In the US, fashion’s spotlight falls on Black elite style and its legacy

Polo Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection channels laid-back coastal elegance, blending nautical influences with timeless preppy style. Photo: Instagram/Polo Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren has expanded the lens of its aspirational take on Americana with a collection inspired by the Black legacy of Oak Bluffs, a town on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Featuring collegiate sweatshirts, patchwork jackets and coastal-inspired attire, the line, released in July, is of a piece with other portrayals of the Black elite that have recently permeated culture.