Ralph Lauren has revealed a Morehouse College and Spelman College capsule collection honoring the history and sartorial traditions of both colleges. The full collection, which includes outerwear, knits, tailored suits, dresses, footwear, accessories and more, is an ode to 1920s to 1950s collegiate style and was inspired by the photographs, motifs and mottos as featured in the schools’ yearbooks and newsletters from the era.
For the project, the label brought on Black creative directors, photographer (Nadine Ijewere), cinematographer and models, who were comprised largely of Morehouse and Spelman students.
The project was organized by James Jeter, Ralph Lauren director of concept design and special projects, Morehouse College alum (class of 2013), who told WWD. “A lot of this project was really about changing ownership around how we think about clothing. So who owns three-piece suits? Who owns cable cardigans? Who owns the circle skirt, for instance?
“And while it’s typically and historically been relegated to Ivy League schools, if you see a lot of these archival images from [Morehouse and] Spelman, that has really helped to inform a lot of the way that we approached not only the design but the way that we approached the campaigns as well.”
While pricing hasn’t been announced, the limited edition collection will launch on March 29, 2022, on ralphlauren.com, the Ralph Lauren and Polo app, Morehouse College and Spelman College Follett campus bookstores and in select Ralph Lauren stores while quantities last.
