R.A.G. New York

The Polo T Shirt was originally a heavy, cumbersome, long-sleeved shirt worn during early European sports such as tennis, polo, golf, etc.; the shirt however became a burden not only to movements, but it also turned out to be uncomfortable during long matches due to the high volume of sweat (such as tennis, polo, and golf). This dilemma begged a solution; the likes of which was brought about by the innovative Rene Lacoste. A male, French tennis champion, Lacoste turned the heavy polo shirt into a light, short sleeved shirt made out of cotton to allow for more fluid movements. These shirts were adopted by private schools, and then inevitably adapted to modern day society where men usually wear polo t shirts instead of wearing a long sleeved dress shirt.

It was more than likely because Polo Tees had become such a staple in our world that urban culture lashed back. They did this by combining their graffiti and stencil influenced T shirts with the haughty upper-class polo tees. The result was clothing companies suddenly overflowing with new clothing lines that offered these graphic polo t shirts. Urban culture had spawned an entirely new fashion movement which ranged from famous graffiti tags on polo tees all the way to grunge mixed with famous Latin quotes. The reach of urban culture stretches further than polos, we find their influence in our jeans, shoes, hats, and even our socks.