generation vision of American prep. Heritage collegiate pieces including a vintage-inspired varsity jacket are reimagined through patchwork and artisanal hand-embroidery, while three-piece suits and Edwardian-inspired neckwear bring an eccentric, romantic charm to tailored dressing. Classic Indian madras fabrics in bold palettes add colour and character to a collection that manages to honour tradition while pushing well beyond it.
“Even classic boundaries are there to be pushed,” Lauren has said. SS27 is proof that after sixty years, he still means it.
Credits:
Images courtesy of Ralph Lauren
Words: Cable Writers
