The brand unveils a new collaboration with TÓPA, highlighting Indigenous artistry and continuing its Artist in Residence program for Fall/Holiday 2025.
Ralph Lauren’s newest Artist in Residence project centers on a collaboration with TÓPA, the Indigenous-led brand founded by Jocy and Trae Little Sky. Offered within Polo Ralph Lauren’s Fall/Holiday 2025 collection, it merges the couple’s regalia-inspired designs with Polo Ralph Lauren’s signature Americana look. Jocy and Trae are award-winning performers, designers, and members of the Oceti Sakowin. Their work through TÓPA extends generations of beading, quilling, leatherwork, and regalia-making into contemporary fashion.
Their designs often draw from the Northern Plains, where border patterns evoke the trails and valleys of Dakota homelands, linking each garment to a specific landscape and cultural memory. The name “TÓPA”—meaning “four” in the languages of the Oceti Sakowin—carries layered symbolism tied to the four directions, four seasons, four stages of life, and the four sacred colors central to their worldview.
These themes and the Little Skys’ multidisciplinary talent inform the collection’s designs, creating clothing that honors the cultural frameworks guiding their creative practice. Pieces span intarsia sweaters, chore coats, studded leather outerwear, and tailored separates, many featuring TÓPA’s signature four-pointed star and graphic motifs inspired by Plains geometry.
“This collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren honors our community, culture, and way of life, and we hope it inspires people to be proud of who they are, where they come from, and to follow their dreams,” said Jocy.
A short film tracing the Little Skys’ artistry, family life, and cultural celebration elaborates on the story behind the collection. Shot on the ancestral lands of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, the film anchors the collaboration in the landscape that shapes their work.
The American West’s symbolism, artistry, and sense of home have influenced Ralph Lauren for decades. This collaboration feels like a natural evolution of that fascination—only now, the people who live the story are telling it.The fourth chapter of the Artist in Residence program builds on the brand’s commitment to engaging more directly with the communities that have shaped its vision.
“This collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren honors our community, culture, and way of life, and we hope it inspires people to be proud of who they are, where they come from, and to follow their dreams.” – TÓPA, Founder by Jocy Little Sky.
Through the Artist in Residence initiative and its broader Design With Intent philosophy, Ralph Lauren is moving from distant inspiration to genuine creative partnership. Instead of referencing these traditions from afar, the brand is inviting the artists who carry them forward into the process itself.
The partnership is grounded in respect, representation, and shared storytelling. It marks a more collaborative approach to American style—one shaped with, rather than inspired by, the communities whose histories and creativity continue to guide Ralph Lauren’s work.
Ensuring the collaboration has a real impact, a portion of the proceeds will support the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation’s Lakota Language and Education Initiative. The program expands language-immersion classes and cultural learning, helping keep the Lakota language alive for future generations.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection is available globally on Ralph Lauren’s site, in select Ralph Lauren stores, through the brand’s app, on TÓPA’s site, and at NYC’s Bloomingdale’s and LA’s Century City.
All images courtesy of Ralph Lauren.
