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Before Marc Ecko had the rhino and BAPE had the Ape Head, Ralph Lauren had the Polo Bear. Originally drawn by Richard Tahsin and introduced in 1991, the Polo Bear is a beautiful, weathered, cuddly character, much like Ralph Lauren himself. The Polo Bear went on to become a recognizable mascot, a cuddly counterpart to the Polo pony.
The origin story, at its simplest, goes something like this: for Ralph Lauren’s birthday in 1990, he got gifted a Steiff teddy bear done up in traditional Polo clothing. Lauren loved the gift and the rest is history. The first run of Steiff-made bears designed by Ralph Lauren was limited to 200 pieces and sold out from the Madison Avenue flagship store in a single weekend. The bear was so popular the RL team started putting him on everything: sweaters, tees, hats, ties, and denim jackets.
In 1991, Ralph Lauren introduced the Polo Bear both as a stuffed teddy bear and as a dynamic new icon for a collection of apparel and accessories. The next year, a Polo Bear wearing an American flag sweater was hand-knit onto a Polo Ralph Lauren sweater, which was available in red or navy. The sweaters went quickly, and inspired a range of more bear products later that year. Throughout the 1990s, the Polo Bear appeared in different outfits and settings across both garments and advertising.
The Polo Bear was the ultimate in masculinity yet there was nothing more feminine than a grown man wearing a sweater with a teddy bear sewn on it. Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bear designs, both in stuffed bear form and within its apparel line, serve as almost the animated antithesis of the Polo horse logo. The Bear-whether sipping a martini in a tuxedo, skiing down a slope or singin’ in the rain-lends itself more to versatility and excitement, both in aesthetics and in perception.
Jerry Lauren, Ralph Lauren’s brother, who serves as creative director of men’s design, is a passionate collector of Steiff bears. In 1990, inspired by his collection, Jerry’s colleagues had a Steiff bear dressed in Jerry’s likeness-blue oxford shirt, tartan tie, cable-knit sweater-and presented it to him for his birthday. At the same time, a Western-inspired bear was presented to Ralph. A tradition was born, and every year both Ralph and Jerry are given a Steiff bear. The bears wear clothes inspired by, and often made in the same factories as, actual Ralph Lauren clothing.
The character, often referred to as the Preppy Bear, quickly moved beyond the collectible bear itself and began appearing on clothing and accessories including T-shirts, shirts, ties and denim jackets. Over the next several years, the Polo Bear appeared in a series of national ad campaigns, while Steiff produced 19 mostly limited-edition teddy bears “dressed in clothes that I wear,” as Ralph said in 2001. He has been called “the world’s best dressed bear.”
By 2001, Ralph Lauren had ended its collaboration with Steiff and stopped producing the original collectible bears. Even so, interest in vintage Polo Bear clothing continued to grow, especially as older Ralph Lauren pieces became more sought after in the mid-2000s. The Polo Bear returned in 2013 as part of Ralph Lauren’s Bring It Back campaign, which revisited some of the brand’s most recognisable archive ideas.
(Cash Rules Everything Around Me) from 1994 provide an early insight into hip-hop’s ongoing love affair with Ralph Lauren Polo sweaters, or "knits" as Lo Heads refer to them. Lo Lifes, the crew of Ralph Lauren loyalists, prize the furry symbol. If you're a true collector, having multiple bears in your Polo collection is mandatory. Over 20 years later, there are still aficionados who call themselves Lo-Lifes and Lo-Heads who’ll get together to swap their finest gear.
The Polo Bear has taken on a life of his own in pop culture over the last 25 years-specifically in hip-hop-where Ralph Lauren has been embraced for decades, despite it not always being reciprocated. The Polo Bear made somewhat of a comeback in the mid-2000s thanks to Kanye West, who wore a red Bear sweater on the marketing rollout for his debut album College Dropout. Everyone from Drake to John Mayer has followed suit, embracing the Polo Bear over the years.
Despite a lack of new Polo Bear apparel in production over the ensuing decade, the Bear was more sought after than ever. In 2013, the Polo Bear sweater returned as a part of it’s vintage “Bring it Back” campaign. While these retro collections remain limited, at least the reappearance of these classic pieces gave Ralph Lauren much-needed hype for the first time in a while.
The staying power of the Polo Bear comes from the fact that it feels both playful and closely tied to the Ralph Lauren world. It reflects the brand’s interest in character, styling and storytelling, while also standing apart from more straightforward logo pieces. For some people, the appeal is nostalgic. For others, it is simply one of the most distinctive designs the brand has produced.
Ironically, as divided (and even scattered) as the wider “Ralph Lauren” brand may be, it’s that diversity that has endeared (and literally dressed-up) the Polo Bear since its inception. You can buy Polo Bear onesies and bedsheets for your kids, while copping a grail-level knit sweater for yourself. For a brand that’s been a success for many years and means different things to different people, the Polo Bear has proven to be a true symbol for Ralph Lauren’s business.
Growing up, Polo Bear sweaters retailed out of my price range, so we in the Lo Head community chose deals, trades, and cash meetups to get our hands on what we wanted. Over the years, our investments appreciated because we appreciated the garments. And as the Bear grew in popularity, the icon appeared on everything from T-shirts and sweatshirts to accessories and bed sheets.
Since then, many people, myself included, started cutting and sewing Polo Bear fabric to make unique custom pieces. Why? Simple: the Polo Bear is anything and everything for us, so we make the Polo Bear into anything and everything. Real value doesn't come from limited production runs and long lines on release days, it comes from history, tradition, and iconography - that’s what made the Polo Bear iconic in the first place.
What follows are, in my opinion, the five greatest, rarest, and most coveted Polo Bear pieces of all time. This list is for veteran Bears worn by veteran Lo Heads.
A classic piece originally released in 1994 as part of the RL 2000 collection. This is a beautifully designed bear, wider than most other Bear designs due to the skis and poles. Crafted from wool and built to last, this sweater has stood the test of time. Details like the "POLO" stitching on the Bear’s pants are based on actual RL 2000 ski pants from 1994.
Back in the ’90s, these were considered “throw-ins” by some Lo Head traders of the era. However, the knit has grown in value and popularity over the years. Fabolous rocked this sweater in his music video for “Baby” back in 2004. I sold it to Fab and his stylist before the shoot.
I also sold one of these knits to Kanye West in 2004. He tried to trade me the snare drum sound of a beat he had produced in exchange for the sweater, but I preferred PayPal. Looking back, I should have taken up his offer. Overall, this is one of the rarest pieces in my collection.
The "Grandpa" is definitely one of the largest bears on the market and a piece that's gotten more and more attention over the years. In this design, the Bear is wearing a sweater with "POLO" stitched in. In the ’90s, there were even rumors that OG Lo Lifes were picking the “PO” stitches so only the “LO” was visible, a nod to the Lo Lifes.
Values skyrocketed on these recently, even though they weren't power pieces in the ’90s. As if to solidify its legacy, the Polo store in SoHo recently honored this particular knit by placing the sweater on a mannequin behind glass as part of Ralph Lauren's 50th-anniversary celebrations.
This was always the ultimate classic. While many designs feature "stand up" Bears, often playing a sport, this Bear is the most like the original concept: a teddy bear on a sweater. In the ’90s, this knit was incredibly important among Lo Heads and collectors, arriving in three colorways: red, navy, and cream. Its value has fluctuated over the years mainly due to the sweater being one of the first Ralph Lauren items to be given the retro treatment in 2002.
Unlike the retro, the original featured “RL 92” in the lower right corner. Most other details were an exact replica, however.
The "Downtown" is perhaps better known as the gray cashmere Bear turtleneck. Its release date is believed to be 1994 and it was nicknamed the "Downtown” because of the Bear's Downtown art gallery look. I first heard about this piece in 1998 and it was always in the upper echelon of Lo pieces. I've since acquired two more "Downtown" Bears, with the XL selling for $3,000 in the early ’00s.
I got my first gray cashmere from my friend Joe Einhorn, who started NYC retailer Fancy. Prada Sport had just popped off, so I traded a brand new Prada Sport abstract tennis graphic vest, very similar to a Polo graphic, plus $100 cash and a $100 MetroCard, and in return I got my first cashmere Bear.
Supposedly released in very small quantities in 1992 at the Polo Mansion on 72nd Street and Madison Avenue, the Martini Bear was an urban legend in the ’90s. Here’s a rare Polo Holiday 1992 catalog showing the turtleneck version of the knit with a retail price of $1,250. My version is the crewneck.
This gentleman Bear comes on the softest cashmere sweater you'll ever see or feel. Notice the "RL" insignia on his slippers and the detail of the olive in his martini glass. I sold one for $2,000 in the early ’00s and it continues to be one of the highest-valued Lo pieces of all time.
There is also, legend has it, a mythical sweater on which there is knitted a Never-Ending Bear. Polo-devotee and rapper Mayhem Lauren told Vice in 2011 that it’s almost “mythological.” He said: Well, supposedly there’s a knit out there with a bear rockin’ a knit with himself on it, and he’s rocking a bear, and it just goes on and on forever.
Fast forward 20 years and the question has become: damaged sweater or urban myth? Some Lo Heads would say it didn’t exist. Among these devoted Lo-Heads, there is one piece that is the most sought-after: the Never-Ending Bear. That is, if it even exists.
Polo ceased manufacturing bear-related items in 2001, when Ralph Lauren ended its partnership with Steiff. When did the brand bring the Polo Bear out of hibernation? 2013. The Polo Bear returned in 2013 as part of Ralph Lauren’s Bring It Back campaign, which revisited some of the brand’s most recognisable archive ideas.
Most notably, the ones-like the Polo Bear-which are embraced by a booming streetwear culture. Where Snow Beach and Stadium serve as mark-your-calendar releases, the Polo Bear gives consistent sales to a wide range of consumers-something that lies at the very center of the magic of Ralph Lauren.
The Polo Bear wears American flag sweaters or golfs; he does not skate. And then Palace came along, right when I least expected it. I desperately wanted this bear for what I thought was a simple reason: because it’s unlike any other we’ve seen in the icon’s lineage. The item sold out long before I got anywhere near buying it, like I knew it would.
He’s a new bear, riding his surfboard across an intricate Fair Isle sweater vest inlaid with rows of repeating pineapples and hula girls, and sayings like “Life’s a Beach.” Having one Polo Bear sweater is one thing; having two starts to make it your thing. The Polo Bear is warm and fun.
| Year | Piece | Notes | Market/Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | First Polo Bear sweater (blazer & chinos) | First run sold out in a single weekend | Highly collectible |
| 1992 | Sit Down Bear (red/navy/cream) | Original marked “RL 92” | Fluctuating due to 2002 retro |
| 1992 | Martini Bear (cashmere) | Polo Mansion limited, turtleneck listed at $1,250 | Sold for $2,000 in early ’00s |
| 1994 | Red RL 2000 Ski Bear | Wider design with skis and poles | Grew in value; worn by Fabolous |
| 1994 | “Downtown” Bear (gray cashmere turtleneck) | Art-gallery look | XL sold for $3,000 (early ’00s) |
| 2013 | Bring It Back revival | Return of iconic knits | Ongoing demand |
As if to solidify its legacy, the Polo store in SoHo recently honored this particular knit by placing the sweater on a mannequin behind glass as part of Ralph Lauren's 50th-anniversary celebrations. Ralph Lauren, like many of his fellow titans of fashion, doesn’t have the best relationship with the hip-hop culture that delivered his company loads of street cred. For the Snow Beach release, Polo has, at the very least, acknowledged hip-hop’s influence on the mystique behind this 25 year old collection.
By pulling out of a slew of department store distributors and reducing overall inventory, Ralph Lauren hopes to connect with customers in a modern way and re-establish itself as a luxury label. Along with being recognizable in the world of streetwear, the Polo Bear has the added benefit of being more mainstream than a Snow Beach collection.
Recently, I had the luck to find an original Polo Bear by Steiff from 1991. My bear is numbered 2614 out of 3500. In the 90's I did the buying at the showrooms of Ralph Lauren in Paris and every season we bought a bear for the store. As the store is closed for years already and unfortunately I don't know where the bears are, but now I have my own.
Over the years, my Polo Bear sweater allowed me to function in the menswear world even when I didn’t feel like I belonged. When I was assigned to interview a celebrity in person for the first time, I wore the Polo Bear sweater. At the holiday party for my first full-time writing gig, I wore the Polo Bear sweater.
The staying power of the Polo Bear comes from the fact that it feels both playful and closely tied to the Ralph Lauren world. The story of the Preppy Bear is only one part of the wider Ralph Lauren brand, but it shows how much character and continuity sit behind even the most playful designs. These days, Ralph Lauren regularly releases retro and new versions of its iconic Polo Bear.
Although the Ralph Lauren brand has been around for 50 years, it feels like it's just getting started. There's no telling where the Bear will go from here. The Polo Bear is an icon, but it’s even bigger than that for one GQ writer.
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