American fashion brand Ralph Lauren collaborated with several Island organizations to come up with a collection centered on the historic Black community in Oak Bluffs.
The approximately 30-piece collection, titled A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs, was released in July. Alongside sweatshirts emblazoned with the town’s name, quilt jackets and other designs, the campaign also includes a short film that was screened at the African American Film Festival last week, as well as a book that uses archival images of the down-Island town.
The decision to focus on Oak Bluffs came after the brand had previously collaborated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). James Jeter, a creative director at Ralph Lauren’s Polo Men’s brand, said finding another space sacred to Black people only made sense.
“We thought, what are other safe spaces that exist in these really interesting, small pockets of American culture?” he said in an interview with the Gazette. “Oak Bluffs was another such safe space that I think a lot of people, especially as we think about our global consumer base, really aren’t aware of.”
The campaign film includes interviews with prominent Island names such as Jocelyn Coleman Walton, Joyce Graves and Lee Van Allen, a descendant of the Shearer family. The Shearer family has owned an inn that was one of the first sites of the African American Heritage Trail.
Ralph Lauren worked with Island organizations such as The Cottagers, the African American Heritage Trail, and Martha’s Vineyard Museum to portray the Island’s history. The Vineyard Gazette also provided archival footage of the Island.
A large portion of the research gathering process required untraditional methods. Cole Brown, director of the film, grew up coming to the Island in the summers. His connections were valuable in connecting with community members to gather historical artifacts.
“One of the unique challenges, but also kind of a fun opportunity with this project is the fact that so much of the archival [information], we knew from the very beginning, was going to be dispersed around this Island in sort of unknown places,” he said.
The partnership between The Cottagers, an organization formed by African American women homeowners in Oak Bluffs who aim to support the Island, and Ralph Lauren was fulfilling, according to Cottagers president Patricia R. Bush.
“The heart and care that went into telling the story of Oak Bluffs, featuring the voices of several members of The Cottagers, Inc., is evident in both our community’s and the public’s incredible reception to it,” she wrote in a statement. “We have always known what a special place this is, but are so honored to have a brand like Ralph Lauren help make our stories and histories known to the world.”
Ralph Lauren made a donation to The Cottagers to support the organization’s fundraising and scholarship initiatives.
For Mr. Brown, it was a rewarding process to be able to see a place he loves in a different light.
“The community here holds a really special place in my heart, and I’ve always known that it’s a special place, but this creation process informed me so much about a place that I thought I knew,” he said.
While this campaign was two years in the making, it was important for Ralph Lauren to celebrate its brand and how its ethos intertwines with Oak Bluffs, according to Mr. Jeter.
“It’s always going to be an important story no matter what is happening in the world. It’s such a timeless story and a timely story,” he said. “But I think it’s also important to put these really beautiful, really thoughtful, really intimate images and messages out into the world. It’s as relevant now as it will be in 10 years [and] as it was 10 years ago.”
Read more on The Vineyard Gazette – Martha's Vineyard News
