Ralph Lauren wearing a checkered vest and striped shirt. (Photo by Jack Robinson)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1970
Ralph Lauren poses outdoors, leaning against a wooden fence and holding his hat, with horses behind him. (Photo by Susan Wood)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1970
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren (Photo by Jack Robinson)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1970
Manhattan, New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren stands in his Manhattan apartment wearing a two-button tartan plaid jacket/coat. (Zachary Freyman)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1971
Ralph Lauren, working in his office. (Photo by Zachary Freyman)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1977
5th Avenue, New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren in his 5th Avenue apartment (overlooking the Central Park Reservoir) during renovations, New York, November 1977. (Photo by Susan Wood)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1977
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren, in a walk-in closet, as he dresses for a night out, New York, November 1977. (Photo by Susan Wood)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1986
Ralph Lauren relaxed and sitting on the couch in his home. (Photo by Dirck Halstead)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1992
Ralph Lauren and Audrey Hepburn (Photo by Ron Galella)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1993
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren at the Ralph Lauren Fall 1993 show circa 1993 in New York City. (Photo by PL Gould)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1995
United States
Ralph Lauren on the catwalk after his fashion show, USA, circa 1995. (Photo by Rose Hartman)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1995
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren at the Ralph Lauren Fall 1995 show circa 1995 in New York City. (Photo by PL Gould)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
1996
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren stands on stage at the 7th on Sixth Fashion Show on October 30, 1996, in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2004
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren walks down the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show on February 13, 2004, during Olympus 2004 Fashion Week, in New York City. (Photo by Mark Mainz)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2004
Hudson River Park, New York City, NY, USA
Anna Wintour and Designer Ralph Lauren attend the unveiling of Stephan Weiss's "The Apple" at the Hudson River Park dedicated to the city of New York on June 10, 2004, in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2006
Skylight Studios, New York City, New York, United State
Ralph Lauren, designer during Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2006 - Ralph Lauren - Runway at Skylight Studios in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2007
45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111, United States
Ralph Lauren attends the announcement of the nominees and honorees for the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) fashion awards at Rockefeller Center on March 12, 2006, in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2011
Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Ralph Lauren and Oprah Winfrey attend an evening with Ralph Lauren hosted by Oprah Winfrey and presented at Lincoln Center on October 24, 2011, in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2013
570 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2014 at St. John Center Studios on September 12, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Peter Michael Dills)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2015
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson SQ. on February 19, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2016
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren greets the audience at the Ralph Lauren Fall 2016 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 18, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Randy Brooke)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2016
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks his finale of the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Skylight Clarkson Sq on September 14, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2016
London, United Kingdom
Ralph Lauren and wife Ricky Anne Loew-Beer attend The Fashion Awards 2016 on December 5, 2016, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2017
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren walks the runway for the Ralph Lauren show during February 2017 New York Fashion Week at the Ralph Lauren Collection Store on February 15, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2018
72 Terrace Dr, New York, NY 10021, United States
Ralph Lauren walks the runway for the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Bethesda Terrace on September 7, 2018, in New York City. (Photo by Randy Brooke)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
2019
7 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002, United States
Ralph Lauren attends "Western Stars" New York Screening at Metrograph on October 16, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin)
Gallery of Ralph Lauren
New York City, NY, USA
Ralph Lauren walks down the runway at the Ralph Lauren Couture Spring 2005 fashion show during the Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005 on September 15, 2004, in New York City. (Photo by Mark Mainz)
Ralph Lauren walks down the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show on February 13, 2004, during Olympus 2004 Fashion Week, in New York City. (Photo by Mark Mainz)
Anna Wintour and Designer Ralph Lauren attend the unveiling of Stephan Weiss's "The Apple" at the Hudson River Park dedicated to the city of New York on June 10, 2004, in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer)
Skylight Studios, New York City, New York, United State
Ralph Lauren, designer during Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2006 - Ralph Lauren - Runway at Skylight Studios in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris)
45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111, United States
Ralph Lauren attends the announcement of the nominees and honorees for the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) fashion awards at Rockefeller Center on March 12, 2006, in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini)
Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Ralph Lauren and Oprah Winfrey attend an evening with Ralph Lauren hosted by Oprah Winfrey and presented at Lincoln Center on October 24, 2011, in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca)
570 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2014 at St. John Center Studios on September 12, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Peter Michael Dills)
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson SQ. on February 19, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard)
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren greets the audience at the Ralph Lauren Fall 2016 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Skylight Clarkson Sq on February 18, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Randy Brooke)
550 Washington St, New York, NY 10014, United States
Ralph Lauren walks his finale of the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Skylight Clarkson Sq on September 14, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic)
Ralph Lauren walks the runway for the Ralph Lauren show during February 2017 New York Fashion Week at the Ralph Lauren Collection Store on February 15, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro)
Ralph Lauren walks the runway for the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Bethesda Terrace on September 7, 2018, in New York City. (Photo by Randy Brooke)
Ralph Lauren walks down the runway at the Ralph Lauren Couture Spring 2005 fashion show during the Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005 on September 15, 2004, in New York City. (Photo by Mark Mainz)
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman. He is best known for his sportswear line Polo Ralph Lauren, the centerpiece of his fashion empire. In addition to clothing, he designs home decorating products such as furniture, bedding, drapes, towels, rugs, china, and silverware. Ralph Lauren is also a noted philanthropist.
Background
Ethnicity:
Ralph Lauren's were Ashkenazi Jewish emigrants from Belarus.
Ralph Lauren was born on October 14, 1939, in New York City, New York, the United States, and became the youngest of four children born to Frank, a house painter and muralist, and Frieda Lifshitz, a housewife. His immigrant family lived in the Mosholu Parkway section of the Bronx, a lower-middle-class area of New York City.
Education
When he was eight, Ralph was transferred from public school to Yeshiva Rabbi Israel Salanter, one of New York City's feeder schools to the Manhattan Talmudical Academy. Three years later, he returned to public school for two years, and then went back to Yeshiva. At 14, he entered the Talmudical Academy but transferred to a public high school a year later, ending his formal religious education.
At the age of 16, Ralph and his brother Jerry changed their last name to Lauren after having been teased consistently at school. Another brother, Lenny, retained the family name. Ralph became interested in clothes when he was in seventh grade. When he was still in school, he would sell neck-ties to his classmates.
While attending DeWitt Clinton High School in New York, he worked part-time for New York department stores, saving his money to buy clothes. After graduating from high school, he attended City College of New York, taking business courses at night while working as an assistant buyer of men's furnishings.
After a brief stint in the Army, Lauren took on a sales job at Brooks Brothers. 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. In 1967, while working for Beau Brummell, Lauren began designing his own men’s neckties with a wider cut, branding them under the name Polo and selling them at large department stores, including Bloomingdale’s.
His breakthrough came, when Neiman Marcus, decided to buy a 100 dozen of his ties. Thus, his career in the world of fashion began. Lauren left Beau Brummel, took the Polo name with him, and opened his own business. Lauren was able to more fully develop his business with a $30,000 loan, eventually expanding his designs to a full menswear line.
In 1969, Polo by Ralph Lauren was established as the first designer boutique for men in Bloomingdale's in New York, the first major retailer to recognize Lauren's talent. In 1970, Lauren was awarded the Coty Award for his men's designs. Following this recognition, in 1971, Lauren launched his first women's line and opened a shop in Beverly Hills. Then in 1972, Lauren released a short-sleeve cotton shirt in 24 colors. This design, emblazoned with the company's famed logo - that of a polo player, created by tennis pro, René Lacoste, became the brand’s signature look.
From the inception of his brand, Lauren’s creations were characterized by a moneyed style that evoked the look of English aristocracy as adapted by the sporty American East Coast elite. The Ralph Lauren style became a nationwide phenomenon after he dressed the male actors in the 1974 film adaptation of The Great Gatsby in clothing from his current line. The film’s evocation of the lost, elegant era of F. Scott Fitzgerald provided a perfect vehicle for Lauren’s classic, sometimes nostalgic, vision. The designer received further attention when he created some of the clothing worn by Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977).
In 1978, he launched his Western-wear collection and appeared in the ads for it. He pioneered the use of multipage magazine advertising, running spreads of up to 20 consecutive pages that collectively presented "the world of Ralph Lauren." His first store outside the United States opened in London in 1981. In 1983, the home collection was launched and in 1986, the new Lauren flagship opened in a historic remodeled mansion in Manhattan.
Two major new ventures begun in 1995 took Lauren into the highly competitive blue jean and mass-market women's clothing categories. Both took the Lauren name to a new customer at lower prices and were instant hits. In 1996 Lauren's Home Collection contributed about $535 million in sales worldwide - more than any other designer. Paints were launched the same year, along with instruction videos and all the tools needed to create the living environment of one's choice. By 1997 investment bankers were fighting for the opportunity to help Lauren put his company on the stock market.
In 2000, he signed a revolutionary 30-year deal with NBC associates to sell his fashionable lifestyle on social media, in print, and on television. By 2007, Ralph Lauren had established over 35 boutiques in 23 locations, around the United States. Lauren has also designed Olympic uniforms for Team USA, though controversy ensued when it was discovered that the competitors' attire for the 2012 summer games was made in China. Lauren was enamored by a show that wholeheartedly reflects his particular vision, the PBS series Downton Abbey. He subsequently created a fall collection inspired by the show and sponsored its final season in 2016.
After a year of falling shares, Lauren stepped aside as chief executive of Ralph Lauren Corp. in September 2015 and appointed Stefan Larsson, the global president of The Gap's Old Navy division, to take over as CEO. Lauren took on the role of executive chairman and chief creative officer of the company he founded.
Ralph Lauren said that he is proud of being a Jew and celebrates the Jewish holidays.
Politics
Lauren is a Democrat who has sporadically supported the occasional Republican over the years. Since 1982, of the $44,350 Lauren has donated to political candidates and campaigns, all but $2,250 was to Democratic candidates, the Democratic National Committee, and Democrat-related political action groups. This includes such famous politicians as Michael Dukakis, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. Lauren donated to George Bush Sr. when he was running for his second term against Democrat darling Bill Clinton.
Views
Lauren's philanthropic activities have focused on cancer care and prevention, but include artistic and cultural projects related to American history. In 1998, he donated $13 million to the Smithsonian Institution to fund the preservation of the American flag that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner." The beneficiaries of the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation include the Pink Pony Fund, established by Lauren in 2000 to support cancer care and prevention in medically underserved communities. His gift to the Lexington School/Center for the Deaf in New York in 2002 enabled it to build a performing arts center and in 2003, the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention opened in the East Harlem section of New York.
Quotations:
"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."
Personality
Ralph Lauren collects classic automobiles. He has approximately 70 automobiles in his estate in New York. His line of automobiles includes McLaren F1s, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Mercedes, Ferraris, and a Blower Bentley to name a few. In 2005, Lauren allowed his collection to be displayed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. In 2011, a selection from his car collection was exhibited in Paris.
He has been a lifelong dog lover and has a rescue dog named Rugby.
Interests
Classic automobiles
Politicians
John F. Kennedy
Writers
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Living Well is the Best Revenge by Calvin Tomkins, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Artists
Fritz Scholder
Sport & Clubs
Basketball, baseball
Athletes
Joe DiMaggio
Music & Bands
Frank Sinatra
Connections
Lauren married teacher and part-time receptionist Ricky Anne Loew-Beer in New York City in 1964. The Laurens are the parents of three children: Andrew, David, and Dylan.
Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Awards
Coty Award
1970, 1973
1970, 1973
American Fashion Award
1975
1975
CFDA Award
1981 - Fashion Award
1986 - Retailer of the Year
1992 - Lifetime Achievement
1995 - Womenswear Designer of the Year
1996 - Menswear Designer of the Year
1997 - Award for Humanitarian Leadership
2009 - Popular Vote Award
1981 - Fashion Award
1986 - Retailer of the Year
1992 - Lifetime Achievement
1995 - Womenswear Designer of the Year
1996 - Menswear Designer of the Year
1997 - Award for Humanitarian Leadership
2009 - Popular Vote Award
American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award