
Ralph Lauren pays homage to generations of Black Martha's Vineyard visitors in a new collection
Ralph Lauren's Oak Bluffs campaign launched last week, building on a collection inspired by crisp styling ingrained in the culture of historically Black colleges and visible in the Black enclave on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, for which the campaign is named.
The way Sheryl Wesley sees it, the collection represents deference to the deep history of Black people on this island about 90 miles south of Boston.
'What it has done is illuminate what we've already been doing here for years,' said Wesley, a Howard University graduate who organizes HBCU Legacy Week on the Vineyard, a multiday celebration of Black culture featuring social, professional and political events.
Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783, allowing Black residents there to live freely, often alongside members of the Wampanoag tribe, which had existed there for thousands of years before colonization and helped those who escaped from other states settle there.
After emancipation, newly freed Black people fled north, with some finding agricultural work on Martha's Vineyard and building homes in Oak Bluffs. During the early 20th century, the neighborhood became a haven for middle-class Black travelers seeking refuge from racial segregation, eventually attracting celebrities like singer Lena Horne, leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Adam Clayton Powell, and upwardly mobile Black American families.
Locations like Inkwell Beach and the Shearer Cottage, though created out of the forces of racism, have become sites steeped in history. The Ralph Lauren campaign launches as 'Black August' approaches, with events like HBCU Legacy Week and the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.
For longtime Martha's Vineyard visitors like Wesley, there were concerns about how the designer would 'respect' this legacy.
But it helps that the collection was conceived five years ago under Ralph Lauren creative director James M. Jeter, a Morehouse College graduate, and Dara Douglas, a Spelman alumna and the company's brand and product lead for design with intent. The collection, inspired by the traditions and fashions of HBCU campus communities and launched in 2022, was the first time Ralph Lauren curated a campaign with an all-Black creative team and cast.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump on Sydney Sweeney controversy: If she's Republican, ‘I think her ad is fantastic'
President Trump on Sunday weighed in on actor Sydney Sweeney and her recent controversial ad campaign with American Eagle. 'You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans,' the president said after a reporter stated that the 'White Lotus' and 'Euphoria' star is a registered Republican. 'That's what I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic,' the president said while en route back to Washington on Sunday evening from Bedminster, N.J. BuzzFeed reported over the weekend that Sweeney has been registered to the Republican Party of Florida since June 2024. The ad featuring Sweeney has caused backlash online, with social media users criticizing what they claim are racist undertones surrounding the campaign's message that Sweeney 'has great jeans,' a riff on the idea of 'good genes.' 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,' Sweeney says in one video. 'My jeans are blue.' Vice President Vance mocked critics of the ad in a recent interview, blaming Democrats for those who argue the commercial backs eugenics. 'So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us. No question,' Vance said on the 'Ruthless Podcast.' White House communications director Steven Cheung pointed to the backlash as an example of 'cancel culture run amok.' The Hill has reached out to a contact for Sweeney for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's love for American Eagle's 'good jeans' ad campaign sparks a fresh 24% rally in the stock: 'Go get 'em Sydney!'
Donald Trump is a big fan of American Eagle's newest ad campaign. Praise from the president on Truth Social helped spark a fresh rally in the clothing retailer's stock. "The jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!" Trump wrote. The retail traders who sparked a meme-like rally in American Eagle stock after Sydney Sweeney became the face of a new ad campaign were joined by Donald Trump on Monday in praising the brand. The president's love for the "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" campaign kicked off a fresh surge in the stock on Monday, with shares rising as much as 24%. The company's campaign featuring the famous actor sparked controversy online — some claimed that it promoted eugenics while others accused it of being overly sexual in nature — but Trump made it clear he's a big fan. "The jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!" he wrote on Truth Social before calling out other companies for "woke" advertising. Trump cited examples of companies such as Jaguar and Bud Lite that created ad campaigns that were met with backlash from some consumers. "The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST," Trump wrote. It's the latest leg of a meme-like stock surge for American Eagle, which jumped last month after retail traders online piled in following the reveal of new ads featuring Sweeney. The stock ultimately lost some momentum following the late July rally, which also saw several other new meme stocks rise. Trump's post helped it make up some of the ground it lost since then. However, even after multiple surges, the fashion retailer is still down almost 23% year-to-date (YTD) after a difficult start to 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio


Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Kat Timpf: I 'genuinely feel sadness' for anyone bothered by Sydney Sweeney's jeans ad
The 'Gutfeld!' panelists discuss the controversy surrounding actress Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad and her party affiliation.