How a rural Alabama quilting tradition shaped Ralph Lauren’s latest luxury collection

Deep in a curve of the Alabama River is the small rural community of Gee’s Bend. The site of a former cotton plantation where the residents trace their lineage to enslaved ancestors, it has recently become known for some of the most creative abstract art in America. The medium isn’t a canvas or sculpture: It’s the quilt. For centuries, the women of Gee’s Bend faced extreme poverty and isolation. They would save up whatever scraps were on hand—worn out denim workwear, faded rags, old feed…