Rugby Ralph Lauren

The young brand from Ralph Lauren is finally emerging from its U.S. borders. Moving to Covent Garden, London at 43 King Street, it prepares to open a space of 530 m² in Autumn 2011.

This will be the second time that the brand is venturing outside its own continent. While it counts eleven of its own stores across the U.S. (New York, Greenwich, Dallas, Palo Atlo, Chicago, San Francisco, ..) and an online shop, it was last September when Rugby opened its first foreign shop doors in Tokyo, placed cosily between Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren.

Launched in 2004 in Boston, initially aimed at teenagers and American students, this brand from the Ralph Lauren group for boys and girls offers a walk-in wardrobe incite to the preppy look. Check patterns, schoolgirl skirts, polo-shirts, tidy cardigans, chinos, tweed jackets and high socks ... the looks seem to be straight out of school grounds and campuses on the U.S. East Coast. Some English institutions, such as Eton and Marlborough College have even recently criticised the brand that they believe the designs were stolen from their uniforms. Still, it is indeed in London that "RRL" has decided to locate its first European flagship, close next to the Burberry shop which should open during 2011 and the future largest Apple store in the world.



Original by Emilie-Alice Fabrizi. Translated by Rosie Hart