Written by Menswear Style in New Collections on the 4th December 2017

The signature Ralph Lauren Polo Bear icon returns for autumn/winter and spans over 100 products including the infamous sweatshirts, cotton t-shirts and jackets across menswear, womenswear and childrenswear. Featuring the Polo Bear intarsia-knit, elaborately embroidered and printed onto best-selling Ralph Lauren products, there’s a Polo Bear for everyone this autumn winter.

Menswear introduces the rebel bear sweater for autumn/winter 2017. The signature Polo Bear channels his inner James Dean and strikes a pose on a chunky-knit sweater for a dose of iconic Ralph Lauren style. With a crewneck, rib-knit trim and subtle Ralph Lauren branding the Rebel Bear sweatshirt is a great conversation piece for all social events.

The brand’s association with the bear started in 1990 when Jerry and Ralph Lauren receive Steiff bears as a Christmas gift wearing clothes inspired by Ralph Lauren clothing. Then in 1991 the official Polo Bear was born, when 200 limited ‘Preppy Bears’ sold out in one weekend in NY, USA. ‘Preppy Bear’ turned into an icon, appearing on all Ralph Lauren clothing. It was a sad day in 2001 when the collaboration with Steiff came to an end, ceasing production of the Polo Bear and the special-edition sweaters. It just might have been Kanye West who helped bring it back when he wore the sweater for the cover of College Dropout in 2004, and 9 years later the Polo Bear was reborn as part of a Bring It Back campaign and has since affirmed his place as one of Ralph Lauren’s most popular (although unofficial) mascots.

Truly embracing events season, Polo Bear returns as dapper as ever for both menswear and womenswear. The Tuxedo Bear sweater, intarsia-knit, made from Italian and Scottish wool-blend yarn see’s Polo Bear wearing a tuxedo jacket and jeans - an iconic look modeled after Ralph Lauren’s unique twist on evening-ready style. The Holiday lineup is a combination of playful, festive styles alongside everyday essentials in a cold weather colour palette. Novelty sweaters take centre stage, featuring the world-renowned Polo Bear and iconic designs from the 1980s and ´90s. Classic plaids and tartans bring a sense of timeless charm to shirts and outerwear, while refined materials like cashmere, suede, and longstaple cotton make each piece supremely comfortable and unmistakably sophisticated.

Since 1967, Ralph Lauren has cultivated the iconography of America, as well as that of Europe and other cultures, redefining a style of luxury that is recognised and coveted around the world. Ralph Lauren is a high end, luxury heritage brand exemplified by style, sophistication and the utmost attention to detail. Ralph Lauren has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in their dream. They were the innovators of lifestyle advertisements that tell a story and the first to create stores that encourage customers to participate in that lifestyle. The brand is synonymous with American lifestyle, timeless design and impeccable quality, is a cultural icon who has built the Ralph Lauren Corporation into one of the most successful companies in the world. As the first designer to produce a complete lifestyle vision, Mr. Lauren created a global brand exemplified by style, sophistication and the utmost attention to detail.

We take a look at the popular Preppy Bears collections by Ralph Lauren known as Polo Bear worn by Kanye West and other celebs.