Since the dawn of fashion, people have used clothes to express their identities. Our nationality is an important part of our identities, and designers like Ralph Lauren are aware of that, and cater a style for us to show our American heritage and pride. Since the late 60’s, Ralph Lauren has focused his designs on representing classic American style through his country club looks, tailored suits, and his iconic 1989 Ralph Lauren American Flag Sweater. This particular sweater can be considered a perfect representation of nationality and fashion. Due to recent social and political context, patriotism is on the rise and is considered en vogue again. Americans now feel more comfortable wearing Americana fashion, and as a result the 1989 Ralph Lauren American Flag Sweater has made a resurgence amongst Generation Z.
Many believe that Ralph Lauren shaped American style, and is known as an iconic American fashion brand. Ralph Lauren began his fashion career in 1967 by selling neckties, and soon after he began creating his signature collared shirts, tailored suits, and knit sweaters. Lauren has said that his designs are inspired by preppy attire worn at America’s Ivy League schools. In the 1980’s, Lauren opened his first international store, and wanted to coin a design that would connect with people all over the world. This was later achieved through the 1989 knit sweater depicting an American flag, and featuring his initials in the bottom corner. According to the Ralph Lauren website, “ The Iconic American Flag Sweater from Polo Ralph Lauren embodies Ralph Lauren's long-standing love of all-American style. The sweater's 13 stars and stripes recall early American flags, including the one that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," and the restoration of which Ralph Lauren generously helped underwrite in 1989.” The sweater became a hit worldwide, and contributed to the creation of the iconic Ralph Lauren teddy bear. The teddy bear was first introduced in 1991, as a stuffed animal sold in stores. Then, Ralph Lauren began putting the bear on clothes. The bear was always seen in signature RL clothes, and oftentimes was wearing the 1989 American Flag Sweater. The bear even became a major symbol seen in streetwear in the early 1990’s. In Brooklyn, NY, a 100-member hip-hop group formed called the Lo-Lifes, with a dress code made exclusively of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Symbols of nationality are used in clothing in order to emphasize fashion as a means of expression. Many people feel motivated to express their nation’s style. American fashion designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger are often hailed as the curators of modern American style. Both of these designers were inspired by privileged, wealthy, east-coasters, and wanted to capitalize on their style. They incorporated their fashion and lifestyle into their brands, one that many Americans desired. Lauren and Hilfiger priced their country-club inspired designs at an upscale, yet attainable point. This is so that many Americans across the country could afford their designs, but could also show their wealth and economic status through their garments. In later decades, clothing stores like Old Navy and The Gap democratized this style and made the American fashion experience available to all. As a result of Lauren & Hilfiger’s original influence, many Americans feel motivated to represent their nationality through their fashion.
In addition to the iconic American style, the crisp red, white and blue stars and stripes of the nation’s flag inspired fashion designers. Both Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger have incorporated the American Flag and its colors into their designs. The American flag first began appearing in clothing to represent national pride in the 1950s. This is likely because of the United States’ involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The flag was first used on t-shirts during the 1950s-1970s, worn as a symbol of patriotism and support for the United States’ military. American flag clothing became more popular by the 1980’s and 1990s, and can be shown through Ralph Lauren’s 1989 American Flag Sweater. This particular sweater combines the curated preppy & nautical style that Ralph Lauren coined with the iconic imagery of the American flag. The sweater can be considered the epitome of nationality in fashion. There is a clear intention behind the design, as Ralph Lauren wanted to create a garment that embodied his long lasting love of American fashion. The sweater became one of his most iconic designs, which made it such a notable symbol of the overlap of nationality and fashion.
As with many trends in the fashion world, the 1989 Ralph Lauren American Flag sweater recently cycled back into popularity, specifically with Generation Z. There are a few social and political factors for why this particular sweater has come back into trend. A boost on social media, a recent rise in national pride, and the theme of the 2021 Met Gala have all led to its resurgence. The sweater began going viral on Tik-Tok during September of 2022. Since then, there have been hundreds of videos on the app of people finding, buying, and styling the iconic sweater. In addition to the social media frenzy around this sweater, I feel that a rise in American pride over the last year has also contributed to its resurgence. American Patriotism seemed to be at an all time low between 2016-2021 due to a series of unfortunate and un-democratic events. Donald Trump’s presidency polarized our political parties. Opinions on the Coronavirus pandemic divided our nation, and tanked our economy. The murder of George Floyd by a police officer sparked nationwide protests. An attack on the United States Capitol made many Americans feel ashamed of the country we live in. Images of shirtless extremists, flaunting red, white, and blue painted faces along with horned helmets shocked Americans. The flag was used as a symbol of extremist nationalism in fashion, and twisted the meaning of the flag. During this time, many liberal Gen-Zers wouldn’t dare to be seen out in public wearing an American flag, as not many people wanted to appear as a nationalist. However, the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president made many people reconsider their long-lost American pride. With over a year of healing from such terrible events, more people are feeling eager to show their nationality through fashion, and specifically through the 1989 Ralph Lauren American Flag Sweater. Another reason for the resurgence of Americana in fashion is the 2021 Met Gala theme of “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” on September 13th, 2021 and the second part, “In America: Anthology of Fashion” on May 2, 2022. After the events, the collection was open to the public at the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with other iconic American garments, including the 1989 Ralph Lauren American Flag Sweater. Wendy Yu, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute at the Met, felt that it was needed to reexamine the relationship between American nationality and fashion, because of the movements and events over the last few years. The fashion industry has a large impact on American consumers, and it certainly seems that the theme was a way to continue the nation’s healing from the recent undemocratic period, and to celebrate a newfounded national pride.
Ralph Lauren’s influence on the American fashion industry is unmatched. He inspired Americans for decades to express their nationality through their fashion. His 1989 American Flag Sweater in particular can be considered one of the most notable and powerful representations of nationality’s overlap with fashion. It was such an iconic piece that it had the power to make a resurgence over 30 years later. As American pride gains a new definition moving into the new decade, there is hope to see a new era of American style. There is certainly a possibility that new designers will feel inspired by Ralph Lauren’s monumental work as we move into a new period of American pride.
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