The Instigation Dispatch: 7.28.25- When Aspiration Beats The Algorithm (FREE)

How Polo used Black excellence mythology to sell a new American aristocracy—again.

Oak Bluffs State of Mind: Ralph Lauren, Black Prestige, and the Science of Aspiration

Let’s be clear: Ralph Lauren doesn’t just sell clothes. He sells dreams; specifically, dreams sewn into the fabric of what it means to look like you’ve arrived in America. From the Hamptons to Harlem, his brand has always been more about the aspiration than the actual wardrobe. He built a billion-dollar empire not by chasing trends, but by selling the timeless appeal of American wealth; tweed, crests, and confidence, stitched together into a mythology of aristocracy available to anyone with a Saks card and a vision board.

So when Ralph Lauren dropped the second iteration of the Polo Ralph Lauren Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges capsule this summer, styled as the “Oak Bluffs” collection, it wasn’t just another HBCU merch drop. It was a masterclass in Cultural Demand Intelligence.

Let me explain.

This Is What CDI Looks Like

Cultural Demand Intelligence (CDI) is The Instigation Department’s framework for identifying, decoding, and activating cultural signals that are already resonating within a community; before a brand shows up. CDI isn’t about creating culture. It’s about reading the room at scale, and then asking, “How can we enter this moment respectfully and profitably?”

One of the clearest markers of CDI is aspiration. Not empty influencer-brand-collab aspiration, but true aspiration; narratives that communities hold close because they reflect struggle, triumph, and the deeply personal climb to self-actualization.

The Morehouse and Spelman partnership hits this squarely. These schools are not just institutions, they are elite signal boosters. They are the Ivy-adjacent North Star of Black academic prestige, family legacy, and upward mobility. They’ve long served as real-life examples of what W.E.B. DuBois called “the talented tenth,” and Ralph Lauren recognized the power of that symbol. Not to parody it, but to elevate it within his own mythology.

Because if Ralph Lauren’s entire brand thesis is “You too can be American royalty,” then who better to partner with than the kings and queens of Black collegiate prestige?

Oak Bluffs: Where Heritage Meets High Thread Count

The “Oak Bluffs” framing is telling. That name isn’t random. Oak Bluffs, a historic Black enclave on Martha’s Vineyard, is synonymous with generational wealth, bourgeois beach vibes, and the kind of legacy leisure that Polo has always romanticized. But instead of putting white models in sailing sweaters, this time, Ralph gave us deeply melanated lineage in cream cable knits and cricket sweaters.

This wasn’t just representation, it was the fusion of two brands selling complementary myths. Ralph Lauren has always sold the fantasy of arrival; Morehouse and Spelman represent the Black reality of it.

And that’s what makes this moment matter: It’s mutually reinforcing mythology. Ralph Lauren gets to co-sign cultural credibility with a sophisticated Black audience he’s long courted (remember Lo-Lifes?), while the schools get the prestige of being tapped by a global heritage brand; an acknowledgment that their institutional gravity is not just academic, but aesthetic.

This is CDI in motion: identifying a latent cultural energy, understanding the aspirations embedded within it, and offering a product that doesn't just reflect it, but honors and enhances it.

Prestige is the Product

Let’s not ignore what’s really being sold here. The clothes are nice, sure. But this is luxury cosplay for Black upward mobility. This is the polo shirt as a passport to elite identity. It’s a subtle nod to respectability politics, a whisper to grandma that yes, your donation dollars are still producing men of Morehouse and Spelman women who know which fork to use at a benefit dinner.

But it’s also a love letter to Black self-determination. Because as much as Ralph is leveraging the cultural capital of Morehouse and Spelman, those institutions are also selling an aspirational product: the promise that you can belong to a tradition of excellence, that you too can be a part of the American story; not as a footnote, but as royalty.

So What’s the Takeaway?

Aspiration is the new algorithm.

It’s not enough for brands to just “show up” anymore. They must show respect… not just with money, but with intention, context, and style. The Ralph Lauren x HBCU partnership is successful not just because of aesthetics, but because of alignment. It’s not the dreaded appearance DEI in a hoodie. It’s the ascending CDI in a varsity jacket.

For marketers, the lesson is simple: If you want to resonate with culturally rich audiences, don’t just speak their language—honor their lineage. Build bridges between your mythology and theirs. Aspire with them, not at them.

Because the future of branding isn’t about chasing culture.

It’s about understanding where it’s been, and then dressing for where it’s going.