Palace X Polo Ralph Lauren Reveals Full Lookbook

Earlier in October, three billboards displaying Polo Ralph Lauren’s signature pony-riding jockey above Palace Skateboards’ italic logo popped up in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. A streetwear fan meltdown promptly ensued, as social media went into overdrive trying to decipher what the guerrilla-style advertising meant in terms of a potential collaboration.

Typically, both brands remained quiet. Then, four days later, Palace and Ralph Lauren posted the hybrid motif on their respective Instagram accounts, with the promise that a collection was “coming soon”. The hashtag #PalaceRalphLauren started gathering legions of supporters creating inventive logo amalgamations.

Two weeks later, the masters of hype tactics revealed a first look at the tie-up via a Palace-directed video. The film stars four of the brand's skate team: Chewy Cannon, Juan Saavedra, Lucien Clarke and Rory Milanes, riding horses and racing cars in the desert. The Palace-graffitied motors – a '90s Golf Mk2 and a BMW 3 series E30, for those looking closely – appear in the all-over print of the menswear pieces, which the brand has now confirmed will drop on November 9th.

"It’s the story of a dream come true,” Palace commented on the campaign. “For Palace, there is no brand held in higher esteem than the one and only Ralph Lauren. Palace have been true fans of Polo for forever, but for many years, the prospect of collaborating with the iconic American fashion house remained in the realm of fantasy. Palace Ralph Lauren is a timeless collection that represents a love letter from a young London skateboard company to their favourite brand in the universe."

The capsule, which will sit in line with Palace’s usual price points, is not part of a brand expansion plan, but is born out of the company's mission to keep Palace dynamic and fun. “Collaborations – it’s what people do now, it’s like seasons,” the brand's co-owner Gareth Skewis told Business of Fashion upon the initial social media announcement. “For me and [founder Lev Tanju], this is a massive moment for us and a real pinnacle.

The collection follows the drop of Palace’s autumn/winter 2018 line in collaboration with Oakley, as well as its tie-up with Adidas for Wimbledon – which was worn by Serena Williams – over the summer. Where Supreme was always the streetwear brand that snapped up brands to pump out cult drops with, Palace is now putting itself firmly in the arena. Ralph Lauren, meanwhile, is following all-American heavyweights such as Tommy Hilfiger, which long ago recognised the profile boost that teaming up with younger, social media-respected brands and influencers can afford.