Artist in Residence
Authentic Makers
Inclusive Storytelling
For nearly 60 years, Ralph Lauren’s design ethos has been inspired by the beautiful interconnection of history, arts, crafts, and cultures that make up the fabric of America and the world around us. Design With Intent is about ensuring the products we create and the stories we tell are authentic expressions of heritage. This means putting cultural inclusivity at the center of our design process and brand storytelling efforts—collaborating with the communities that inspire us and opening the aperture around our design inspirations
“Heritage and tradition are at the center of everything I love—things that encompass both beauty and utility, that are uncontrived and personal, and that are passed down for generations. Bringing the most authentic expression of heritage craft to life means working with those who have created and sustained these timeless traditions for centuries and sharing their stories with the world.”
Artist in Residence
A first-of-its-kind model for mutually beneficial cultural collaborations, this program invites artisans practicing traditional craft to participate in an immersive product collaboration with our creative teams
Jocy & Trae Little Sky
Jocy and Trae Little Sky are proud members of the Oceti Sakowin and founders of the clothing brand TÓPA. Their collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren merges modern silhouettes with distinctive Indigenous design elements that reflect the beauty and vibrancy of their Northern Plains culture
Naiomi & Tyler Glasses
Naiomi and Tyler, seventh-generation Diné (Navajo) textile artists and siblings, are collaborating with Ralph Lauren Home for the Fall 2025 Canyon Road collection
Naiomi Glasses
Naiomi, our first artist in residence, is a seventh-generation Diné (Navajo) textile artist, model, skateboarder, and designer. From 2023 to 2024, the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection featured three drops—Love of the Land, Color in Motion, and Denim Daydream—honoring Navajo heritage and centuries-old weaving traditions
Zefren-M
Zefren-M is a Diné (Navajo) multidisciplinary artist, historian, and LGBTQIA+ advocate. Launched in fall 2024, the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule fused classic tailoring techniques and Zefren-M’s modern approach to Navajo weaving traditions, with designs merging the old and new
Authentic Makers
This program invites artisans to create a product collaboration with Ralph Lauren’s creative teams and manufacture the items within the collaboration using traditional techniques
Chiricahua Apache Nation
Neil Zarama
Silversmith & Artist
Diné (Navajo)
Lyndon Tsosie
Silversmith & Artist
Diné (Navajo)
Ernest and Readda Begay
Silversmiths & Jewelers
Diné (Navajo)
Lee and Matthew Charley
Silversmiths & Jewelers
Diné (Navajo) | San Felipe Pueblo & Zuni Pueblo
Leon and Valerie Martinez
Silversmiths & Jewelers
Diné (Navajo)
Jimmy Begay Jr.
Silversmith & Artist
Tohono O’odham
Ishi Glinsky
Artist
Tohono O’odham
Ishi Glinsky
Artist
Inclusive Storytelling
We are opening the aperture around our design sensibilities to ensure the products we make and the stories we tell authentically reflect the communities around us
In Association With Morehouse and Spelman Colleges
Oak Bluffs for Polo Ralph Lauren
Sharing the story of coastal leisure and the power of community in Oak Bluffs, a town on Martha’s Vineyard that has been a haven for Black communities for more than a century
Polo Ralph Lauren exclusively for
Morehouse and Spelman Colleges
An expression of the spirited history, deep sense of community, and ongoing legacy of timeless dressing at these historically Black colleges
Community
Partnerships & Impact
We’re proud to partner with many community-based organizations as part of our Design With Intent efforts through both direct donations from our company and, for our Artist in Residence collaborations, via a percentage of the purchase price from products sold.* Our community partners include:
Change Labs
Supporting the creation of successful Navajo and Hopi small businesses
The Cottagers, Inc.
Supporting historic building restoration, cultural preservation, and other community resilience efforts on Martha’s Vineyard
Creative Futures Collective
Supporting the empowerment of the next generation of creative leaders from disenfranchised and underrepresented communities
Institute of American Indian Arts
Supporting scholarships for Master of Fine Arts students
The Lyndon Foundation
Supporting the preservation of heritage and craft and opportunities for Indigenous youth to thrive as they pursue a career in the arts
Phoenix Children’s Foundation
Supporting its funds for Native American Families and the Center for Cleft & Craniofacial Care
UNCF
Supporting scholarships for students at historically Black colleges and universities
*The percentages may vary by product, collaboration, and organization
