The polo shirt may be a wardrobe staple today - equally at home on a yacht deck as it is in a business-casual office - but its origins lie in sport, and a desire for stylish practicality. The story of the polo shirt is a journey through colonial India, 1920s tennis courts and mid-century Americana.
Colonial Roots - The Sport of Polo
Despite the name, the polo shirt as we know it didn’t start out in polo. In the 19th century, British Army officers stationed in India discovered the sport of polo and took a liking to its high-speed approach to sport. Early polo players wore long-sleeved cotton shirts with stiff collars - far from the breathable, flexible shirts we know today.
To combat flapping collars in the heat of the game, players began buttoning them down. This innovation wasn’t lost on a visiting American haberdasher named John E. Brooks (of Brooks Brothers) who reportedly brought the idea back to the States in the late 1800s and began producing “polo collar” shirts with button-downs - a design detail that still defines many casual shirts today.
Polo Shirt Style & Tennis - A Match Made in Heaven
The true father of the modern polo shirt, however, was French tennis champion Rene Lacoste. In the 1920s, Lacoste found the traditional tennis uniform restrictive, and ill-suited to the sport.
In 1926, he debuted a revolutionary design of his own: a short-sleeved, soft-collared shirt made from lightweight pique cotton, with a longer back hem (the “tennis tail”) to keep it tucked in. It was breathable, comfortable, and stylish - a functional triumph. A few years later, Lacoste began producing the shirts commercially, complete with the now-iconic crocodile logo embroidered on the chest.
Though Lacoste never called it a "polo shirt," his tennis shirt quickly caught on in the polo world, where it outperformed the traditional wardrobe. By the 1930s, it had become synonymous with both sports.
Ralph Lauren and the American Dream
In the 1970s, the polo shirt got another style icon: Ralph Lauren. The American designer launched his casual-wear line, Polo by Ralph Lauren, using the term "polo" to evoke an elite sporting lifestyle rather than the sport itself.
His version of the polo shirt - sleek, colourful, with a mounted polo player embroidered on the chest - was more about image than athletics. It transformed the shirt into a fashion item, rather than just sportswear.
A Wardrobe Icon
Today’s polo shirt is endlessly versatile: dress it up with tailored trousers and a blazer, or wear it untucked with shorts on a summer afternoon. Its appeal lies in its balance - smart yet relaxed, classic yet adaptable.
From colonial polo fields to the modern menswear landscape, the polo shirt has been on a fascinating journey, and is, at least in the form we know it, quite a recent innovation.
Browse our polo shirt collection
Explore our curated collection of polo shirts below and discover how this humble sports shirt became a global style icon, or view our full range here.
Fedeli - Blue Linen and Cotton Piqué Polo (£259)
A classic design with a new twist, adding linen to the blend to create a shirt that's as comfortable as it is breathable.
Jade Green 100% Cotton Knit Short Sleeve Polo Shirt (£189)
Our own 100% cotton polo shirt is available in jade (pictured), black and light grey. It features a stylish honeycomb knit which adds distinct texture, setting it apart from the standard polo shirt's appearance.
Sandbanks - Crystal Pink Organic Cotton Short Sleeve Polo Shirt (£115)
Made from 100% pure cotton, this option from sustainable brand Sandbanks features contrast detailing at the end of the sleeves and on the collar - a distinctive pop of colour.
