The History of Polo Shirts From The Past Until Now September 8, 2022 – Posted in: Blog
You must be familiar with polo shirts or what we know as collar shirts. Polo shirts are generally often used for golf and tennis players, but over time they are also often found during formal events.
The characteristics of the shirt are that it has a collar like a shirt, has two to three buttons on the upper chest, and has a pocket or embroidered logo on the left of the shirt. Polo shirts are one of the most basic types of t-shirts in the fashion industry, especially for men.
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First appeared for the dress code of polo and tennis, nowadays polo shirts are often used in everyday activities, including for semi-formal events. The uniqueness of the shirt also seems to produce a smart casual appearance.
Not different from other types of clothing, polo shirts also have a long journey of how they can be created and have become a necessity for clothing for various activities. Therefore, we will try to explain the history of this one shirt. Please take a look.
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Originally discovered in the 19th century
At that time, the characteristics of polo shirts were used on polo players. To be precise, the shirt is a long-sleeved shirt made of Oxford cotton, accompanied by a buttoned collar.
From here, the forerunner of the polo shirt came to hold the collar from the wind. Polo shirts were produced in 1896 by a clothing company called the Brooks Brothers. After entering the early 20th century, polo shirts began to develop.
As a result, the tennis players were worried because the previous polo shirts were considered uncomfortable. Previously, tennis players were required to wear white rolled-up long-sleeved shirts and flannel pants.
Finally, Rene Lacoste (who is also known as a tennis athlete from France) began to present a breakthrough in the form of a short-sleeved shirt made of light cotton piquet, which has a small pocket on the side, and a rather long collar.
The design of the seven-time Grand Slam winner was then introduced during the US Open championship in 1927, where the shirt design has breathable material and looks more relaxed.
The following year, Lacoste began to add to the brand’s identity with a small crocodile logo on the left side of the chest.
Seeing this potential, in 1933 finally, Rene Lacoste began working with Andre Giller, a colleague and owner of a knitwear manufacturer to start mass-producing these collared shirts under the La Chemise Lacoste company.
The product turned out to be showing significant sales; reportedly has sold up to 300,000 pcs every year.
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Become a golf sports dress code
The 20th century has passed, and apparently, polo shirts are also starting to affect the sport of golf. This trend coincided with the heyday of this sport, precisely when Arnold Palmer came up with a mix of classic elegant clothes with knitted collared shirts.
Departing from this phenomenon, golf clothes finally began to be adjusted. The golf outfit that initially wore a shirt and ties then switched to a polo shirt as the dress code. Then, in 1952 a polo shirt appeared from another competitor – Fred Perry, a British fashion brand.
Even though it was first introduced to tennis matches this one outfit has also begun to develop rapidly into one of the mandatory shirts used by young people. For example, the Mods community which is famous in the country of origin of the brand.
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Innovation from Ralph Lauren
In 1972, finally, there was an initiation from Ralph Lauren a designer from the United States to launch his casual clothing line called “Polo”. Products from Ralph Lauren have a logo that depicts people playing polo, and is placed on the left of the shirt.
In addition, this release presents a variety of varied and colorful color choices so that this product is very successful in the market and has become a mainstay throughout the world.
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Polo comes with a classic side like its predecessors, with a distinctive British clothing style inspired by the Brook Brothers brand the originator of the polo shirt who also witnessed the designer’s career.
The Current Development of Polo Shirts
If the initial development of polo shirts was made from knitted materials, now they have appeared with thinner and cooler materials. A polo shirt with dry-fit material is suitable for those of you who like to play golf.
The advantages of this material also have good sweat absorption, not easy to fade and get wet so it is comfortable to use for full activities. Besides that, you can also create your images and even have full prints.
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