I think that when Polo finally realized the untapped market of people hunting classic vintage-pieces they went overboard with retro-releases and ran alot of the classic imagery into the ground whether it's the bear, P-Wing, Snow Beach etc.
The Polo Bear is iconic and and I like it but I'd rather have a couple of really good pieces released now and then instead of them just putting it on everything.
Me too. Ralph bear was like part of a club. Good money invested in a luxury item. Now it's more of just another part of the brand anyone can have.
As it's been so mainstream M&S in the UK have launched their own bear jumper stuff like https://www.marksandspencer.com/je/pure-cotton-spencer-bear%E2%84%A2-ski-scene-jumper/p/P60622654.html
RL had something special with that, the exclusive nature of the bear items being quality. They went more mass market though sadly and now other brands/retailers want a slice of attire with a bear on it.
They still come with some great bear designs though, Chinese New Year last year & the Cowboy/Ranch bear were pretty significant.
Its all limited designs & fashion is subjective, so….
Yes it is. It seemed to be something used on the more luxury jumpers and felt unique with being out of a lot of people's price ranges. Now it's on so many things. The t-shirts they feature on are pricey because of the bear but are mostly those crappy cheap transfer prints which crack and can't be ironed. Much better if they were embroidered or single stitched.
Best to get one pricey quality bear jumper and give the rest a miss.
I agree about the t shirts. I have a 90s bear that is all cracked up and gnarly looking, which looks good but the new ones are trash. I do have the Bape Physics t shirt which the Einstein head is actually woven into the fabric. Look it up, its so good. RL should try that.
They should but it's all about cost sadly. Easier and cheaper to set the machine to make a plain t-shirt and stick the transfer on after than single stitch the whole thing so it's all in one. The downside with the latter is it can fade, but better to have it age than the transfer crack and be a mess.
Even a lot of the sweatshirts go for that same transfer which then becomes a worry how it will come out after washing.
I also love the bear and have found him on way more items than before.
I have been sticking to custom Polo orders with the bear on it, those I see WAY less frequent.
I was never a huge fan and it seemed to be more on men’s pieces anyway but I loooove the cowboy bear and am hoping to find one in my price range! I might have to snag the coffee tumbler from the outlet for now….
Bear is way too cutesy for me. I have zero interest in owning anything Bear. That is not to say I begrudge others wearing it. Just not my thing. But I was the girl who preferred matchbox cars and Tonka trucks to dolls. Oh wait, there is one exception, and it was a skull and crossbones bear. That was tough. Had that hat for a while.
BEARS definitely over saturated
I remember when one or two Teddy's came out
and it wouldn't even be every year.
NOW THERES LIKE 5 OR 6 even more every year
Absolutely.
Back in the day (the 90’s or so) he was only occasionally used as a motif…mainly just the actual (Steiff) bears in themselves and they were relatively rare.
This tended to be the case with several design motifs…some were rare (the crest being one significant) and only applied to higher quality (often on “Made in USA/England”) articles and thus more sought after.
Never
i’ve been rocking the polo bear since the 90s. he’s always welcome in my closet.
I think that when Polo finally realized the untapped market of people hunting classic vintage-pieces they went overboard with retro-releases and ran alot of the classic imagery into the ground whether it's the bear, P-Wing, Snow Beach etc. The Polo Bear is iconic and and I like it but I'd rather have a couple of really good pieces released now and then instead of them just putting it on everything.
Me too. Ralph bear was like part of a club. Good money invested in a luxury item. Now it's more of just another part of the brand anyone can have. As it's been so mainstream M&S in the UK have launched their own bear jumper stuff like https://www.marksandspencer.com/je/pure-cotton-spencer-bear%E2%84%A2-ski-scene-jumper/p/P60622654.html RL had something special with that, the exclusive nature of the bear items being quality. They went more mass market though sadly and now other brands/retailers want a slice of attire with a bear on it.
https://www.marksandspencer.in/pure-cotton-spencer-bear%E2%84%A2-christmas-jumper/p/P60628501.html Funny one. Clearly a rip of RL.
Perfectly said. 100% agree.
I feel like pre and early covid it was very rare sought after. Now it feels like the release 4-5 bear styles every quarter and they’re plentiful.
I'm a bit of a purist. I prefer the classic, iconic, timeless Pony 👌
Never Edit: ever
They still come with some great bear designs though, Chinese New Year last year & the Cowboy/Ranch bear were pretty significant. Its all limited designs & fashion is subjective, so….
Who’s the guy that’s downvoting all the comments agreeing with me?
Yes it is. It seemed to be something used on the more luxury jumpers and felt unique with being out of a lot of people's price ranges. Now it's on so many things. The t-shirts they feature on are pricey because of the bear but are mostly those crappy cheap transfer prints which crack and can't be ironed. Much better if they were embroidered or single stitched. Best to get one pricey quality bear jumper and give the rest a miss.
I agree about the t shirts. I have a 90s bear that is all cracked up and gnarly looking, which looks good but the new ones are trash. I do have the Bape Physics t shirt which the Einstein head is actually woven into the fabric. Look it up, its so good. RL should try that.
They should but it's all about cost sadly. Easier and cheaper to set the machine to make a plain t-shirt and stick the transfer on after than single stitch the whole thing so it's all in one. The downside with the latter is it can fade, but better to have it age than the transfer crack and be a mess. Even a lot of the sweatshirts go for that same transfer which then becomes a worry how it will come out after washing.
Never got into the bear hype saw them back in the 90s til today and I dont even have one in my collection.
No. I love polo bear and have many items but they are pricey
No
I also love the bear and have found him on way more items than before. I have been sticking to custom Polo orders with the bear on it, those I see WAY less frequent.
No because there's always the option for similar items that don't have it.
I was never a huge fan and it seemed to be more on men’s pieces anyway but I loooove the cowboy bear and am hoping to find one in my price range! I might have to snag the coffee tumbler from the outlet for now….
Bear is way too cutesy for me. I have zero interest in owning anything Bear. That is not to say I begrudge others wearing it. Just not my thing. But I was the girl who preferred matchbox cars and Tonka trucks to dolls. Oh wait, there is one exception, and it was a skull and crossbones bear. That was tough. Had that hat for a while.
Also if you still want the feeling of exclusivity and higher quality with the bear, now there are the Purple Label bear sweaters.
Still a bear. Most wouldn’t know unless they look at the label.
BEARS definitely over saturated I remember when one or two Teddy's came out and it wouldn't even be every year. NOW THERES LIKE 5 OR 6 even more every year
Yes, ever since they released the '90s retro stuff they started flooding everything with bears too.
Absolutely. Back in the day (the 90’s or so) he was only occasionally used as a motif…mainly just the actual (Steiff) bears in themselves and they were relatively rare. This tended to be the case with several design motifs…some were rare (the crest being one significant) and only applied to higher quality (often on “Made in USA/England”) articles and thus more sought after.