Ralph Lauren Creates Commemorative Capsule for USPS’s 250th Birthday

The buzz over the 250^th anniversary of the United States is getting louder as the nation prepares for the big party next year. But the United States Postal Service is actually older and is celebrating its 250^th birthday this year.

Originally called the Post Office Department, it was established on July 26, 1775, by the Second Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General.

When the U.S. Constitution was being drafted in 1787, a provision was included that empowered Congress to open post offices and postal roads. Five years later, the United States Post Office Department was established.

To help commemorate that history, Ralph Lauren has created a capsule collection that pays homage to the lasting influence of mail carrier uniforms. The company worked closely with USPS archivists and historians to create a limited-edition Carrier coat, leather Carrier bag, and mesh cap, each drawing inspiration from USPS uniforms over more than 100 years.

The Polo Ralph Lauren USPS Carrier coat was inspired by the organization’s outerwear silhouettes dating to the 1870s. It was created in wool twill with star patches and the dates of 1775 and 2025 embroidered on the cuffs. There are brass buttons reproduced from an original using the same American manufacturer, design and mold, reinforced shoulder pads and a diamond-quilted interior. It will retail for $1,298.

The leather messenger bag features an embossed commemorative U.S. Mail logo that replicates the original. And the trucker-style mesh cap is made from worsted Shetland wool with an embroidered horse-and-rider patch inspired by the Postal Service’s uniform emblem authorized by Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield in December 1955. The bag will retail for $998 and the hat is $79.50.

The collection will be available in limited quantities online through the Ralph Lauren app and at the company’s stores in New York — Madison Avenue and Prince Street — Chicago; Boston; King of Prussia, Pa., and Georgetown.