One of Black Americans’ most popular luxury enclaves is featured in a summer style campaign released by legendary designer Ralph Lauren. Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, is a coastal beauty with a history of serving as a prominent affluent haven.
“We made the concerted choice to be here in Oak Bluffs because we knew we would be safe,” a longtime homeowner said in a documentary titled, ‘A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs.’ This place nurtures from the heart, from the soul, and from the environment that’s here, and the way we are able to build bonds with people.”
The descendants of Africans first arrived in Marth’s Vineyard in the 1600s, initially as enslaved people working on farms. In 1912, Charles Shearer, who was born to a Black woman and a slave owner, opened Shearer Cottage which was the first Black-owned inn in Oak Bluffs. Shearer Cottage is considered a “hub” for the community.
Ralph Lauren described Oak Bluffs as “a quintessential portrait of the joy, optimism, and the sense of opportunity that make up the foundation of the American Dream.”
In his collection, Lauren shows Black models in classic fashions that capture summer on the Vineyard. It is a collaboration with Morehouse College and Spelman College. Three years ago, Lauren dropped a collection featuring both colleges. The collection was a wild success and sold out.
To watch the Oak Bluffs documentary, click here.
