The Story Of The Polo Shirt


Despite its name, the polo shirt has it roots firmly in the world of tennis. It was multiple Grand Slam tournament winner Rene Lacoste in the late 1920s who decided that playing in a button-up shirt and tie was just too uncomfortable and restrictive. He came up with a short-sleeve cotton shirt in loose knit pique fabric that retained a smart appearance by keeping the collar with a 3-button placket, although the collar was flat and unstarched.

Meanwhile, polo players were still wearing thick, long-sleeve Oxford cotton shirts - the type of top that nowadays would be marketed as a traditonal rugby shirt. Within 3 years of Lacoste's invention though, polo players had adopted it for their own sport and the polo shirt embroidery was the image of a polo player.

To throw another sport into the mix, the polo shirt is now more visible worldwide on the golf tour than it is in either tennis or polo. In fact, it is mainly golf courses and country clubs that specify the polo shirt as part of their dress code.

After retiring from tennis in the 1930s, Lacoste teamed up with a friend in the clothing industry and formed the Chemise Lacoste company. The shirts that they sold had a small embroidered crocodile logo on the left breast which remains an instantly recognisable piece of branding today. It was around 40 years later in the early 1970s when Ralph Lauren included a similar shirt in his Polo range, this time embroidered with a polo player and pony. The range was incredibly popular and had a major effect on the polo shirt becoming more widely known as such, accelerating the fading away of the tennis shirt as a product name. The feature of a lower hem at the back than the front is still known as a tennis tail though, designed to ensure that the shirt remains tucked in at the back.

Polo shirts are now considered a staple range in fashion stores and embroidered polos are amongst the top selling garments for event and promotional clothing providers. The polo shirt is ideal as part of a uniform and widely used as part of the business casual attire that many professional companies have adopted - more relaxed than a shirt and tie without overly dressing down to a t-shirt.

As it approaches its centenary, the custom polo shirt continues to go from strength to strength.

Provided by Pier32, May 2012.

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We print and embroider promotional clothing. Our garments are ethically produced and include WRAP certified, fairtrade, organic and bamboo ranges. We offer t-shirts, polos, hoodies, fleeces, baseball caps, sportswear, schoolwear, jackets, bags, towels, umbrellas, scarves and much more. Whether it's for a fundraising event, a product launch, a new uniform or for retail - we are your ethical choice.

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