The Lo-Seum: How a community archive with Brooklyn roots went global 

By Andrea Battleground

Documenting the history of a subculture that was originally created, maintained, and valued by non-white poor folks begins wherever it is that you start. These stories are often left out of the official narrative, an erasure The Gates Preserve Archive seeks to correct. Eventually, enough threads of the story emerge that they can be woven into a patchwork quilt, a design infused with love and loyalty. A group of Black and Brown young people with few options and even fewer resources made a dash for their version of the American Dream. A living collection of oral histories continues the stitchwork of ongoing archival labor to document this story. The Gates Preserve Archive remains grateful for this initial cohort who generously gave of their time and memories to make sure word of their adventures and lessons is passed.

Est. Brooklyn, 1988

In the economic devastation of late-80s Brooklyn, the collision of fashion, hip-hop, and mutual quests for survival resulted in the birth of the Lo Lifes. Kids getting fly by any means available was nothing new. This wasn’t the first group to create cultural cachet in the luxury labels they swiped and sported in their neighborhoods. But their ability to engage with collective action and sustained narrative building over the course of more than 30 years is a remarkable feat. Reaganomics and the Crack Era hit Brooklyn particularly hard, but there were always spots in the borough to see and be seen, places where those known for rackin’ gathered to compare their “wears” and rep their crews. Two in particular were St. Johns Place in Crown Heights and Marcus Garvey Village (MGV) in Brownsville. 

St. Johns Place was a home base for several crews, including Get Money Crew, 2 Front Posse, but eventually Ralph Lauren’s Polo, with its audacious colors and opulent lifestyle associations, became an established frontrunner for “The Brand to snatch” in the world of boosting. Crews who dealt exclusively in the procurement of Polo became known as Ralphie’s Kids, so dubbed by G-George. Over in Brownsville, MGV was growing its own team of Polo go-getters. They eventually settled on the name Polo U.S.A. (United Shoplifters Association).

These crews operated somewhat independently for a couple of years. While the precise catalyst for the unification is somewhat disputed, what can be agreed upon is that in this before time they crossed paths often, particularly in the Times Square area of Manhattan’s 42nd Street (the Deuce), and it was mostly with an air of mutual respect at the level to which both sets of members were dipped in the ‘Lo. Eventually, in 1988, they merged into a super company, one whose impact no member could have predicted. The consolidated crew tried on a couple of monikers—“Polo Posse” in particular is remembered with derision— but nothing stuck until one night original member Thirstin Howl the 3rd (who was then known as Vic Lo) was called out for his wandering eye when it came to the ladies. One of them dismissed him, saying, “You’re nothing but a low life.” To the delight of Howl and his compatriots, a bell rang and a legacy already in the making finally had a name.

It’s A Lifestyle

After these pivotal moments, the timeline can get a bit hazy depending on who is doing the narrating, but there remain important guiding principles to the first generation of the Lo Lifes. Primary among them is that acknowledging lineage is key. Integral members of both Ralphie’s Kids and Polo U.S.A. who had moved on by the time of the unification are still considered Lo Life “founding fathers” or OGs. Also, there was no “open door” policy. The only way to become a Lo Life was to be brought in by a trusted party and to continuously prove your prowess to get Lo and make your presence known by always finding new ways to be Lo Down.

Initially, snatching the gear was key to the lifestyle of a Lo Life. Avoiding security or retail staff was just the first hurdle to leap over. High-end department stores also had “store detectives” and undercover cops to shake. Shoplifters steal, but boosters have finesse. Some boosters deployed decoys or hired bagmen to evade detection. There was some overlap between boosters and graffiti writers that also became useful. Writers were used to subterfuge, misdirection, and stealth. They often found creative ways to procure their materials and avoid any charges of vandalism or destruction of property. Boosting began to evolve into a craft with increasingly innovative tactics to keep things interesting. Some members took to the challenge, coordinating well thought-out boosting missions that included pre-dawn treks across state lines or learning which exits and escape routes were the least guarded.

Making it out of the store with a large haul was no guarantee a booster would keep all that gear. Dangers abound when the whole block is struggling, and a mission could switch from being a fun excursion to a deadly situation with a dizzying quickness. Chronicling these missions is an area where the oral history format is especially giving. First-generation Lo Lifes carry with them a catalog of their missions, some of which are so audacious, so imaginative, they’d be welcome in a Hollywood writers’ room. 

One of the reasons the Lo Lifes so frequently moved in large groups of 30 or more is that there is strength in numbers. If someone messed with a person in your crew, then they were messing with you, an offense that had consequences. The early Lo Lifes are forthcoming in the fact that their ethos in this period was “Money, Hoes, and Clothes.” They lived to be fly. It was their power. It was their currency. It was their survival.

The Lo Economy

Being consistently Lo Down (dressed in several layers of Polo clothing, from head to toe) requires a constant influx of new Polo clothing items (I.T.s, or “itees”). These items are design materials for the next outfit paraded on the Deuce. They are the bricks that build a member’s Polo mansion, and they motivated the planning of elaborate missions that often made their way out of the five boroughs and into surrounding states. It was not unusual to venture into Ralph Lauren stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Virginia on a hunt for an elusive itee, a piece that never made it to New York City. These articles of clothing also became their own currency, a means of commerce and trade. Lo Lifes would barter a particularly sought-after item for protection, for a weapon, for an agreed-upon street value, which could have little to no relation to what its price tag would have read in the store.

Some Lo Lifes used their boosted items to bring income to their homes, feed their families, and help pay the rent. Others used boosting to get out of the drug game. Some let the ‘Lo speak for itself and regularly installed themselves in the most hazardous spots of their neighborhood with excessive amounts of Polo product on display, daring anyone to try to take it away from them. Eventually, Polo items were their own money for Lo Lifes who went to prison. Polo was the means, and it was the ends.

The New Generation

As the 1980s became the 1990s, the Lo Life lifestyle began to branch out and evolve. Several Lo Lifes decided it was time to move differently. Some had simply had enough of street life and became more active in reparative work and community organizing. Others left the New York metropolitan area. The ethos of those who remained evolved out of the former “Money, Hoes, Clothes” and into the more sustaining “Love and Loyalty.”

The decade also emerged as a time where Polo enjoyed a much increased visibility across pop culture in Black communities. It became an acknowledged and sought-after label in hip-hop, thanks to some high-profile sightings —think Raekwon and his Snow Beach pullover—and thanks to the Lo Lifes’ growing reputation as style icons. It also helped that Polo had hired its first Black supermodel, Tyson Beckford, who became something of a Polo ambassador to an extent few models achieve. Appearing frequently in Polo commercials and fashion spreads, Beckford became associated with the brand in a way that fueled this intersection of markets, a crossover that has solidified over the years. 

Building The Legacy

At the close of the 1990s, the Lo Lifes made several moves to edge their way toward legacy-building. The unofficial brotherhood became more official, and its accompanying culture became one of celebration. New Lo Life chapters were established across the U.S., acquiring new affiliates and Polo aficionados —most often called Lo-Heads—along the way. Raucous boosters no more, these days when members display their double L’s, it’s an announcement of unity, not of youthful defiance. This also marks a time where women began to be more of a permanent presence in the Lo Life universe, either as Lo-Heads themselves or as partners to Lo Life members, who are often referred to as Lo Wives.

Regular get-togethers and reunions became fully organized affairs beginning in 2006 with the Lo Annual BBQ, a brainchild and labor of love of original member Rack-Lo and Lo Wife Shileena. A true summer fest, the BBQ has grown into a must-attend event in the year of a Lo Life, a family affair where OGs can meet up with younger generations. A few years later in 2010, the Lo Goose on the Deuce was born. This outdoor winter fashion show takes place in Times Square, a location with landmark status in terms of its Lo lore. Any attendee of Lo Goose on the Deuce best come Lo Down at every layer, including wearing their Polo Goose coat. Competition is key in these Polo Battles, and the flyest are awarded trophies and bragging rights for the year.

These events along with the advent of social media have turned the Lo Lifes into a network, and an organization that has gone international, with members from South Africa, Russia, Australia, and Norway making the trek to the annual gatherings. It also turned them into an organization ripe for the launch of its own brand. In 2015, Lo Life became its own clothing label. The official Lo Life logo is inspired by the “Cookie” symbol, the Polo Ralph Lauren four-quadrant circular patch that debuted right around the time of the founding of the legendary Lo Life crew.

Not only have the Lo Lifes become masters of their own destinies, but they are also finally being acknowledged as integral to the legacy of the Polo Ralph Lauren brand and American fashion itself, their love and loyalty documented for generations to come.