7 Polo Shirts Only Old Money Wears (And Why It's Never Ralph Lauren)

Core Claim (Brand vs. Maker)

The video argues that “old money” polo shirts typically come from makers who control the production craft—the yarn, knitting, and machines—rather than from brands that mainly license the product and rely on independent manufacturers.

It presents this as a practical “test” for whether a polo’s maker truly controls the craft:

• Does the company own or control the machine that knits the cloth?
• Can the company publicly name the factory and machine?

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Key Idea: The “Machine/Factory Test”

The polo shirts are separated into two piles:

Pass

• The label maker is tightly connected to the machines/factories that knit the cloth.
• They own more of the “machine” side of production.

Fail

• The maker doesn’t control knitting infrastructure and relies on other producers.
• They own more of the “brand/story” side rather than the knitting craft.

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Context: Ralph Lauren Example

• The video notes that Ralph Lauren (and many major brands) publicly disclose they don’t own or operate manufacturing facilities.
• Instead, they rely on roughly 300 independent foreign manufacturers.

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Polo Heritage Countdown

#7 — Fred Perry (Made-in-England line)

• Launched: 1952
• Signature: plain white pique polo with laurel wreath
• Origin story: “twin tipping” came from West Ham supporters asking for club colors

Construction detail & process

• Knitted at UK Peak (Leicester)
• Tipping knitted in a specific 5-4-4 ratio on an old machine
• Hand draw-threaded tipping
• Taken to ESP next door for cutting, sewing, and finishing

Why it ranks here

Fred Perry names facilities publicly, but doesn’t own both factories, so control is considered less tight than higher-ranked makers.

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#6 — Lacoste

• Invented/standardized the modern polo concept (L.12.12)

Key history

• René Lacoste (tennis champion; “crocodile” nickname)
• Partnered with Andre Gillier (large knitwear manufacturer in France)
• Made in Troyes, France (knitwear hosiery capital since the 16th century)

Meaning of “L.12.12”

• L = Lacoste
• 1 = petit pique
• 2 = short sleeves
• 12 = 12th prototype/attempt

Corporate note

• Lacoste family ownership ended in 2012, when Maus Frères (Swiss holding group) bought out remaining shares
• Lacoste now sits in MF Brands alongside other labels

Why it ranks #6

It’s an origin polo maker, but no longer a French family-owned manufacturing story.

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#5 — Zenone (Slowear specialist knit brand)

Zenone is part of Slowear, described as a group of specialist companies rather than a single fashion house:

• Incotex (trousers), Glanshirt (shirts), Montedoro (outerwear), Zenone (knits)

What Zenone is known for

• Yarn called Ice Cotton:
  • extremely high twist
  • creates a dry, crisp, faintly crepe surface
  • keeps fabric cool and less clinging
• Wool version: Flex wool blend

Why it ranks here

The selling point is technical yarn/machining, not a founder legend—suggesting “machine knowledge” matters more.

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#4 — Gran Sasso (geo + in-town manufacturing)

• Founded by the Di Stefano brothers in Sant’Egidio alla Vibrata (Abruzzo) in 1952

Manufacturing philosophy

• Built to keep operations local, avoiding outsourcing to cheaper countries while staying “Italian.”

Facility/process

• In 2002, built a new HQ (~36,000 sq m) on the original site
• Designed by architect Guido Canali (daylight, planting—less like a typical industrial shed)
• Dyeing, knitting, linking, finishing all happen in the same town

Polo construction detail

• Knitted collars (not cut/sewn from separate fabric)
• Claimed benefit: collars keep shape better after washes

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#3 — Fedeli (know-how protected via investment)

• Founded: 1934 in Monza (near Milan), by Luigi Fedeli

Early history

• Began as a hat maker
• During German occupation:
  • refused military leather production
  • closed; family moved near Lake Como until after the war

After 1945

Shifted into knitwear and refined expertise across generations.

2023 major change

• Prada and Ermenegildo Zegna jointly bought 30% into Fedeli (15% each)
• Both took board seats; Fedeli family kept 70%
• Stated purpose: protect Italian knitting know-how and fine yarn capability

Why it ranks #3

Investors are described as focused on preserving manufacturing capability, not just purchasing a label.

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#2 — Sunspel (Riviera polo fabric invention)

• Founded: 1860 in Nottingham (export underwear for hot climates)
• Long Eaton connection: later moved to Long Eaton, where t-shirts are still hand-made (as described)

1955 invention behind the polo

• Peter Hill (Thomas Hill’s great-grandson) disliked dense cotton pique in Mediterranean heat
• Used idle lace-making machines from the Nottingham lace trade to create an open, airy warp knit mesh
• This became the Riviera polo, made to the original specification ever since

Movie/Bond connection

• Costume designer Lindy Hemming chose the Riviera for Daniel Craig’s first Bond outing
• Sunspel recut it to Craig’s measurements

Important correction/claim from the video

• The video states the current Riviera is made in Portugal (family-run factory)
• T-shirts are still made in England

Why it ranks #2

The core point is that the house invented its cloth and still holds its specs—passing the “machine/cloth invention” test more strongly than others.

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#1 — John Smedley (Lea Mills) — oldest operating knitwear maker

• Described less as a “clothing company” and more as a manufacturing knitwear factory

Lea Mills details

• Location: Derbyshire valley
• Knitwear made since 1784
• Claims:
  • oldest still-operating manufacturing factory anywhere in the world
  • controlled by the same family across generations (eighth generation mentioned)

Knit detail

• Uses Sea Island cotton
• Knitting gauge: 30-gauge (30 needles per inch), described as ~twice as fine as standard

Polo styles highlighted

• Isis (dating to the 1930s; uniform of London mods in the ’60s)
• Adrian (three-button version with stand collar)

“Fully fashioned” (main technical takeaway)

• Shoulders and collar knitted to shape piece-by-piece
• Then linked together
• Not cut out of a sheet of jersey (cutting is faster/cheaper but less “technical”)

Benefits claimed

• less yarn waste
• no cut edges to unravel
• less chance of seams twisting out of true

Why it ranks #1

The strongest “machine owns the craft” story: long-running factory + knit technical control + minimal “branding-only” structure.

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Overall Conclusion (Buying Advice)

The video isn’t portrayed as attacking Ralph Lauren’s quality as a brand. Instead, it contrasts brand vs maker.

When buying:

• Prefer labels that name the factory
• Prefer even more those that name the machine and the knitting/cloth process
• If a company can’t provide factory and/or machine details, the video implies you may be paying more for story/logo than knit production capability

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Notable Locations / Products / Terms / People

Locations

• Leicester (UK Peak)
• Troyes (Lacoste)
• Sant’Egidio alla Vibrata (Gran Sasso)
• Monza + Brunate near Lake Como (Fedeli)
• Long Eaton (Sunspel)
• Portugal (current Riviera polo production per video)
• Derbyshire valley at Lea Mills (John Smedley)
• ESP factory next door (Fred Perry process)

Products / cloth / tech terms

• L.12.12 polo
• Ice Cotton, Flex wool
• Riviera polo
• fully fashioned knitting
• 30-gauge knitting
• Sea Island cotton
• knitted collars

Companies/brands

• Ralph Lauren, Fred Perry, Lacoste, Zenone/Slowear, Gran Sasso, Fedeli, Sunspel, John Smedley (Lea Mills)

People referenced

• René Lacoste, Andre Gillier
• Thomas Hill and Peter Hill (Sunspel)
• Lindy Hemming (costume designer)
• Daniel Craig (Bond)
• Prada’s Patrizio Bertelli, Zegna’s Gildo Zegna
• Fedeli chairman Gigi Fedeli
• Architect Guido Canali