That Japan loves American style is no secret and Ralph Lauren, being especially indicative of both the industry and the country, is only too perfect a fit for the island nation's tastemaking retailers. BEAMS recently brought Lauren on board for some throwback basics and the Japanese iteration of Ron Herman is following suit, transforming Lauren's Earth Polo textile into a series of low-key, eco-conscious T-shirts.
Operated by Sazaby League, a Japanese conglomerate that also maintains Japan's Shake Shacks, Japanese Ron Herman is a little hipper, a little suaver than its American counterpart. Its pathos comes from founder Fred Segal's original vision of Californian cool, elevated by edge emerging designers and minimal aesthetics; true to form, Ron Herman JP will often match quilted OAMC jackets with vintage military pants and style visvim shirts over ripped denim overalls and beachy flip-flops.
The Earth Polo T-shirts are merely the latest in a long line of exclusive Ralph goods: past drops included preppy essentials and puffer jackets realized in Ron Herman's signature blue hue. Of course, these tees are as basic as drops get, perfect for Ron Herman's perpetual West coast summer and ready to be stained by some animal-style In-N-Out.
Realized in white, green, orange, black, navy, red, and that aforementioned royal blue, the Pony-branded tees are cut from an upcycled cloth, the first Ralph Lauren T-shirt of its kind (Earth Polos are usually, well, polo shirts). A dozen plastic bottles, give or take a few, go into each tee, the tags, and even the stitches. Of course, there's no such thing as truly "sustainable" fashion, especially within a capitalistic framework, but there's nothing wrong with an optimistic first step towards a greener future.
The tees retail at ￥14,300 (approximately $130) a pop, and drop May 15.
