10 Things to Consider When Buying sport mens golf polo shirt wholesale

10 Things to Consider When Buying Sport Men's Golf Polo Shirts Wholesale

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Casual, Classic, Elegant: The Polo Shirt

A polo shirt is one of the most versatile shirts any man can own. Chances are, you already own an array of these shirts, and every Classic wardrobe will benefit from the presence of at least one polo to serve as a casual sport shirt that is especially well-suited for warmer weather. From sporting attire to leisurewear, polo shirts can be paired with many wardrobe items such as chinos, shorts, seersucker, and Madras, and they will help every item in your wardrobe go further.

Men wear polo shirts just about everywhere, to football games and the office alike, and as part of many outfits, ranging from a tailored blazer to ripped denim jeans. Even the oft-tuxedoed James Bond is famous for wearing Sunspel polo shirts, which pair perfectly with his Rolex Submariner or Omega Seamaster.

But just because polo shirts are popular, it does not make understanding them any less important when it comes to proper fit, ideal materials, and trusted manufacturers. Even though a polo shirt is a wardrobe staple, it can be difficult to find the right cut, fabric, and combinations to take advantage of all the style possibilities this unique shirt presents. In our guide, we take a look at every element of the polo shirt, starting with its long and venerable history.

Whether you consider yourself a preppy gentleman, only wear polo shirts as a leisure item, or use this shirt like sportswear on golf courses or tennis courts, we know that you’ll learn a great deal from this informative guide.

The History of the Polo Shirt

The Polo Shirt’s Origins in the Game of Polo

As the name implies, the history of the polo shirt is closely linked to the history of the game of polo, although the modern polo shirt as we recognize it today looks very different from its ancient antecedent.

The game of polo had been played in Asia for centuries, but it was introduced to Europeans during the expansion of the British Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries. At this same time, Europeans were also introduced to the uniforms traditionally worn by locals when playing this game.

Watch our dedicated video on polo shirt history

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The English Bring the Polo Shirt to Europe

English colonials adopted the game of polo following the conquest of India. In Manipur, India, during the middle of the 19th century, British soldiers took up the Indian game and polo and adopted uniforms based on traditional examples. These outfits usually consisted of long-sleeved shirts made of thick cotton with broad collars.

Because the broad collars on early polo shirts could flap in the breeze and were stuffy and uncomfortable when loose, buttons were added to help secure them and prevent them from flapping in the riders’ faces as their horses galloped.

By the early 1860s, polo, and its attendant uniforms, were well-established in Great Britain, whence they soon spread across the European Continent and eventually reached North America.

The Polo collar is popularized by

Brooks Brothers

During a trip to England in 1896, John E. Brooks, heir to the American Brooks Brothers haberdasher, attended a polo game and noticed the button-down collars on the shirts of the polo players. Thinking it was a brilliant idea, he brought back the idea to his grandfather, and they began to introduce a new dress shirt with a button-down collar that we know today as the button-down dress shirt. Even though the “polo shirt” has evolved to represent a different clothing item entirely, Brooks Brothers still markets some OCBD shirts as the “Original Polo” shirt.

The first “polo” polo shirt from

Lewis Lacey

While the polo pony logo is today closely associated with Ralph Lauren, a different maker had already employed this logo almost fifty years earlier. Lewis Lacey was a clothing designer and polo player who introduced a newer, lighter-weight cotton fabric to the game. To market his new shirt, available at his store in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he embroidered a picture of a polo player on its breast.

Rene Lacoste and the Birth of the Modern Polo Shirt

René Lacoste is credited with effectively inventing the modern polo shirt. Rene Lacoste was a French tennis player and one of the biggest names in the sport in the 1920s and 30s. Realizing that the traditional polo shirt could have multiple uses, due primarily to its wind-resistant collar, he used it as a starting point to design a shirt that would eventually become the modern polo shirt.

Early 20th-century tennis shirts were often long-sleeved, had a full complement of buttons, and could be relatively heavy. Lacoste’s innovations, based on the original polo shirt, called for removing the sleeves, which he had often worn roll-up on his traditional tennis shirt.

Lacoste also ditched the buttons traditionally found on tennis shirts, opting instead for a pull-over design. He also gave the shirt a longer hem in the back than in the front, allowing it to remain tucked in without restricting his ability to move and flex. To this day, the asymmetrical shirt hem is still referred to as a “Tennis Tail.”

Reny Lacoste introduces

Cotton Pique

As a fabric for his new polo shirt, Lacoste adopted an innovative knit called pique cotton. Cotton pique could be machine-knitted, making it relatively easy to manufacture, and it was also very light and breathable while retaining durability. While Lacoste had not invented cotton pique, he was instrumental in its popularization as a sporting and leisure fabric.

The Polo Shirt Dominates … Tennis?

Lacoste wore his new shirt proudly in the 1926 US Open, which he dominated, and immediately the shirt became a staple in tennis wear and activewear worldwide. Even the polo world took notice and adopted the same shirts for use in their game. The button-down collar was no more, and polo players liked Lacoste’s shirts because the comfortable yet sturdy collar could be popped up, allowing them more protection from sunburns.

Does a gator or crocodile represent

Lacoste?

Despite some confusion over the issue, the reptile on the Lacoste logo is decidedly a crocodile because “Le Crocodile” was Lacoste’s nickname. The origins of this nickname, however, are disputed. One theory claims that Lacoste’s large nose resembled the snout of a crocodile. Another idea was that the force of his slams was like the snapping of a crocodile’s jaw. Finally, Lacoste’s son, Bernard, claimed that the nickname originated from a bet involving, even more confusingly, an alligator-skin bag.

Paying homage to where Lacoste got the idea, he opted to call his creation a polo shirt rather than a tennis shirt. In 1933 he formed a company to market his polo shirts, and the Lacoste brand was born. Focusing on polo shirt sales, their original market consisted almost exclusively of athletes and sports fans.

Realizing he could sell more shirts if he created various designs, Lacoste and his designers came up with many colorful patterns, including stripes and even graphics, presaging the modern trend of boldly styled polo shirts.

“They had spent a year in France for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Originally, polo shirts were almost the exclusive domain of the sporting world, including an introduction to the world of golf when American President Dwight Eisenhower wore a Lacoste polo while on the links. Golf and country clubs soon adjusted their rules to allow for polo shirts on their courses, and almost overnight, the polo shirt became the preferred golf attire for golfers in North America and across the globe.

Dominating Casual Menswear: The Polo Shirt in the Mid-20th Century

After World War II, the growing casualization of menswear saw the introduction of an increasingly wide range of leisure and sports shirts. The polo shirt, already popular in the world of sport, transitioned relatively easily into the world of casual men’s fashion. Polo shirts became regular wear for men at informal social events like cookouts or when running errands. Young men, in particular, flocked to the polo shirt, and it slowly began to develop cachet as a status symbol and emblem of the youthful Prep Style.

The Stitched logo and

Fred Perry

Like Rene Lacoste, Fred Perry was a tennis legend who expanded into the world of fashion. Perry marketed his own brand of polo shirt that closely resembled Lacoste’s but with a logo that was stitched rather than ironed on. While the Lacoste polo remained the preferred choice for athletes, fashion-conscious young men in the 1950s seemed to prefer Fred Perry’s offering because of its iconic emblem, one of the earliest examples of the adoption of logos in menswear. By this time, it was clear that the polo was no longer just a sport shirt but a fashionable shirt to wear outside of athletics.

Ralph Lauren Enters the Polo Market

As the 20th century progressed, the polo shirt solidified its position as a premiere shirt within casual menswear. The polo shirt was so iconic, in fact, that when Ralph Lauren was developing ideas for what to call his new line of casualwear clothing, he settled on the name Polo because it was evocative of both the sport of polo, with its royal association and sophisticated air, and the whimsical fun and lightness of the polo shirt.

The polo player emblem of the Polo Line first appeared on women’s suits in 1971. A year later, Ralph Lauren launched a polo shirt featuring the famous design as the flagship offering of his new line of casual menswear items.

Here’s what we think you should buy from Ralph Lauren!

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The Polo Wars

The polo became a flagship garment for Ralph Lauren. By the opening of the 1980s, one of the first decades in which brand consciousness was a significant consideration in men’s fashion, several clothing retailers had well-established lines of polo shirts, including Lacoste, Izod, Ralph Lauren, Original Penguin, Fred Perry, and Brooks Brothers, to name a few.

The competition was fierce between these brands to establish their superiority and dominate the lucrative polo shirt market. Within a few years, it was clear that Lacoste and Ralph Lauren were the primary contenders for the crown. Thanks to its deeper corporate pockets and popularity with the Ivy League set, the Ralph Lauren polo emerged as the winner, becoming the iconic polo coveted by men worldwide.

The Polo Shirt Today

One of the Most Popular Casual Shirts in Menswear

From their origins on the polo fields, polo shirts have come to dominate menswear. Few other garments are seen on middle managers and suburban dads as often as they are glimpsed on celebrities and music stars. It is a safe bet to say that the polo shirt is currently one of the most common and popular garments on the planet, and it is unlikely that its fame will be declining anytime soon.

A Premiere Casual Shirt

Today, the polo shirt can be worn in almost any environment where an open collar is substituted for a dress shirt and tie. Because of their versatility and ability to be paired with many types of trousers, from jeans and chinos to dress pants, polo shirts, along with tee shirts, are one of the most common shirts worn by men today.

As Sports Equipment

Lightweight and breathable but retaining a certain well-put-together air, the polo shirt remains true to its root as a favored garment for tennis players, golfers, and many other athletes.

As Part of Prep and Collegiate Style

From the halls of Harvard and Yale to the fraternity keggers of the local state university, polo shirts are indelibly associated with contemporary collegiate style. Whether paired with cotton shorts at a cookout or worn with collar popped while playing beer pong, polo shirts and college culture, as well as “Bro Culture,” are strongly associated.

As Business Casual Staple

With the rise of the modern tech industry and more offices adopting less formal work environments, polo shirts became standard work apparel in these fields. Soon more industries took notice, and the polo shirt was included in many trade and retail uniforms, from blue-collar plumbers and exterminators to big-box retail stores. Companies began to realize that they could easily brand the shirts and began to use them as a regulated uniform for their staff, with logos imprinted on the sleeves, breast, collar, and back of the shirts.

As Superlative Casual Shirt

Because of their ability to appear relatively formal and neat while remaining casual and comfortable, polo shirts are favored by gentlemen from all walks of life on various occasions, from running errands and sporting events to fun grilling and laid-back meals out.

Polo Shirt FAQ

What was the original polo shirt?

The first “polo” shirts were heavy cotton shirts worn by polo players. In the 1920s, the French tennis player Rene Lacoste developed a new shirt that was closely modeled after the shirts worn by polo players, that he called a polo shirt. This polo shirt, although designed for use in tennis, is what we today know as a polo shirt.

Which brand makes the best polo shirts?

Ultimately, the best brand and price point for a polo shirt depends on what you need the polo shirt to do, but you can expect to pay more for polos that have more attentive constructive and expensive materials, but also for polo shirts made by luxury brands. To help you determine if a polo shirt, or any iconic item in menswear, has a good value, check out our extensive Is It Worth It? Series.

How many polo shirts should a man own?

How many polo shirts you should own depends upon your personal preference, but in general, having a few polo shirts in classic colors and styles will always be a good addition to your selection of classic casual shirts.

What colors are the best for polo shirts?

Classic menswear colors like white, gray, navy, blue, and green will be extremely versatile in a Classic menswear wardrobe, but because polo shirts are more casual and are often worn in warmer temperatures, you can also consider bolder pastel options like yellow, orange, and pink.

What is the best material for a polo shirt?

Most polo shirts are made from cotton, but depending on your needs, other quality natural fibers like wool, linen, and silk can also be good options. In general, unless you are wearing the polo for sports and prefer performance fabrics, synthetic fibers should be avoided.

What is a pique polo shirt?

In this context, pique refers to the knitted pattern of the polo shirt fabric. It has a distinctive waffle-like pattern and possesses superior breathability and flexibility.

How should a polo shirt fit?

In a Classic Fit, a polo should drape pleasingly at the shoulders with a lightly structured midsection that encourages a pleasing, but not sharp, inverted v torso. The sleeves should fall between the shoulders and elbow and be secure but not tight.

Are polo shirts a trend?

While trends are associated with polo shirts, such as layering or popping collars, polo shirts have existed for over a century and have been staples in Classic menswear since the 1950s. Opting for a polo shirt in classic colors with versatile styling will ensure that your polos are timeless and will look great on you for years to come.

Should I tuck in my polo shirt?

If your polo shirt has a Tennis Tail, in which it is longer in the back than in the front, you should tuck it in. You should also tuck your polo shirt in if it falls around the middle of your buttocks in length. If you want to wear your polo shirt untucked, the hem should fall just below your belt line.

How do I clean a polo shirt?

Always follow the individual washing instructions printed inside your polo. In general, however, be aware that cotton polos do tend to shrink, and so should be washed gently in cool