How Did Polo Shirts Come Into Being?

Polo shirts have become a common as well as fashionable attire in the modern times. But how and why were they actually developed? Read on to find out.

Polo shirts, also known as golf or tennis shirts are a kind of T-shirt that have a collar, with some buttons below it down a slit, 2 smaller slits on either side and a pocket, which is optional. They are generally made using knitted cloth such as pique cotton, merino wool, synthetic fibres or silk. The collar can be upturned to protect the rear part of the neck from sunburns.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, tennis players wore long-sleeved shirts that made them feel uncomfortable during matches. These sportswear were quite similar to what people usually wear for work nowadays. Therefore, they were too cumbersome and heavy to be put on and play professionally. Rene Lacoste, a French tennis sportsperson decided to come up with un-starched and loosely-knitted pique cotton shirts having longer tails and a collar. He launched his own line of sportswear and named it after himself, Lacoste, which gained extreme popularity among tennis and polo players during the 1930s. In order to describe the attire developed by Rene, Americans began using the term ‘polo’.

In the year 1967, Ralph Lauren launched a brand new range of polo shirts and included it in his existing series called Polo. Though his clothing were not really meant to be worn in games, they bore a striking resemblance to the ones used by polo players around that time during their game.

Soon after, polo shirts were even adopted as a standard attire by golf players. However, they were altered a bit to have distinctly designed cut due to the fact that polo is an entirely different game from golf. Almost all fashion designers had started to design their very own versions of Lacoste’s apparel even for non-athletic use and normal occasions, which soon developed a niche in the clothing industry and were accepted widely as casual and smart wear for men as well as women.

Around the 1990s, custom printed polo shirts came to be used as uniforms by high profile corporate companies and technology firms. Later on, they also became popular in school as uniforms and are now worn in a wide range of light shades. They are a favourite choice of umpires, sports announcers, retired sports professionals and caddies as well. In some countries, they have even been adopted as official uniforms for government departments too. Additionally, they are considered suitable for various types of outdoor activities besides golf, polo and tennis. Labourers and field guides also like wearing polo shirts to work.