When it comes to fashion, it doesn’t get much more American than Ralph Lauren. Lauren, who has designed Olympic fits for Team USA since 2008, is known for high-quality wardrobe basics, including denim, blazers, and of course, the polo shirt. But you may not know that what has become known as Ralph Lauren’s signature style was inspired by a Black man – one of the OGs of vintage fashion, whose impressive collection of men’s and women’s pieces has been featured in over 50 movies – Boston native, Bobby Garnett.
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In a 2013 interview with GBH News, Garnett said his love of fashion was born out of his love of music, as he tried to copy the style of his favorite artists during the 1960s. He started buying old clothing pieces he found just for the buttons, which he used in his Boston leather shop. Garnett put the buttonless shirts and jackets in a basket inside the store, which, to his surprise, became popular with his customers.
“[The] basket was always empty, and people would constantly ask us, ‘When you gonna put more stuff in the basket? ‘” he said.
After years of shopping, Garnett had accumulated a massive collection of jackets, dresses, jeans, military apparel and more. He eventually turned his personal collection into a showroom, opening Bobby from Boston in the city’s vibrant South End neighborhood and a warehouse outside of Boston in Lynn, Massachusetts. Before long, Garnett’s collection became a destination for vintage clothing lovers, Hollywood costume designers looking to get their actors into character, and fashion designers like Ralph Lauren – who used Garnett’s vintage pieces as inspiration for his ivy league-influenced collection.
Before his 2016 passing, Garnett showed his appreciation for Lauren’s ability to make what was old new again.
“I have the highest admiration for Ralph. He’s kept a lot of vintage people in business over the years,” he said in an interview. “I guess he was the prominent person in my mind, a designer, that just loves vintage.”
When Garnett passed away in 2016, his daughter, Jessica Garnett Carrion, took over the business, maintaining her father’s high-quality collection which was truly a labor of love.
“I have a knack for really digging stuff up. I can find stuff,” he said in a 2013 interview. “There’s a rush finding one great item or being able to find 500 items that I can just use, either way, I’m going to dig and pick until I pass out.”
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