How to Identify the Vintage Ralph Lauren Polo Label

Authentic vintage Polo Ralph Lauren clothing is highly sought after, well made and expensive. Polo is a legendary brand of high end clothing and its early pieces are important to those with an interest in fashion history or those with a love for Polo. So, in order to make sure that you are truly purchasing an authentic piece of vintage Polo clothing you must make sure that you know how to identify Polo clothing labels. Otherwise, you risk spending a lot of money on a piece of clothing that is not an authentic vintage Polo Ralph Lauren.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the time line of the company. For example, the famous knit polo shirt was introduced in 1972. If a seller claims that the shirt was made any earlier than that, then you know that the seller is incorrect.

2. Study some of the famous polo labels. The early labels tend to have the words Ralph Lauren with a picture of a polo player in the middle of the two words.

3. Visit some reputable websites or traditional sellers of vintage polo clothing and look at the labels. Then you will be able to compare those labels to labels in other pieces of vintage polo clothing when you see it. See Resources below.

4. Ask questions. Ask the seller to explain how he knows that the piece if an authentic Vintage Ralph Lauren Polo. Ask him to see the label.

Tips & Warnings

• Anything labeled Polo Sport, Purple Label or Polo Jeans Co. is not vintage. The company did not introduce those lines until the 1990s.
• Watch for misspellings or slight variations in the picture on the label. There are people who try to copy the authentic label and put it in clothing that is not vintage Polo.

Resources

• Historical information about Polo Ralph Lauren and Pictures of Early Labels