Morehouse & Spelman

Ralph Lauren partnered with the historic black colleges and universities, Morehouse College and Spelman College, unveiling a limited-edition collection inspired by each institution’s rich heritage and esteemed traditions.

The Mission

“Our portrait of American style, and our vision of the American dream, would be incomplete without Black experiences like this.”

— Ralph Lauren

The Approach

In 2020, Ralph Lauren was proud to partner with two prestigious historically Black colleges, Morehouse and Spelman, to introduce a first-of-its-kind capsule collection, inspired by their rich heritage and sartorial traditions. This historic partnership reflected the company’s ongoing commitment to evolve the ways in which it portrays the American Dream and the Black community’s role in it.

Evolving to look outside of the typical Ivy League schools, Ralph Lauren has now included universities that have an equally deep and rich sartorial history, celebrating their contribution to American style.

Societal norms have presented collegiate lifestyles but have excluded the Black experience — something that has always been present but has not yet been championed and told, until now.

The Campaign

Established in the 19th-century in an effort to provide Black youths access to a full education, HBCUs including Morehouse and Spelman introduced students to the importance of traditional attire for school occasions. Historically, on the campuses of HBCU institutions, students were asked to adhere to a well-groomed and tailored dress code. This ties into the importance of appearance in society and doing so in a way that positively portrays one's own self-identity, culture, and perception. Similarly, Ralph Lauren has always believed that clothing can be utilized as a vehicle to achieve one’s dreams and aspirations.

Supporting the Team’s Vision

As an ally to the Black community, I considered it an honor and a privilege to support the Design, Corporate Communications, Diversity & Inclusion, and Creative teams in building this project. My role was to interview team members, thread together the story of HBCUs and Ralph Lauren’s evolving cultural narrative, as well as support our copywriter in the creation of the Yearbook.

However, the credit for the full campaign belongs to the talented James Jeter (Concept), Nadine Ijewere (Photography), Joshua Renfroe (Documentary), Freedie L. Rankin II (Yearbook Photography), Leonard Hermann (Graphic Design), Contributing Editors (Rachel K. Rhodes & Dr. David Wall Rice), Dara Douglas (Consultant), Sarah Gentillon (Copywriter), Jasmine Gurley & Ashli J. Washington (Production), Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. & Holly A. Smith (Archivist).

The Team