Ralph Lauren’s Summer Olympic Uniforms Say a Lot About America
The U.S. Olympic Team’s uniforms, designed by Ralph Lauren, have been the focus of much scrutiny as lawmakers and human rights activists call foul over the use of Chinese factories to manufacture these patriotic pieces. The Chinese-made uniforms prompted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, to even claim that “the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves.” Reid went even further by saying, “I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again.” There is no doubt that the classical nautical style of the uniforms has been polarizing, but the reaction to the uniform’s country of origin has been down right scathing, prompting me to question if people are possibly overreacting. I am also left wondering if Ralph Lauren is truly to blame, does responsibility rest solely on the United States Olympic Committee or does the guilt rest on society as a whole.
First, we have to dis-spell some mistruths that have been spread around during this public backlash. A quick perusal of Ralph Lauren’s website reveals that the coat, pants and tie are actually made in Italy, while the rest of the uniform’s pieces are labeled as “imported,” which is essentially a nice way of saying, “Made in China.” Perhaps I am splitting hairs here but arguments must be based on factual premises or they fail no matter how sound the line of logic may be. So, while the uniforms are not entirely made in China, they still derive most of their key pieces from the country.
The USOC chose Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand for its 2012 summer Olympic uniforms in all likelihood due to the All-American image of the iconic brand. Ralph Lauren’s rags-to-riches story epitomizes the American dream and he is without a doubt the most famous fashion designer to ever hail from our great nation. His timeless, preppy design style reflects decades of carefully curated lifestyle marketing and a brand that is the ubiquitous expression of American style. From a lifestyle and design standpoint, Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand is the perfect fit for the U.S. Olympic team’s uniform as his fashion sense has defined American fashion for nearly five decades.
Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand is noted for its carefully curated lifestyle branding. Ralph Lauren’s vision and the story told by his clothes is uniquely and intrinsically American. For decades he has captured the preppy look and made it uniquely his own. Polo took country club fashion and brought it to the masses, making it fashionable for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds to don prep school-inspired striped ties and nautical-inspired grograine belts. Cable-knit sweaters, blue blazers and boat shoes were once exclusively the fashion accessories of the upper-crust, but Polo brought these aristocratic fashion pieces to the masses, making for a distinctly American look. Ralph Lauren sells a lifestyle when he sells his wares and each of his pieces are part of a distinct American brand that he has carefully curated; Polo items are more than just clothing, they are part of an American tale.
Truth be told, the furor over the 2012 summer Olympic uniforms seems rather amusing when you consider that Chinese-made, mass produced clothing is really just business as usual for Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand and just about every other household name in clothing. I understand that the Olympic stage and our flag being associated with the Chinese-made goods is what has drawn the ire of many, but its rather sad that it takes the Olympic stage to raise awareness of these human rights violations and that it seems to only bother people because of the symbolism of the Olympics and America being tied to it. It is also rather ironic that a brand built on democratizing aristocratic style has built its brand using the fruits of Chinese labor. In the midst of the great 2012 summer Olympic uniform debacle it seems as if it has become trendy to criticize the most beloved name in American style without considering the larger cultural breakdown that is reflected in this story, one that is not exclusive to Ralph Lauren’s Polo brand at all.
We must ask ourselves why are we focusing on Ralph Lauren and his Polo brand and ignoring the elephant in the room that is Apple. Apple is the biggest and most profitable company in the world and while their designs may originate in California, their goods come out of the notoriously brutal FoxConn factories of China. The Apple story is another tale of American success and lifestyle marketing, another tale of American success built with the hands of exploited Chinese labor. What is more American than selling lifestyle accessories that evoke images of success, comfort and convenience? What is more ironic than the fact that the status symbols that build our collective image of American design and success are built by those living and working in wretched conditions overseas. Apparently, the 2012 line on slavery is that it is okay, so long as it occurs in a distant land. To loosely paraphrase Sinclair Lewis, when corporatism comes to the summer Olympics, it will be wearing a Chinese-made beret and carrying the American flag.
