Daniel W. Fletcher (L) and Wales Bonner (R). Image credits: GoRunway.com, Wales Bonner
Caps and jerseys aside, if any aspect of rugby was to become properly ‘cool’ again, it would be the rugby polo. Classic, undoubtedly preppy, and built to last, the rugby polo has been adopted by the style set for years. Constantly in the rotation of preppy stalwarts Ralph Lauren, Rowing Blazers, and locally Nautica, the collared polo is an unfussy, glamorous version of the humble sweatshirt. Which, historically, made it so popular with the rappers and Lo Lifes of the ’90s that made prep their own, remixing it in a new light. And while the style might have changed little, the offering has gone beyond what Ralph Lauren became closely associated with. Fashion loves borrowing from streetwear, so it’s no surprise we’re seeing it on the runway in these more elevated iterations.
This next resurgence, on one hand, lies in the ‘anti-fashion’-ness of it all. Rugby, not being the popular sport it is today as it once was, has a certain backwardness to it, making it ripe for the plucking from those who want to look a bit edgier via the use of irony. Rugby shirts also have a sense of authenticity to them, like a pair of blue jeans, or a button down shirt, the design of them hasn’t changed much since they were actually used on the rugby field.