Ralph Lauren is shining a light on its beloved Polo Bear this holiday season.
But while the bear has long been a favorite of the company and its customers, this time around he’ll be brought to life as a 3D digital rendering embedded within a physical vignette that will be featured in the windows at the company’s flagships in New York, Chicago, London and Tokyo.
The windows were developed over the course of six months in partnership with Cinimod, an innovation studio, and they leverage AI technology to make the bear seem real and responsive.
In the New York flagship window, for example, the Polo Bear is dressed in a tuxedo and situated within an Art Deco-inspired Manhattan penthouse overlooking Central Park and the city skyline. That is complemented by a Duke Bar Cart topped with classic Langley crystal martini glasses and Montgomery barware from the company’s home collection. The bear will interact with passersby by waving, taking selfies, blowing kisses and dancing.
In the other cities, Polo Bear will be brought to life within the Polo Bear Gift Concierge, a setting that features wood paneled walls, mahogany shelving and polished brass finishes. Here, the bear will take a turn as a tailor, sewing the finishing touches on ties to give to his family as holiday gifts while sipping on cups of Ralph’s Coffee and grabbing tools from a workstation and waving to visitors.
This is not the first time Ralph Lauren has embraced innovation and emerging technologies. The company has was among the first to use e-commerce, use 3D holographic displays, immersive virtual store experiences and embrace the metaverse.
“Ralph Lauren has defined the shopping experience for nearly 60 years with immersive, cinematic retail environments and iconic window displays that have served as a canvas for decades of creative innovation,” said David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer. “The future of retail lies in crafting moments that spark the imagination of the next generation while building genuine, authentic and emotional connections. Reimagining our iconic Polo Bear as an interactive character creates a delightfully personal and thoroughly modern experience that will surprise and charm our customers, while also attracting new audiences to engage with the brand.”
The windows go live on Friday.
