There are places that live in your bones. For me, that place has always been Oak Bluffs.
Long before the rest of the world began to take notice of this historic enclave on Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs was already everything to me—a place of legacy, safety, and soul. I am a third-generation Islander, raised on the stories of those who came before me and shaped by summers stitched with salt air, ferry horns, and the bright, joyful chorus of a Black community in motion. It was here, between the gingerbread cottages and the shores of Inkwell Beach, that I began to dream, create, and eventually build a fashion brand of my own. Oak Bluffs has always been my safe haven. It’s where I first learned what it meant to be seen.
So when I first laid eyes on the new Polo Ralph Lauren for Oak Bluffs collection, I felt something stir deep in my chest—something ancestral, something sacred. Here was one of the most globally recognized American fashion houses, honoring the place that raised me. Not just as a vacation spot, but as a cultural beacon. A Black haven. A home.
This collection is not merely clothing. It is a celebration of lineage.
In partnership with Morehouse and Spelman alumni designers, Ralph Lauren has woven together a capsule that draws directly from the Black elite history of Oak Bluffs: a history that has too often been overlooked, despite its rich contributions to both American society and Black culture. For generations, Oak Bluffs was one of the only towns on Martha’s Vineyard where Black families were allowed to purchase property. From the time of segregation through the Civil Rights movement and into the present day, Oak Bluffs has been a sanctuary—where Black professionals, artists, educators, and trailblazers gathered to rest, recharge, and reconnect with community.
The Polo Ralph Lauren collection, complete with mariner-striped polos, embroidered jackets, vintage-inspired cardigans, and nautical-meets-collegiate tailoring, pays tribute to that spirit of pride and perseverance. Every button and hem feels intentional—crafted with reverence, not appropriation. Even the campaign imagery feels like a family reunion: multi-generational models posed on porches, wrapped in knits that feel both historic and future-forward. For me, as a designer and a daughter of this place, it was emotional to witness.
What moved me most was not just the aesthetic beauty of the collection, but the integrity behind it. Ralph Lauren didn’t just borrow from Oak Bluffs’ culture. They partnered with it. They collaborated with The Cottagers, Inc.—a group of Black women homeowners who have safeguarded the legacy of Oak Bluffs since 1956. They pledged funds to the United Negro College Fund and launched a companion documentary, A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs, to contextualize the significance of the town. The film, which will screen during the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, is a visual love letter to the community, complete with first-person reflections and cinematic reverence.
As a fashion designer myself—one who has spent over 15 years creating one-of-a-kind pieces rooted in heritage, identity, and sustainability—I know how much storytelling lives in fabric. Fashion is language. It communicates who we are before we ever speak. To see our community, our architecture, and our stories reflected in Ralph Lauren’s signature American style is a powerful act of visibility. It says: We were always here. And now, the world can see it, too.
As a proud HBCU alumna by way of Howard University, the pride stitched into this collection hit even closer to home. The fact that this capsule was designed by graduates of Morehouse and Spelman speaks volumes—not only about the brilliance coming out of historically Black institutions, but about the legacy we carry. That signature HBCU pride—the reverence for tradition, the camaraderie, the excellence—is sewn into every thread. Seeing that spirit honored on such a global platform felt like watching a piece of my own collegiate story walk down the runway.
And this moment in fashion converges so beautifully with Legacy Week on the Vineyard (July 27–August 2, 2025)—our annual homecoming of HBCU alumni and families hosted right here in Oak Bluffs. Legacy Week is a weeklong celebration created to engage, empower, and highlight the bond and value of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through curated experiences that include beachside yoga, storytelling circles, literary panels, cookbook author talks, musical performances, and more. Events like the Spelman Sisters on the Vineyard Picnic, Stacked Yoga at Inkwell, and fireside chats foster intergenerational connection and cultural pride. To see Ralph Lauren’s collection released just as our community convenes en masse for Legacy Week—it felt like the perfect intersection: academic excellence, cultural celebration, and place-based fashion all woven together.
This act of spotlighting is deeply personal to me.
In the wake of losing my grandmother, I launched Voices bySharisse, the first editorial brand at the Martha’s Vineyard Times created by and for a Black writer. Through this platform, I’ve worked to amplify the lives, stories, and legacies of Islanders of color—the very individuals who have shaped this island’s cultural heartbeat for generations. I’ve interviewed elders, artists, nonprofit leaders, and visionaries who carry this island’s oral history like sacred scripture. The goal has always been to give voice to the unheard, to elevate what’s been too long overlooked.
And in many ways, this Ralph Lauren collection feels like an extension of that same mission. A thread sown between past and present. A platform used not just to dress, but to dignify.
I often say that I was sewn by this island. My grandmother, who helped raise me, instilled in me the value of self-expression and the power of place. I launched my fashion brand with that ethos in mind—designing with bold West African prints, recycled fabrics, and messages stitched with meaning. My work has always reflected the intersection of Black womanhood, healing, and beauty. And Oak Bluffs? It’s in every thread.
Growing up, I remember walking Circuit Ave with my mother and aunties, dressed in our Sunday best—not for anyone else, but for ourselves. Because in Oak Bluffs, Blackness has always been dignified. It has always been joyful. It has always been fashionable. Whether we were attending church at the Tabernacle, barbecuing in the backyard, or watching the sunset from the porch, there was a quiet pride in how we dressed. That pride is now globally recognized, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
There’s a deep tenderness in knowing that our stories are finally being honored on a global stage. For decades, the Vineyard has been whispered about in circles of Black excellence—from the Obamas and Spike Lee to educators, artists, doctors, and families like mine. But this collection brings that legacy to the forefront, and more importantly, it brings it to the people.
Because this is not about luxury. It’s about legacy.
And legacy isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s soft. It’s the way the light hits a wrap dress hanging in your grandmother’s closet. It’s the rhythm of screen doors and the taste of fresh-caught fish. It’s the porch swing conversations and the passed-down traditions. Ralph Lauren’s Oak Bluffs collection captures that softness—and in doing so, it honors the fullness of our humanity.
As I stood in front of the campaign images, I saw myself. I saw my cousins. I saw the women who braided my hair on beach towels. I saw the men who taught me how to fish. I saw a community that has carried itself with elegance despite the burdens of the world. And I saw the hope that future generations will know this story not as a side note, but as central to the American narrative.
This isn’t just a fashion moment—it’s a cultural one.
And as a Black woman, as a designer, and as a daughter of Oak Bluffs, I am both proud and emotional. Because for once, our home didn’t have to fight to be noticed. It was celebrated.
We are here. We are worthy of beauty. And we always have been.
