When Ralph Lauren Met TÓPA: How Legacy Brands Are Finally Learning Cultural Competence

Polo Ralph Lauren’s newest Artist in Residence collaboration with TÓPA — a contemporary Indigenous brand grounded in the traditions of the Oceti Sakowin nation — is one of the few partnerships that actually gets cultural alignment right.

And that matters, especially now.

Over the last decade, brands swung hard between two extremes: either refusing to evolve or overcorrecting with performative “woke” gestures that felt more like PR than respect. We’re now in a different era. People don’t want moral lectures from brands, and they don’t want generic “diversity theater” either. They want clarity, respect, and competency. And if a brand is drawing from a culture, people want to see the actual culture represented — not repackaged.

That’s what makes Ralph Lauren × TÓPA so smart.

TÓPA, founded by Jocy and Trae Little Sky, doesn’t trade in symbolism for the sake of aesthetics. Their design language is literal lineage: Plains geometry, four-pointed stars, mirrored thípi iconography, and border motifs that carry place, story, and memory. Ralph Lauren could have mimicked this style years ago — many brands did. But partnering directly with the people who carry the tradition? That’s where the landscape has shifted.

This is the post-appropriation era done correctly:
Not fragile, not ideological — just competent.

Consumers across the spectrum (yes, even conservative ones) increasingly want transparency about where things come from and who made them. Not moral performance — just honest authorship. Ralph Lauren donating 5% of sales to Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation isn’t a “look at us” moment; it’s an acknowledgment that if you draw from a culture, you support the community safeguarding it.

It’s a small but meaningful change in how legacy brands are recalibrating.

And it mirrors the same principles I use inside my own studio:
clarity, competency, and credit.
Not because it’s trendy — because it’s the only way to build work that ages well.

My job in design and communications is helping people communicate across different audiences with respect, accuracy, and fluency. It’s cultural competency without the condescension — something more brands could benefit from. And collaborations like Ralph Lauren × TÓPA show that you can honor inspiration without compromising on craft, silhouette, or standards.

What this collection really proves is simple:
When you invite the right people to author the work, you don’t have to over-explain it. The credibility is already built in.

If legacy houses want to stay relevant in a country that is diverse, opinionated, and allergic to inauthenticity, this is the blueprint. Quiet alignment. Real partnership. No theatrics.

And as someone who builds communication systems for brands, municipalities, and organizations — I can tell you this is the direction that actually sticks.