Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

A Brief History of The Polo Shirt

A Brief History of The Polo Shirt

The ubiquitous garment has origins that long precede its iconic emblazoned polo player motif.

While the game of polo dates back to the 6th century BC when it was played in Persia and other parts of central Asia, it was not until the 19th century when British military men stationed in Manipur, India adopted native Indian polo players’ uniforms that the garment was introduced to the western world, becoming the omnipresent style it is today. Initially, Indian polo players wore thick, long-sleeve cotton shirts, but they soon became dissatisfied with the way their collars flipped upwards during matches and thus attached buttons to make the collars feel less suffocating, birthing the polo shirt.



Manipur polo players, 1875.

When John E. Brooks (the former president of Brooks Brothers) attended an 1896 polo match in England and observed the players’ shirt collars were pinned down so as not to get in the way, he recognized the game-changing idea for what it was and sought to capitalize on it upon his return to the United States. Brooks soon began producing Brooks Brothers shirts with button-down collars that were regarded as “the original button-down polo shirt,” and became a signature staple of American fashion in the 20th century, worn by celebrities, artists, and politicians alike.



Bella Hadid in Paris, March 2020



David Beckham in New York CIty, May 2021.

It was Canadian-born British polo player Lewis Lacey, however, who birthed the logo of the mounted polo player when he opened up a sports shop in Buenos Aires, Argentina and began selling his shirts in the 1920s. Around that same time, French tennis player Jean René Lacoste (whose moniker was “Le Crocodile”) sought to improve his own sport’s uniform by fashioning a short-sleeve style with a flat protruding collar in place of traditional “tennis whites,” which were long-sleeve button-up white shirts formerly worn during tennis matches. Lacoste, who found his new design far less restrictive, slapped an embroidered crocodile logo on the left breast and debuted the shirt in the 1926 U.S. Open championship. Upon his retirement from tennis years later in 1933, Lacoste founded his brand La Chemise Lacoste and began mass-marketing his shirts as tennis uniforms.



René Lacoste, 1928



Models attending the 30th Anniversary of Lacoste Polo in South Korea event, 2015.

In 1951, Lacoste partnered with clothing manufacturer Izod to produce his shirts, and his fellow tennis player Fred Perry also launched his own eponymous polo shirt brand as well, emblazoning his shirts with a laurel wreath logo inspired by the Wimbledon symbol. Both the logo and brand went on to become among the most quintessentially British fashion elements, with Perry (who had three consecutive Wimbledon wins under his belt himself) finding more and more demand for his shirts as the years went on.



Fred Perry at Wimbledon, 1934.

Soon enough Lacoste and Perry’s polos were worn by college student-athletes and everyday people alike as sportswear and athleisure became more popular. It was none other than all-American designer Ralph Lauren himself who turned the polo shirt into an international sensation in the years that followed. Having launched Polo Ralph Lauren in 1967, Lauren began selling his now-iconic polo shirts five years later, with the style fitting in seamlessly with the rest of his classic, smart-casual pieces.



Travis Scott in SoHo, July 2021



Gigi Hadid in Chelsea, June 2021.



Russel Wilson and Ciara in Italy, June 2021



Hasaan Gilmer in Polo Ralph Lauren, 2021.

To the surprise of some, the preppy style even veered into streetwear once the ‘90s came along, with popular rap and hip-hop artists like Raekwon and Kanye West donning polos in music videos and their day-to-day-lives, proving the unexpected versatility of the piece, which was once merely sportswear. Today, the polo shirt exists in many forms—it can be cropped, embellished, worn as an oversized dress, and more. The universal style is one that has permeated cultures and subcultures of all varieties, becoming a principal component in the wardrobes of people of all walks.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×