Rikki Grey, one of the Stylists in Ralph Lauren, the official outfitter of Wimbledon, was awarded around $15000 after her Store Manager made racist remarks against her.
The incident took place in London; Rikki, who is of mixed race, initiated legal proceedings and ultimately prevailed against Mr. Rickbery.
According to the panel, Mr. Rickbery reportedly said;
“Oh, look at that Rikki Grey EU…you’re the European Union, aren’t you, being mixed race and all. You’re the United Nations – you’re the United Colours of Benetton.”
If you didn’t know, United Colors of Benetton is a brand known for its multiracial advertising campaigns.
Though Natha Rickerby has denied making the comments, the Panel eventually found that it indeed had something to do with Racist comments.
Grey Won The Case After Almost Five Years
Grey, whose mother is Jamaican, described the remarks as “scary” and said they made her see the world differently.
Even though Grey filed a grievance in August 2020, the comments were reportedly made in November 2019.
Before that, Grey was absent due to sick-related issues caused by work stress in August, and in September, she even received an unauthorized absence letter from management. Eventually, in 2025, Employment Judge David Khan concluded the case in Grey’s favor.
“Mr Rickerby was capable of using language in relation to race which was not only clumsy and careless but offensive… The language used was patently related to Miss Grey’s mixed heritage.”
Due to this, Ralph Lauren also faced Public scrutiny, and many even blame the Italian brand for failing to control internal accountability. However, this is not the first time the brand has been in the fire.
Ralph Lauren has already faced criticism for missteps involving racial and cultural insensitivity. In 2014, the brand started a holiday ad campaign for its RRL collection, featuring vintage-style portraits of Native Americans dressed in Western attire.
Many fashion enthusiasts argued these images evoked a painful era of forced assimilation. Ralph Lauren eventually apologized and closed the campaign.
In 2022, too, the brand released chinos emblazoned with the logo of Phi Beta Sigma, a historically Black fraternity without any approval.
The fraternity issued a cease-and-desist order, and Ralph Lauren ultimately ceased sales, clarifying that internal protocol failures had allowed their new design to slip through.
While Ralph Lauren may have made a few mistakes in the past, they have publicly clarified that they are against Racism several times.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- The Ralph Lauren, an Italian brand, was founded in 1967 by designer Ralph Lauren, initially starting with polo shirts.
- As of this writing, Ralph Lauren has over 440 stores worldwide. The USA alone has over 240 authorised stores.
- Ralph Lauren began its official partnership with Wimbledon in 2006, becoming the tournament’s first-ever Official Outfitter in its 129-year history.
