POLO RALPH LAUREN RELEASES WALTER HOFFMAN-INSPIRED COLLECTION
New for summer 2021, Polo Ralph Lauren has released The Hoffman Collection, a limited-edition capsule of Hawaiian-style prints inspired by the personal archive of surf legend Walter Hoffman.
After serving at Pearl Harbor in the early 1950’s—where he was a member of both the U.S. Navy surf and swim teams—Hoffman began to sell tropical-print fabrics through his family’s textile business. Over time, Hoffman helped pioneer the popularity of the traditional “aloha” shirt, which eventually formed the foundation of modern surf wear.
Taking direct inspiration from Hoffman’s original “aloha” shirts, the limited-edition Hoffman collection includes men’s apparel and accessories. Matching camp shirts, shorts, and canvas sneakers were exclusively developed in three original floral patterns from the Hoffman archives: South Pacific Floral, Coconut Grove Floral, and The Big Kahuna. Unique and colorful, each item in the collection is listed with the quantity produced to highlight its highly limited production.
The campaign was shot in Hawaii by photographer and contemporary artist Joe Termini, on brother-in-law and surfer Isaiah Moniz of the iconic Hawaiian Moniz surf family. The images showcase Moniz wearing the collection in his natural element, surfing, riding his bike, and hanging around his hometown. Additional imagery was captured utilizing Hoffman’s personal keepsakes from his family’s archives, underscoring the collaboration’s authenticity and deep connection to the surf community.
The Hoffman Collection is now available on The Polo App, in select Ralph Lauren stores, and on ralphlauren.com.