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We visited Ralph Lauren's flagship Polo store hours after the company said it would close and saw why the brand is failinghttps://www.businessinsider.in/we-visited-ralph-laurens-flagship-polo-store-hours-after-the-company-said-it-would-close-and-saw-why-the-brand-is-failing/ralph-laurens-polo-flagship-is-located-at-711-fifth-avenue-next-door-to-stores-like-gucci-and-armani-this-strip-of-fifth-avenue-is-one-of-the-most-exclusive-shopping-spots-in-the-world-/slidelist/58018312.cms2017-04-05T01:59:10+05:30

We visited Ralph Lauren's flagship Polo store hours after the company said it would close and saw why the brand is failing

Apr 5, 2017, 01:59 IST

Ralph Lauren's Polo flagship is located at 711 Fifth Avenue, next door to stores like Gucci and Armani. This strip of Fifth Avenue is one of the most exclusive shopping spots in the world.

The Polo brand is known for its signature preppy style, which was on full display in a storefront window.

But the display was drab and had a washed out feel to it. Nothing stood out.

That stood in stark contrast to the inside of the store, where we found row upon row of Polo shirts in garish colors. The Polo logos varied in size, but some were unfashionably large.

The shirts we saw cost $85 and up — hard to justify when a similar cotton polo shirt costs just $9.99 at H&M.

The mannequins in the front of the store were poorly dressed. In this picture, a men's bathing suit was squashed under a pair of un-zipped jeans.

The menswear section was neatly laid out and felt uncrowded, which was a definite plus. However, most of the collections of clothing were grouped together by color, which made it hard for any of the products to stand out.

One room was awash with beige suits. We found it hard to see how this clothing would appeal to the modern urban man.

Unless you are channeling the "Downton Abbey" look, we can't see how these suits would be practical in New York City.

The jackets on display also looked wrinkled.

As did the ties, which looked like they had been taken out of box and not properly steamed.

Ralph Lauren had a great selection of colored chinos, but again, they seemed overpriced. At $125 a pair, they cost $85 more than a similar pair of pants at Uniqlo.

There were only a handful of people in the store when we visited on a Tuesday morning. The menswear section was completely empty.

As was the women's section of the store. There were multiple people working, but no one for them to help.

There was a selection of khaki clothed mannequins in the women's section. A lot of the styles on display seemed very dated.

There was a similar selection of polo shirts in the women's section. These shirts looked suitable for tennis but we struggled to see how these would appeal to young shoppers.

Women's items that did seem targeted at younger shoppers weren't particularly trendy or exciting.

There was also a strange selection of accessories, like this shawl.

And jewelry.

In some sections of womenswear, there was very limited stock left. A spokesperson for Ralph Lauren said that any unsold clothing will be sent to the other store locations after the store closes.

But there were very few discounted items in the store and those that were on sale had only a very small reduction in price.

We noticed that some of the women's clothing looked grubby. This navy jacket had dust marks on the front.

One dress that cost $245 had small stain marks on it.

The store also had kid's section which just as expensive as adult wear in some cases. One navy wool jacket cost $295.

The clothing was an odd mix of expensive formal and casual wear. This tie and denim jacket combo seemed like an uncomfortable choice for kids.

We took a look around the changing rooms and found that they were completely empty.

And there were no lines at the cashiers.

The interior design of the store still feels cool and there is some great artwork and decor on display. But the prices are expensive and the clothing seems dated. We probably wouldn't buy anything here unless there was a big sale.

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