International fashion label Ralph Lauren has launched a collaboration with Gee’s Bend quilters from Wilcox County.
The fashion firm announced the partnership called Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend that includes products featuring artwork by textile artists from Gee’s Bend, Claudia Pettway Charley and Loretta Pettway Bennett.
The quilters have been a part of Ralph Lauren’s Artist in Residence program. The Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collection is now available for sale at RalphLauren.com and 5% of the purchase price of each item will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization based in Montgomery.
Gee’s Bend is in Boykin, a remote community in Wilcox County, is made up of Black artists whose quilting has been on display for decades in a Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy museum and through the annual Airing of the Quilts Festival that is Oct. 3.
Ralph Lauren’s press release:
Gee’s Bend quilts are distinguished by their visual language and vibrant, modern approach to color and abstraction. This Artist in Residence collaboration celebrates the living legacy of this community with a limited-edition collection of apparel and home pieces that honor their artisanal skills and singular vision of the original works.
The art of quilting, while practiced globally, has been uniquely elevated in the American tradition from a domestic craft into a high art form, with communities like Gee’s Bend contributing their own techniques and storytelling traditions. A time-honored practice spanning over a century, the women of Gee’s Bend practice quiltmaking using found materials to create functional works of art. This collaboration features designs by fourth-generation textile artist Claudia Pettway Charley, renowned for her intuitive, improvisational approach, and fifth-generation textile artist Loretta Pettway Bennett, widely acclaimed for her striking, graphic quilts as powerful expressions of family and tradition.
Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend is the latest offering of the Ralph Lauren Artist in Residence program – an ongoing initiative that invites artisans to participate in an immersive design collaboration with Ralph Lauren’s creative teams in a mutually beneficial exchange. This work is part of the Company’s broader efforts, known as Design With Intent, to expand its portrayal of America and to evolve from inspiration to collaboration with communities that have historically inspired Ralph Lauren’s designs. Gee’s Bend marks the company’s fifth Artist in Residence collaboration, following the program’s debut with Naiomi Glasses (Diné/Navajo) in 2023, followed by work with artists including Zefren-M (Diné/Navajo), Jocy and Trae Little Sky (Oceti Sakowin) of TÓPA and a second collaboration with Glasses and her brother, Tyler.
The collection captures the bold, improvisational spirit of the Gee’s Bend style, including freeform lines, visible topstitching and repurposing worn materials into iconic geometric works. Personal storytelling is woven throughout each piece, from Pettway Bennett’s recurring motif of red triangles representing her sons to Pettway Charley’s self-expressive use of color and composition.Â
Inspired by the foundational tradition of using repurposed fabrics in quiltmaking – a practice born from necessity and resourcefulness – quilts and apparel from the Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collection are made from upcycled Ralph Lauren fabrics and hand-pieced together with exceptional artisanal skill and craftsmanship. Denim anchors the collaboration, merging Ralph Lauren’s brand codes with the Gee’s Bend quilting tradition of utilizing workwear fabrics, valued for its durability and passed down through generations. The collection also includes hand-painted ceramic tableware, produced in Italy with Ralph Lauren Home’s artisan partners, designed with intentional asymmetry and a soft glaze to mirror the organic, handcrafted quality of Gee’s Bend.
Five percent of the purchase price of each item of the Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collection will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to advancing social justice and fostering a more equitable future. Proceeds will support EJI’s hunger relief programming, providing direct assistance to low-income families across Alabama. Through this partnership, Ralph Lauren is proud to support EJI’s work in supporting local communities, including Gee’s Bend.
The Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend collection will be available to consumers in North America on July 28, 2026 on RalphLauren.com, in the Ralph Lauren app and at select Ralph Lauren stores; and globally on July 30 on RalphLauren.com and at select Ralph Lauren stores.
For more information about Ralph Lauren’s Design with Intent program, please visit here.
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