In this week’s Luxury Briefing, I look into American luxury prep brand Ralph Lauren – as its marketing investment reaches 8.2% of sales, the brand is extending the tennis tournament into a retail season spanning luxury hospitality, personalization, vintage and home. Also, luxury brands‘ bet on animation in the face of AI, executive moves at Farfetch, and news from Frasers and Shein. For tips or comments, email me at zofia@glossy.co.The U.S. Open begins Sunday, but for Ralph Lauren, it started nearly three weeks ago.
On August 4, the brand opened a takeover of The Corner at Nordstrom’s New York flagship. The installation will remain open until September 20, one week after the tournament ends. In total, Ralph Lauren’s retail activation will last six weeks, almost twice as long as the sporting event it was built around. (The U.S. Open runs from August 23 to September 13.)
The extended window is showing how the American prep brand’s relationship with the U.S. Open is evolving. After more than two decades as its official outfitter, the brand is turning the tournament into a retail season, according to the company. Personalization, vintage, home products, hospitality and store events now sit alongside uniforms and commemorative merchandise.
