La Martina is an Argentine luxury sports and lifestyle brand founded in Buenos Aires in 1985 by Lando Simonetti, originally specializing in high-performance polo equipment for professional players. [1] The brand’s visual identity is inseparable from the sport of polo, which remains the core of its heritage and product design.
Design and History
The La Martina logo was designed by founder Lando Simonetti himself, sketched on a bar napkin. To avoid conflicts with other brands, Simonetti decided to mirror a polo player, inspired by rural symbols he had seen on American ranches. A specialized embroiderer then refined the design and gave it the character that still distinguishes the brand today. [2]
The logo depicts two polo players on horseback crossing their mallets mid-match, a motif that appears across the brand’s garments and accessories as a tribute to polo tradition and Argentine heritage. [3] The mark is frequently accompanied by the words “Tradición del Polo Argentino,” affirming the brand’s enduring connection to its origins. [3]
La Martina’s first polo shirt featured a collar with a small logo embroidered on the inside, with the logo placed in a strategic position under the placket. [4] The brand also made a pioneering choice to place its logo centrally on team shirts while still giving space and visibility to sponsors on the sides. [5]
In 2025, La Martina underwent a comprehensive corporate and creative renewal under new creative director Antonella Di Pietro, the first in the brand’s history. [6] The Spring/Summer 2026 collection marked a return to the brand’s most authentic identity: polo, Argentina, family, nature, and a sense of belonging. [7] The brand’s heritage codes, including the crest and numbering, were reintroduced to a new global streetwear audience through a Spring 2026 capsule collaboration with Supreme and Jacob & Co. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s depiction of two polo players crossing mallets in full play directly references the sport from which the brand was born. As the brand’s own history states, La Martina does not use polo to promote the brand; rather, the brand identifies itself as polo. [1] The mirrored polo player motif was a deliberate choice by Simonetti to create a distinct mark that avoided conflicts with existing brands while drawing on rural symbols familiar from American ranch culture. [2]
The logo appears in various executions across the product line, including small embroidered versions on polo shirts, larger prints on the back of garments, and gold embroidery on premium pieces such as the iconic Polo 19-42 shirt. [8] The brand’s logo and graphic designs are described as unmistakable trademarks of the label. [9]
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