And then he said, “Polyester is for the poors.” I viewed the comment as crude but predictive. The categories once reserved for Wall Street boys, sports agents, and Georgetown political aides are now apparel for the true working man. The type of man who would be proud that some wealthy elite looked down on his favorite button-down and stretchy slacks.
There was a time when the cotton polo was a relic of the old guard. In 2012, a Ralph Lauren polo cost roughly $60 to $85, a price point that was already being challenged by a new generation of “performance” brands. Mizzen+Main, Ministry of Supply, Rhone, State & Liberty, and others promised to replace starch with stretch, sweat with breathability, and ironing with machine wash. Their narrative was clear: technical was the future, cotton was the past.
