Wife and husband Jocy and Trae Little Sky are the founders of TÓPA, award-winning artists, designers, and proud members of Oceti Sakowin. Jocy is Dakota and of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nations and Trae is Oglala Lakota and Stoney Nakoda. As a family, the Little Skyes embrace traditional arts by meticulously handcrafting garments worn during Pow Wows, using traditional techniques such as quilling, beading, and leather work, which serve as a living expression of their heritage.
Ralph Lauren has launched the Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection, created with the indigenous brand TÓPA founded by Jocy and Trae Little Sky. Combining native craftsmanship with Polo's heritage style, the collaboration reflects cultural storytelling and traditional art. A portion of the proceeds will support Thunder Valley CDC's Lakota Language and Education Initiative.
The Ralph Lauren Artist in Residence program is an ongoing initiative that invites artisans upholding heritage crafts to collaborate with their design teams in a mutually beneficial creative partnership. This program is part of the Company's broader efforts, known as Design with Intention, to expand its representation of the United States and evolve from inspiration to collaboration with communities that have historically inspired Ralph Lauren designs. TÓPA is the Company's fourth Artist-in-Residence collaboration, following the program's debut with the Polo Ralph Lauren x Naiomi Glasses collection in 2023, the Double RL x Zefren-M capsule in 2024, and the Ralph Lauren Home Fall 2025 collection featuring designs by Naiomi and Tyler Glasses.
“We have long admired Ralph Lauren and how the brand brings worlds to life through its designs and storytelling,” he said. Jocy Little Sky, co-founder of TÓPA. “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 follow their dreams.”
The vast, rugged landscapes of the American West (and its enduring artistry and homely spirit) have long been a source of inspiration for Ralph Lauren. This season, that landscape serves as the backdrop for the brand's holiday campaign, a celebration of family, togetherness and community that is also reflected in the timeless pieces created in collaboration with TÓPA.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection celebrates the beauty of enduring craftsmanship, fusing modern silhouettes with native design motifs across a range of men's, women's and accessories products. In the languages of Oceti Sakowin, “TÓPA” means “four”, a significant number that symbolizes the four directions, the four seasons, the four stages of life and the four significant colors: red, black, yellow and white, weaving deep cultural meaning throughout the collection's designs.
The story of this partnership comes to life through a short film that shares Jocy and Trae's art, family life and cultural celebrations that influenced the Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA designs, filmed on the ancestral lands of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nations found on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
A percentage of the purchase price of each item in the Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection will be donated to Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC), specifically supporting their Lakota Language and Education Initiative. The Little Skys honor their heritage by learning their ancestral language, and through this collaboration, Ralph Lauren is proud to support Thunder Valley CDC in its dedicated efforts to preserve Lakota culture and traditions by empowering its community through programs such as Lakota language immersion, traditional arts, and storytelling.
The Polo Ralph Lauren x TÓPA collection will be available to consumers in North America on November 18, 2025 on RalphLauren.com, on the Ralph Lauren app and in select Ralph Lauren stores; and globally on November 20 at RalphLauren.com and at select Ralph Lauren stores. It will also be sold at 4Topa4.com, at Bloomingdale's 59th Street in New York and Century City in Los Angeles and on Bloomingdales.com.
Note: The headline, ideas and image of this press release may have been refined by Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fiber2Fashion News Desk (RM)
