Ralph Lauren Was Always the First. Now, He has the Stamps to Prove It
If you want to put together some American stamps for the US of A’s 250th birthday, who better to call than a certified all-American legend? Like, say, the first fashion designer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the owner of the American Fashion Legend Award. We’re talking about, of course, Ralph Lauren.
The 86-year-old designer is adding another string to his already titanic bow by becoming the first person to curate a set of USPS stamps. For any other designer, a life-affirming accomplishment. For Mr. Lauren, just another Tuesday.
The New York designer built an empire from humble Bronx beginnings that now spans everything from bespoke suiting to ornate crystal chandeliers to a famously exclusive restaurant. Now, he’s created the perfect stamps for a postcard marking a stay in one of the Ralph Lauren hotel suites. Or, if you’re one of the designer’s many collectors and admirers, another keepsake for the archives.
Ralph Lauren’s USPS stamps are perfectly on-theme. How couldn’t they be? This is a designer who embodies the American Dream, curating which images best represent American icons.
The 13 stamps include images of a baseball glove used by Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era; the Empire State Building poking out from behind American flags; and a plump hamburger topped, naturally, with a tiny American flag on a toothpick. This is the kind of overt Americana you don’t have to be American to appreciate.
While the designer doesn’t make a cameo, his clothing does. One stamp features a knit flag designed by Ralph Lauren which, like many of his most famous sweaters, is emblazoned with the American flag.
Also releasing on June 9, the same day as the stamps, are special editions of three Ralph Lauren classics: an American flag sweater, a polo shirt, and a ball cap. A trio of iconic American designs, made by an undisputed American icon for his peak Americana stamps.
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