That a garment improves with wear—and repair—is a value long held by Ralph, whose own closet includes shirts that have been worn and mended over the decades. It’s a sentiment that also lives at the core of traditional Japanese folk arts including sashiko (decorative mending) and boro (patching). For the occasion of PoloFest Tokyo, a small band of skilled Japanese artisans was invited to give new life to Ralph Lauren Vintage pieces, transforming each into one-of-a-kind art objects in the process.

Each artisan understands that in the act of repairing something old, something new is made.

Yui Narita, founder of the Osaka vintage store Brown Tabby Works, is celebrated for his meticulous restoration of classic workwear and utility garments. Through patching, mending, and embroidery, he approaches each piece as a narrative, imagining its original owner and the life the garment has lived. His contributions include an Aran-knit sweater that’s been mended with vintage denim and workwear patches, chino pants embroidered with a playful smiley face motif, and an oilcloth jacket that’s been patched with fabric sourced from three other waxed Polo jackets. Operating from a former clinic in Miyagi Prefecture, Sasaki Yōhinten is the workshop of Mitsugu Sasaki, who specializes in the repair of traditional noragi workwear. His practice draws on the spirit of boro, the Japanese tradition of repairing and preserving textiles through layers of hand-sewn patches, often incorporating vintage fabrics that are decades, and sometimes centuries, old. As a demonstration of his craft, he used indigo patches to revitalize a faded navy windbreaker, and even embroidered it with a red Polo Pony logo. Formed in the coastal town of Ōtsuchi following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the Sashiko Gals are a collective of female artisans who have become renowned for their mastery of sashiko. In this instance, they used their time-honed techniques to create something entirely new: a Polo Bear made with patches of indigo denim and chambray, arranged in a sitting pose that recalls the very first Polo Bear sweater released in 1992.

Though their techniques and signatures vary, each artisan understands that in the act of repairing something old, something new is made—an act of creation that is only possible when you appreciate what’s come before.

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