Ralph Lauren

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Born Ralph Lipschitz in 1939, the name of American designer Ralph Lauren became synonymous with status, class, and taste.

More than a fashion designer, Ralph Lauren was the master marketer of elegant living. In addition to clothing, he ventured into home decorating products such as furniture, bedding, drapes, towels, rugs, china, silverware, and even potpourri.

Born in the Bronx, New York City in 1939, Lauren grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Although he did not receive formal design training, he was royally steeped in fashion retailing, having worked for New York department stores in his youth. While selling ties at Brooks Brothers, he studied business at night school. It may well have been during his sales stint at Brooks Brothers, the conservative stylish menswear store, that Lauren met the "muse of tradition" which would earn him a formidable position in fashion history.

The Old Money Look

Oddly, Lauren's initial entry into fashion was designing napkin-wide Beau Brummel neckwear in 1967. At the time narrow dark ties were the norm, but he successfully shattered that tradition with colorful, opulent trendy ties. The next year he launched a menswear line, Polo, offering styles that were refined, a mix of English classic and traditional American, and conveyed the image of landed gentry to a society that had little use for class, but enormous use for money.

In 1971 Lauren introduced his women's line, which developed into four lifestyle groups: collection, classics, country, and active. Eyewear was launched in 1974, boyswear and the fragrances Polo for men and Lauren for women in 1978. Girls' clothing was introduced in 1981; footwear followed in 1982; an extensive home collection in 1983; then came scarves, hosiery, sleepwear, leather goods, luggage, jewelry, and finally his Safari fragrance in 1990.

His costuming for the films The Great Gatsby (1973) and Annie Hall (1978) influenced the way millions dressed. Modestly describing his work, Lauren stated: "I believe in clothes that last, that are not dated in a season. The people who wear my clothes don't think of them as fashion." Lauren's vision was to represent timeless American style with a dash of British elegance and the comfort of natural fibers.

From Fashion to Lifestyle

Woody Hochswender, editor of Esquire magazine, said, "Ralph is a great interpreter of American traditions and he shapes these traditions in an ongoing way." Some critics said that Lauren sold a high-priced lifestyle dream more than innovative designs. There is no question that his to-the-manor-born clothing, accessories, and home furnishings endow the owner with a sense of good taste. His advertising drove the message by focusing on the concept, rather than a single item; and his marketing and merchandising translated the vision at retail. It was a winning combination that had a tremendous impact on the way the world dressed and lived in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Haysun Hahn of Promostyl, an international fashion forecasting agency, said that "It's costuming, it's not real. He's influenced by romantic Americana and he taps into our fantasy and makes us believe it applies to everyday life." But apparently, consumers want to believe in Lauren. His formidable fashion formula was the most successful in fashion retailing, garnering a multitude of honors from his peers. He had seven COTY Awards and was inducted into the COTY Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1992 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of American Fashion Designers, and a tribute for 25 years of impact on American style from the Woolmark Awards. The Council of Fashion Designers later elected him Designer of the Year in 1996. Alan Millstein of the Fashion Network Report said, "Lauren is the only 7th Avenue high roller who has a successful chain of retail stores. He's the billion-dollar baby."

A Merchandising Genius

In 1971 Lauren opened his first retail store on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California, building toward a total of 116 Polo-Ralph Lauren freestanding stores in the United States, plus one in London, Paris, and Shanghai, as well as 1,300 boutiques in department stores. Company-owned outlet stores selling overruns and outdated merchandise at discounted prices followed in the early 1980s, and by the mid-1990s included 62 stores. In 1986 he made fashion retailing history with an expansive megastore housed in the huge, elegant, former Rhinelander Mansion in New York. A tour de force of his concept of dreams and designs, the store is a stunning showcase for Lauren's lifestyle marketing philosophy. John Fairchild, chairman of Women's Wear Daily, called it "The best boutique in America, probably the world." Consumers worldwide responded to the magic - spending over $5 billion a year by 1997 to have the Lauren Look - making him the best-selling designer in the world.

Ambition Realized

Lauren exemplified the image he projected, and was often featured with his family in magazines chronicling lives of the rich and famous. He was the first designer to market a lifestyle, and also the first to appear in his own advertising.

His womenswear fashion previews held each spring and fall in New York were the predictable hits of the designer collection week as he managed to tastefully interpret trends with an undisputable flair for understanding that his customers wanted to look fashionable without looking like fashion victims. For inspiration, he sometimes based collections on themes such as African safaris, Indian princesses, rugged westwear, bohemians in Paris, or Russian revolutionaries. His mix of tweeds, velvets, chiffon, and silks exuded a nonchalant elegance.

An Empire Poised for Growth

One of the secrets of Lauren's success lay in his obsession with detail, always checking product quality and maintaining tight control over the brand image he crafted so carefully. This enabled him to leverage the Polo/Ralph Lauren brand with over 25 lucrative licensing contracts, as well as introduce sub-brands such as Polo Sport (in 1994) targeted to a younger, more active adult. Experts predicted that what began as a fragrance line would grow to include well over 100 skin color and treatment products, new cross-merchandising opportunities, as well as new retail distribution. In fact, in 1996 a new Polo Sport store featuring active wear opened in Manhattan across from Polo's flagship store.

In addition to its top-of-the-line men's and women's clothing still manufactured by Polo/Ralph Lauren, licensed products are an important source of revenue. Two major new ventures began in 1995 taking the brand into the highly competitive blue jean and mass market women's clothing categories. Both took the Lauren name to a new customer at lower price points, and were instant hits. Growth was not relegated to fashion and fragrance, however. In 1996, Lauren's Home Collection contributed about $535 million in sales worldwide - more than any other designer's. Paints were launched the same year, along with instruction videos and all the tools needed to create the living environment of ones choice - Thoroughbred, Country, Santa Fe, Safari, and Sport. By 1997 investment bankers were vying for the opportunity to help Lauren take the company public; however, the success and staying power of Lauren's empire has not been lost on Wall Street

Further Reading

For more information on Ralph Lauren and the world of fashion see Ralph Lauren: Master of Fashion by Anne Canadeo (1992), Ralph Lauren: The Man Behind the Mystique by Jeffrey Trachtenbers (1988), the Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion (1988), McDowell's Directory of 20th Century Fashion (1987), and NY Fashion: The Evolution of American Style by Caroline Rennolds Milbank (1989). Countless magazine articles have been written, including: Fortune (November 11, 1996); Newsweek (January 8, 1996); Brandweek (June 10, 1996); Town & Country (October 1996, March 1996, January 1996); Harper's Bazaar (August 1996).

The Ralph Lauren label is widely known in the world of fashionable clothing, including Ralph Lauren/Polo, Lauren for Men, and Lauren for Women. That he successfully extended his repertoire to include home furnishings enabled the Lauren name to become a leading exemplar of Lifestyle branding in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. After a period pursuing a business studies course in Manhattan, New York, Lauren became a salesman and worked for the tie-manufacturing firm of A. Rivetz & Co. Having gained experience in tie designing whilst at Rivetz Lauren set up his own business, Polo Fashions, in 1968. He placed a considerable emphasis on packaging and presentation and developed a range of smart shirts and suits that appealed to professional males. He then developed his ranges for women, moving into home furnishings—from bed linen to furniture—in the 1980s.

Bibliography

See biography by M. Gross (2003).

• Born: Ralph Lifschitz, Bronx, New York, 14 October 1939.
• Education: Studied business science, City College of New York, late 1950s.
• Military Service: Served in the U.S. Army, 1962-64.
• Family: Married Ricky Low-Beer, circa 1964; children: Andrew, David, Dylan.
• Career: Part-time sales assistant, Alexanders Stores, New York, 1956-57; assistant menswear buyer, Allied Stores, New York, 1958-61; salesperson, Bloomingdale's and Brooks Brothers, New York, 1962; traveling salesperson in New England for A. Rivetz, neckwear manufacturer, Boston, circa 1964-66; designer, Polo Neckwear Division, Beau Brummel, New York, 1967; founder/designer and chairman, Polo Fashions, New York, from 1968; Ralph Lauren Womenswear, from 1971; Polo Leather Goods, from 1979; Polo/Ralph Lauren Luggage, from 1982; Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., from 1986; introduced diffusion line, Chaps, 1972; introduced Ralph, Double RL, and Polo Sport lines, 1993; established Polo/Ralph Lauren stores in Beverly Hills, 1971, Lawrence, MA, 1983, Paris, 1986, flagship store in New York, 1986, Costa Mesa, CA, 1987, East Hampton, NY, 1989; Polo Sport, New York, 1993; launched fragrances Polo and Lauren, 1978, Chaps and Tuxedo, 1979, Safari, 1990, Polo Crest, 1991; new line of contemporary casualwear launched by Polo Jeans Co., 1996; offered collection of 400 colors of house paint, 1996; Polo Ralph Lauren became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RL), 1997; introduced Polo Sport RLX line, 1998; opened RL restaurant, Chicago, 1999; introduced RALPH line, 1999; acquired Canadian-based Club Monaco, 1999; launched Pink Pony Campaign to help reduce disparities in cancer care, 2000; established Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention and Care at North General Hospital in Harlem, 2000; Ralph Lauren Media opened Polo.com, 2000.
• Exhibitions: Retrospective, Denver Art Museum, 1983.
• Collections: Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.
• Awards: Coty American Fashion Critics award, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1984; Neiman Marcus distinguished service award, 1971; American Printed Fabrics Council "Tommy" award, 1977; Council of Fashion Designers of America award, 1981; Coty Hall of Fame award, 1981; Retailer of the Year award, 1986, 1992; Museum of American Folk Art Pioneering Excellence award, 1988; Council of Fashion Designers of America Lifetime Achievement award, 1992; Woolmark award, 1992; CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year, 1996; Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Brandeis University, 1996; Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research Humanitarian award presented by Diana, Princess of Wales, 1996; CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year, 1997; CFDA award for humanitarian leadership, 1998; inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame, 2000.
• Address: 650 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA.
• Website:www.Polo.com.

Style, as opposed to fashion, is the major imperative underlying Ralph Lauren's work. Initially a designer of the high-quality ties that started the Polo label, Lauren soon directed his talents to menswear. Inspired by such notable dressers as the Duke of Windsor, Cary Grant, and Fred Astaire, he began to produce classic lines derivative of the elegant man about town or the country squire of a bygone age. A love of the fashions of the F. Scott Fitzgerald era led him to introduce wide neckties and bold shirt patterns. In 1974 Lauren achieved world acclaim as the designer of the men's fashions in the film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.

When he turned to womenswear, Lauren applied the same qualities of timeless elegance to his designs. By using uniformly high-quality tweeds, tailoring down men's trousers and jackets, and producing shirts in finer cottons, Lauren created clothes for the active woman of the 1970s, as epitomized in the Annie Hall look. These classic, tailored garments have changed little since they were first introduced but continue to epitomize long-lasting quality and style.

Another side of Lauren is seen in his Roughwear clothing. Directly inspired by the tradition of America's past, Roughwear takes the form of long tweed or plain skirts combined with colorful, hand-knitted, Fair Isle or sampler sweaters, tartan scarves, trilby hats, and lumber-jack's wind cheaters and brushed cotton shirts. The origins are easy to trace, but the result is an updated, truly American style. Romantic touches of Edwardian and Victorian times occur in lace-trimmed jabots and large collars delicately held together with aging cameo brooches. Shades of the classic English riding costume appear in his tailored tweed jackets. Lauren's contribution to fashion can perhaps best be summed up on the names that he gave to his cosmetics introduced in 1981: Day, Night, and Active.

In the 1990s, Lauren continued to tune into contemporary life. The Double RL label featured new, high-quality clothes that looked old as a response to the craze for the vintage and second-hand. For increasingly fitness-conscious women, he produced informal clothes with a strong fashion input. To appeal to the youthful interests of younger customers, Polo Jeans launched a line of contemporary casualwear in 1996. Two years later, Lauren's trademark aesthetic sensibility and superior craftsmanship was applied to the Polo Sport RLX line of high-performance athletic apparel.

As the new millennium approached, the Ralph Lauren Company began moving from Ivy League to pop culture by acquiring Canadian-based Club Monaco, marketing contemporary apparel, home furnishings, accessories, and cosmetics for the hip, urban crowd. In 2000, Ralph Lauren Media launched the Polo.com website, offering "comprehensive online access to the Ralph Lauren American lifestyle with clothing, accessories, fragrances, vintage items, travel, style tips, multimedia information and entertainment, world-class customer service and more." With son David Lauren as creative director, Polo.com aimed to "spread the upper-crust Ralph Lauren image to a new generation of shoppers," wrote Phyllis Furman in a February 2000 article in the Daily News.

Still, Lauren's womenswear for fall 2001 came full circle, offering the classic styling of equestrian looks from the country estate such as hacking jackets, taupe and ebony pants with suede knee patches, sleek crocodile belts with thoroughbred buckles, and riding boots with oilcloth spats. For the menswear spring 2001 collection, the timeless Polo line was updated with slim polo shirts and lime green, Nantucket red, and hot orange fuchsia-front trousers. The more dressed up Purple Line offered suits with sculpted waists and soft natural shoulders, paired with striped ties, creating the classic Lauren look.

Lauren's skill and experience has enabled him to design for women and men, their children, and their homes. As a native New Yorker, Lauren has promoted a truly American casual style in his prairie look while developing classic, uncluttered lines that have brought him international fame. Along with colleagues Bill Blass, Geoffrey Beene, and six other designers, Lauren earned a white bronze and granite marker along the Fashion Walk of Fame in New York City. This worldwide notoriety will also be the subject of a new biography of Lauren, the story, according to a March 2000 article in Publishers Weekly, of "a poor Russian Jewish immigrant boy who began in Seventh Avenue fashion house stock rooms and became a billionaire."

For Ralph Lauren, fashion is something that lasts for more than one season. It is this timelessness, abetted by inspirations deep in the soil of America's past, that distinguishes his work and won him a Lifetime Achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1992.

Publications

On Lauren:

Books
• Morris, Bernadine, and Barbara Walz, The Fashion Makers, New York, 1978.
• Diamondstein, Barbaralee, Fashion: The Inside Story, New York, 1985.
• Milbank, Caroline Rennolds, Couture: The Great Designers, New York, 1985.
• Perschetz, Lois, ed., W, The Designing Life, New York, 1987.
• Coleridge, Nicholas, The Fashion Conspiracy, London, 1988.
• Trachtenberg, Jeffrey, Ralph Lauren: The man Behind the Mystique, Boston, 1988.
• Milbank, Caroline Rennolds, New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style, New York, 1989.
• Canaedo, Anne, Ralph Lauren: Master of Fashion, Ada, Oklahoma, 1992.
• Stegemeyer, Anne, Who's Who in Fashion, Third Edition, New York, 1996.
• Le Dortz, Laurent, and Muriel Lartigue, Profil et dynamique du groupe Polo Ralph Lauren, Paris, 1999.
• Le Dortz, Laurent, and Béatrice Debosscher, Stratégies des leaders américains de la mode: Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Liz Clairborne, Polo Ralph Lauren, et Tommy Hilfiger, Paris, 2000.

Articles
• Wohlfert, Lee, "What Do Woody, Bob, and Diane Have in Common? Money, Yes, But Designer Ralph Lauren Too," in People, 6 February 1978.
• Ling, F., "Ralph Lauren's Polo Game," in Forbes, 26 June 1978.
• "Profile of a Designer: Ralph Lauren," in the Sunday Times (London), 13 September 1981.
• Langway, L., and L. R. Prout, "Lauren's Frontier Chic," in Newsweek, 21 September 1981.
• Ettorre, Barbara, "Give Ralph Lauren All the Jets He Wants," in Forbes, 28 February 1983.
• "Beyond the Name Game: New Design World from Halston and Ralph Lauren," in Vogue, September 1983.
• Feretti, Fred, "The Business of Being Ralph Lauren," in the New York Times Magazine, 18 September 1983.
• Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A., "You Are What You Wear," in Forbes, 21April 1986.
• Cocks, Jay, "Born and Worn in the U.S.A.," in Time, 16 June 1986.
• Infantino, Vivian, "Interview: Ralph Lauren," in Footwear News (New York), July 1986.
• Koepp, Stephen, "Selling a Dream of Elegance and the Good Life," in Time, 1 September 1986.
• Skenazy, Lenore, "Lauren Gets Honorable Mansion," in Advertising Age, 20 October 1986.
• Tornabene, Lyn, "The World According to Ralph Lauren," in Cosmopolitan, February 1987.
• Brubach, Holly, "Ralph Lauren's Achievement," in Atlantic Monthly, August 1987.
• "Ralph Lauren: The Dream Maker," in U.S. News & World Report, 8February 1988.
• Aronson, Steven M. L., "High Style in Jamaica," in House & Garden, October 1988.
• Dowling, Claudia Glenn, "Ralph Lauren," in Life, May 1989.
• "A Big Time Safari for Ralph Lauren," in WWD, 27 October 1989.
• Mower, Sarah, "The Unspeakable Chic of Summer," in the Independent (London), 19 April 1990.
• Hume, Marion, "In the Swing," in the Sunday Times (London), 29April 1990.
• Parola, Robert, "Polo/Ralph Lauren," in DNR, 17 October 1990.
• ——, "Polo/Ralph Lauren: At the Crossroads," in DNR, 29 October 1990.
• Buck, Joan Juliet, "Everybody's All-American," in Vogue (New York), February 1991.
• Spevack, Rachel, "Polo and Izod: Adding New Luster to Knit Logos," in DNR, 12 March 1991.
• Born, Pete, "Polo Crest Takes Fashion Approach to Fragrance," in DNR, 26 July 1991.
• Forbes, Malcolm S., Jr., "Dressing Us with His Dreams," in Forbes, 2September 1991.
• Slonim, Jeffrey, "Ralph Lauren: October 14," in Interview (New York), October 1991.
• Talley, Andre Leon, "Everybody's All-American," in Vogue, February 1992.
• Born, Pete, "New Men's Lauren Fragrance to Debut," in DNR, 6March 1992.
• Siroto, Janet, "Ralph Lauren—Looking Back," in Mademoiselle, May 1992.
• Moin, David, "Ralph Lauren is Back at Saks in a Big Way," in WWD, 14 October 1992.
• Donaton, Scott, and Pat Sloan, "Ralph Lauren Sets Magazine Test," in Advertising Age, 2 November 1992.
• Gross, Michael, "The American Dream," in New York, 21 December 1992.
• Goldman, Kevin, "More Made-in-the-USA Claims, Surprisingly, are Showing Up," in Wall Street Journal, 15 January 1993.
• Gross, Michael, "Ralph's World," in New York, 20 September 1993.
• Mower, Sarah, "Ralph Lauren's New World of Sport," in Harper's Bazaar, October 1993.
• Rutberg, Sidney, "Goldman, Sachs Buys into Ralph," in WWD, 24August 1994.
• Gill, Brendan, "Lauren's Home Movies," in the New Yorker, 7November 1994.
• Schiro, Anne-Marie, "Ralph Lauren Does What He Does Best," in the New York Times, 6 April 1995.
• Menkes, Suzy, "Lauren: An Oscar for Polish," in the International Herald Tribune, 9 April 1995.
• "Einer fur alle: Ralph Lauren, der Lifestyle-Spezialist," in Vogue Manner (Munich), April 1995.
• Malone, Maggie, and John Leland, "Of Walls and Wanting," in Newsweek, 8 January 1996.
• Goldstein, Lauren, "Ralph Lauren, Prince Charles, and You!" in Fortune, 9 November 1998.
• "Polo Ralph Lauren Gets License Agreement with Danskin," in United Press International, 2 February 1999.
• Keith, Andrew, and Elaine Marshall, "Ralph's Rough Ride," in Time, 15 March 1999.
• "Food is Fashion," in Restaurants & Institutions, 15 April 1999.
• Furman, Phyllis, "Ralph Lauren Teams with NBC for E-Commerce Company," in the Daily News, 7 February 2000.
• Baker, John F., "A Fashion Statement," in Publishers Weekly, 27March 2000.
• Weldon, Kristi, "Polo Sprints into the 21st Century," in Apparel Industry Magazine, June 2000.
• Rubenstein, Hal, "The Look of Ralph Lauren," in In Style, 1 September 2000.
• Geller, Adam, "Luxury Retailer Closing Polo Stores," in AP Online, 5October 2000.
• "Style Guides," in Forbes, 9 October 2000.
• "Lauren Creates the Polo Line, October 18, 1969," in DISCovering U.S. History, available online at galenet.gale.com, 17 October 2000.
• "Ralph Lauren," in DISCovering U.S. History, online at galenet.gale.com, 17 October 2000.
• Deeny, Godfrey, "Ralph's Riders," in Fashion Wire Daily, online at fashionwindows.com, 14 February 2001.
• Horyn, Cathy, "For Kors and Lauren, A Fondness for the Paddock," in the New York Times, 15 February 2001.
• Limnander, Armand, "Fall 2001 Ready-to-Wear," online at Style.com, 17 February 2001.
• Davis, Boyd, "Ralph Lauren," online at fashionwindows.com, 2 June 2001.
• Redstone, Susan, "Menwear Spring 2001," in online at fashionwindows.com, 2 June 2001.

— Hazel Clark; updated by Jodi Essey-Stapleton

Quotes:

"People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams."

"A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done."

For the company, see Polo Ralph Lauren.

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (April 2011)

Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren in his office 1979 by Edgar de Evia
Born	Ralph Lifshitz (1939-10-14) October 14, 1939 (age 72) Bronx, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Baruch College, City University of New York
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	Ricky Anne Low-Beer (1964-present)
Children	3
Awards	Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
Labels	Polo Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz, October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.

Contents 1 Early life 1.1 Personal life 2 Surgery 3 Net worth 4 Automobile Collection 5 Controversies 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

Early life

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, New York, to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants, from Pinsk, Belarus:^[1] Fraydl (née Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.^[2]

Ralph attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957.^[3][4] In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. In a moment of spontaneity, when asked what he wanted to do in^[5] his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire.^[6] During the summer, Ralph attended Camp Roosevelt (Monticello).^[7]

At the age of 16, Ralph's brother Jerry (who was his guardian) changed their last name to Lauren to avoid the unfortunate obscenity reference Lifshitz has in English (although Ralph's brother Lenny retained the name). Apparently Ralph was teased about it in school.^[8] “My given name has the word shit in it,” he told Oprah Winfrey. “When I was a kid, the other kids would make a lot of fun of me. It was a tough name. That's why I decided to change it. Then people said, "Did you change your name because you don't want to be Jewish?" I said, "Absolutely not. That's not what it's about. My cousins who lived in California had changed their last name to Lawrence. So I just thought, "I'm going to pick a nice last name"—it wasn't particularly connected to anything or anyone."^[9]

He went to Baruch College where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964 he served in the United States Army.^{[citation needed]} He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967, with the financial backing of Manhattan clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo."^[10] He later received the rights to use the trademark Polo from Brooks Brothers.

Personal life

On December 20, 1964, he married Ricky Anne Low-Beer in New York City. The two met six months earlier, in an eye doctor's office where Ricky was working as a receptionist.^[11] They have three children: Dylan, David and Andrew.

The Polo Ralph Lauren flagship store occupying the Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York City

In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the COTY Award for his menswear line. Around that same time he released a line of women's suits that were tailored in a classic men's style, which was when the first Polo emblem was seen. It was on the cuff of the women's suit. Ralph Lauren released Polo's famous short sleeve mesh shirt with the Polo logo in 1972. It came out in 24 colors and soon became a classic.^[12] He also gained recognition for his design after he was contracted to provide clothing styles for the movie The Great Gatsby.

A Polo Ralph Lauren store on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago

In 1984, he transformed the Rhinelander Mansion, former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. This same year de Evia photographed the cover feature story for House & Garden on the Lauren home Round Hill in Jamaica,^[13] which had formerly been the home of Babe and Bill Paley.^[14] On June 11, 1997, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL.

By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutiques in the United States. There were 23 locations that carried Ralph Lauren Purple Label, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Charlotte, Washington, DC, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Manhasset, New York, Palm Beach, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Short Hills, and Troy.^{[citation needed]} The Financial Times reported in its edition of January 2–3, 2010 that the firm had revenues of $5 billion for the fiscal year 2009. The article addresses succession plans and the future of the overall business.

In 2010, Ralph Lauren was decorated Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Paris

Surgery

Sometime in early 1987, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. In April 1987 he underwent surgery to remove the tumor and made a full recovery.^[15]

Net worth

As of September 2011, Forbes estimates his wealth at $6.1 billion dollars which would make Ralph Lauren the 173rd richest person in the world.^[16]

Automobile Collection

Ralph Lauren with his Porsche GT3 RS (2010)

Ralph Lauren is also well known as a collector of automobiles, some of which are extremely rare. A large portion of his over 70 automobiles are held in his estate in Katonah, New York. He owns a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, two Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, three 1996 McLaren F1s (one of them an ultra-rare F1 LM), a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, a 1929 Blower Bentley, one Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a Porsche 997 GT3 RS, a Bugatti Veyron, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz CountTrossi SSK (aka "The Black Prince") a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia.^[17], a Lamborghini Reventón and the rare Reventón Roadster. His cars have won "best in show" at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance multiple times. In 2005 his collection was displayed at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.^[18] In 2011 17 prime members of his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.^[19]

Controversies

In 2009, Ralph Lauren apologized^[20] for digitally retouching a photograph of model Filippa Hamilton to make her look thinner. Hamilton also claims that she was fired by Ralph Lauren a few days later.^[21] Another model's photo was also digitally retouched^[22] adding to the row.

See also

• List of swimwear brands

Notes

1. ^ Menkes, Suzy (2007-05-14). "Ralph Lauren returns to his Russian roots". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/14/style/fralph.php. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
2. ^ Gross (2004), p. 28
3. ^ "Selling a Dream of Elegance and the Good Life", Time (magazine), September 1, 1986. Accessed September 15, 2009. "At DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Lauren attended business classes but paid little attention to studies. His adolescent idols were British and American style setters: the Duke of Windsor, for example, and Katharine Hepburn."
4. ^ "DeWitt Clinton High School, Bronx, New York". http://www.nndb.com/edu/788/000095503. Retrieved 2007-07-30. 
5. ^ "An hour with fashion designer Ralph Lauren". Charlie Rose. 1993-01-22. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8267. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
6. ^ Gross (2004), p. 38
7. ^ Camp Roosevelt Discussion Forum
8. ^ "Ralph Lauren - Looking Good - Ultimate Garages™". Ultimategarages.net. http://ultimategarages.net/garages/ralph_lauren_garage.html. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
9. ^ "Oprah Interviews Ralph Lauren". Oprah.com. http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Oprah-Interviews-Ralph-Lauren/print/1. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
10. ^ "Polo/Ralph Lauren Corporation - International Directory of Company Histories". Findarticles.com. 1939-10-14. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5202/is_1991/ai_n19122043/. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
11. ^ Gross (2004), p. 91-93
12. ^ Gross (2004), 186.
13. ^ House & Garden, October, 1984
14. ^ Domino magazine's "Editor's Pick — Babe Paley, featuring a photo of Paley at her Round Hill Villa in Jamaica online retrieved September 25, 2007
15. ^ "''New York Times'' report on Ralph Lauren's brain tumor surgery". New York Times. 1987-04-16. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0D61631F935A25757C0A961948260. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
16. ^ Ralph Lauren - Forbes, Forbes.com. Retrieved October 2011.
17. ^ "1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia Spider". paulrussell.com. http://www.paulrussell.com/portfolio-retrospective/A-alfa/38_2900/. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
18. ^ "Speed, Style, and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2005-03-06. http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/sub.asp?key=15&subkey=500. Retrieved 2010-04-07. 
19. ^ "Forthcoming Events". lesartsdecoratifs.fr. http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/exhibitions/forthcoming-events. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
20. ^ Ralph Lauren apologizes for digitally retouching slender model to make her head look bigger than her waist, Retrieved 2011-10-25
21. ^ Filippa Hamilton, Ralph Lauren's Retouched Model: I Was Fired For Being Too Fat (VIDEO), Retrieved 2011-10-25
22. ^ Second Ralph Lauren model in Photoshop row as she's airbrushed to become impossibly skinny, Retrieved 2011-10-25

References

• Gross, Michael: Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren. Harper, New York 2003.
• Trachtenberg, Jeffrey A.: Ralph Lauren: The Man behind the Mystique. Little, Brown and Company New York 1981.
• McDowell, Colin: Ralph Lauren: The Man, The Vision, The Style. Rizzoli, New York 2002.

External links

• Ralph Lauren Web Site
• Ralph Lauren designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Ralph Lauren at the Internet Movie Database
• Ralph Lauren collections at style.com
• Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention
• Men's Vogue profile of Ralph Lauren
• Ralph Lauren Auto Collection
• WIRED Magazine celebrates the Ralph Lauren Classic Automobile Collection

Persondata
Name	Lauren, Ralph
Alternative names	Lifschitz, Ralph
Short description	American fashion designer and business executive
Date of birth	October 14, 1939
Place of birth	The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death

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