Fashion Meets History with Ralph Lauren Initiative

Celebrate the unveiling of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian

Polo Ralph Lauren has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution and is making history - American history.

The National Museum of American History is reopening its doors on Nov. 21 after several years of renovation. The opening will give visitors a chance to see the almost 200-year-old Star-Spangled Banner. The flag is 30-by 34-feet and is displayed in a special environmentally-controlled chamber.

In celebration of the unveiling of the Banner, the Smithsonian has produced a commemorative book The Star Spangled Banner, The Making of an American Icon. Polo Ralph Lauren’s contributions underwrote the conservation initiative of the flag and Ralph Lauren, the American fashion designer, wrote the foreword to the book.

Lauren’s contributions in 1998 really helped conserve the national treasure, as Senator Hillary expressed.

"We are thrilled that with the help of Ralph Lauren, the Star Spangled Banner has been preserved for future generations. He recognized the importance of the Star Spangled Banner, as a national symbol, not only of our values but of our resilience and resolve. Ralph is a true American philanthropist and I could not be more grateful to Ralph and Polo Ralph Lauren for their generosity and their spirit," said Senator Clinton.

The book can be purchased on ralphlauren.com, in stores or at the National Museum of American History bookshops.

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