Exclusive: Ralph Lauren Issues Statement to Watch The Yard Regarding their Phi Beta Sigma Pants

Earlier today we published a story about pants which are being sold for 299.99€ on Ralph Lauren’s French site with Phi Beta Sigma printed on them.

The chinos feature multiple symbols and designs and to much of our readers’ disappointment, have the Phi Beta Sigma letters printed on back of the knee in red and black.

Within three hours of us reporting on the story, an official Ralph Lauren spokesperson reached out to Watch The Yard and gave us this exclusive statement:

“The use of these symbols on our products was an oversight for which we deeply apologize. We are immediately taking action to remove the product from our sales channels. While we have a rigorous review process in place for all of our designs, this has  prompted us to take another review of our protocols to help ensure that this does not happen again.

As an American brand with more than 50 years of heritage, Ralph Lauren is inspired by many facets of American culture. As part of this, we are firmly committed to respectful and appropriate use of all cultural icons and insignias.”

They followed up by stating in their email to Watch The Yard that “the chinos will be removed from all sales channels” and that they have reached out to the fraternity.