RL x Gee’s Bend Mug Set

Ralph Lauren Home proudly presents a new collection from our Artist in Residence programme, reflecting an evolved design approach shaped by the artisans and communities that inspire us. Honouring the joyful reclamation of Freedom Quilting, this collaboration features the work of Gee’s Bend textile artist Loretta Pettway Bennett, a fifth‑generation quilter renowned for transforming found materials into iconic geometric artwork. As part of Gee’s Bend, the historic multigenerational artist collective in Boykin, Alabama, Loretta works with discarded clothing and leftover fabric to create pieces that are both functional and visually compelling. Denim, a defining material throughout the collection, serves as a point of reference here, rendered in ceramic as an expression of the work and daily life of the Gee’s Bend artist community, carrying shared memory, resilience, and strength. Hand-painted in Italy, this mug set celebrates the visual storytelling of African American textile arts. The composition is inspired by the Gee’s Bend “Housetop” pattern, which Loretta describes as resembling the view up into the ceiling of a home, building outward from a central point in an improvisational manner. A subtle pop of red draws the eye inward – a personal detail that anchors the design in Loretta’s lived experience, while echoing the broader tradition of quilts as symbols of home, shaped by warmth, protection, and family.