When it comes to Ralph Lauren Polo Bear Knit Sweaters, you have your fans and also collectors who will try to get them all, may it be the vintage releases from 1992-2001, the modern versions from 2013-present and/or also the more expensive Purple Label versions.
Similar to those who collect Air Jordans or even action figures, there are those who love that classic look and hard to find first releases, while you have those who like the more modern versions because the detail and make are more visually appearing than the original.
My feeling is you do you. Whatever makes you happy and know that you purchase any of these sweaters, anytime you want to sell them, You can often sell them for a good price because they can be considered luxury items as each sweater retails for nearly $400+ for the modern versions and the vintage versions fetch a higher price due to scarcity.
Also, once they are released, there is not an extraordinary amount made and remade. If you missed the boat, you missed the boat on the releases and hope to get it for a good price on an auction.
For today’s post, I am going to focus on remakes of vintage sweaters. So, let’s take a look at several.
The Preppy Bear aka Kanye Bear which was featured in his debut album “The College Dropout”. While the 2001 sweater is probably the vintage version you will often see being sold on an online auction. You can see the difference from the 2013 release in blue. I like the detail of the original 2001 Polo Bear in terms of shadowing and also various fiber used.
The next one we’ll take a look at is the classic preppy polo bear with a red sweater tied on his waist which was on a darker green sweater, while the 2013 version was released by Macy’s in Hunter Navy Blue for the price of $245 back then. You can see the change of details with the vintage and modern version.
The next one is Rider Bear, the Polo Bear polo player which was originally released on a blue sweater and the more recently released version in Park Avenue Red in which the modern version is well-detailed especially around the collar and belt area.
Next up is Martini Bear!
Martini Bear was a 1992 released in very small quantities and sold at the Polo Mansion on 72nd Street and Madison Avenue and this and its turtleneck version are considered holy grail releases (the turtleneck version retailed for $1,250). Martini Bear has become one of the more popular modern Polo Bears and the 2017 sweater was released in black (also released as a black hoodie) with a lot of detail. Martini Bear 2017 now has a black tie, red flower on the lapel, more evident pocket square, RL engraving on the shoes.
Although, I do like the distinguished look of the vintage polo bear than the happy face polo bear of the modern version, which almost all polo bears have these days.
The next up is the 1994 “Downtown Bear” sweater. Made of gray cashmere, the gray turtleneck featuring the Downtown Art Gallery look with the black pinstripe suit, black turtleneck and the pocketwatch with the chain at the side but what I lilke the most is the Polo Bear’s expression.
The modern version is on a red sweater and looks like a 20-years later version of Polo Bear much more stockier wearing a pinstripe suit (great detail) with the Ralph Lauren shoes and white pocket square. I really like the look of the modern version’s suit details, but the nonchalant smirk of the 1994 version now features a happier Polo Bear smile. For me, personally, I dig the smirk version. I don’t own this sweater, so I can’t tell if the modern version has a ribbed-neck version on the turtleneck.
Next up, Polo Bear sporting the Iconic Sweater
The Polo Bear sporting the iconic sweater was released around 1992/1993 and celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ralph Lauren (the company). In 2017/2018, the Ralph Lauren Iconic Sweater Polo Bear Sweater was released.
While the white was sold for the women’s line, the 50th anniversary version is pretty much unisex as I have seen men and women wear it.
But nevertheless, I own the 50th anniversary version and the two bears are different. In the vintage version, the Polo Bear is wearing a turtleneck, while the modern version features the Polo Bear with a crew neck with a light blue oxford shirt. Meanwhile the vintage version has the baggy jeans and boots. The modern version also features baggy jeans, folded and with the Ralph Lauren brown Roland or Harold loafers.
The iconic flag is bigger in the vintage version vs. the modern 50th anniversary version. But the modern version features so much detail versus compared to its vintage counterpart.
The 1992 Sitting Bear (which debuted in Ralph Lauren’s 1991 Holiday Colleciton) was released in three colors, Red, White (Cream) and Blue. The Red and Crream 1992 sweater features the Polo Bear wearing the Iconic Ralph Lauren Sweater in dark blue, while the dark blue sweater features the Polo Bear wearing an iconic Ralph Lauren sweater in white.
The Sitting Bear was re-released in 2021 in wool yarn and specially brushed for a soft vintage inspired texture. And Also features the RL 92 on the bottom left. The details are amazing and while still sold on the shop (smaller size), it’s a sweater that sold out quickly (L, XL, XXL) and people are wanting a pretty penny for this version new with tags.
And while there are numerous ski bears, there has not been a re-release of the knit sweater of the vintage ski bear or even the Grandpa 1993 polo bear sweater.
But don’t count out Ralph Lauren releasing one in the near future, considering how well the modern remake versions are selling.
