From unfashionable to TikTok icon: How Ralph Lauren’s embroidered polo player rode back into style

A Ralph Lauren café near Zurich’s Paradeplatz now serves tea and coffee beneath the gaze of Polo Bear, the preppy mascot that has become one of the brand’s most recognizable symbols. The venue, called Ralph’s Coffee, opened last spring and is designed to recreate the house’s “old money” codes.

Dark polished wood covers the walls and counter. Retro porcelain sits alongside American-style cakes, including New York cheesecake, carrot cake and old-fashioned chocolate cake. Everything is arranged to evoke a neat, comfortable version of America, carefully packaged for contemporary consumers.

The café forms part of a larger space that also houses Ralph Lauren’s first Zurich store. The brand’s embroidered polo player, once dismissed as old-fashioned, has found new life as a TikTok icon. Taylor Swift’s spotlight has helped drive the turnaround, while the broader appeal of an elegant American fantasy has given the label renewed cultural visibility.

That revival is not only symbolic. Ralph Lauren is also benefiting economically, as it re-establishes itself between mass fashion and traditional luxury. Its cafés, stores and familiar mascots turn the brand into a lifestyle experience, supporting its new position in the accessible-luxury market.