Inspiring CEOs
His clothes exemplify the greatest confidence of all – confidence to simplify, leave unadorned, and allowed to speak clearly, directly and honestly… says Colin Mcdowell, a biographer.
Ralph Lauren, born October 14, 1939, is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped down as CEO of the company in September 2015 but remains executive chairman and chief creative officer. As of May 2025, his net worth is estimated at US$11.9 billion.
Early life
Lauren was born on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants Frieda Lifshitz (née Cutler) and Frank Lifshitz (né Efraim Lifshitz), an artist and house painter, from Tirana, Albania . The youngest of four siblings, he has two brothers and one sister. At the age of 16, he and his brother George Poitras Lauren legally changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren, due to bullying at school. His choice of the name followed his older brother Jerry Lauren, who had first done so after experiencing bullying in the U.S. Air Force.
Lauren attended day school followed by the Manhattan Talmudical Academy, before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. He attended Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY), where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years.
He was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish community in the Bronx, along with Calvin Klein and Robert Denning.
Career
Early career
From 1962 to 1964, Lauren served in the United States Army. After his discharge, he worked briefly for Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant before becoming a salesman for Rivetz, a necktie company. At age 28, working for tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, Lauren convinced the company president to let him start his own line. He launched The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with men’s ties.
Polo
Lauren named his first full line of menswear Polo in 1968. He worked out of a single “drawer” from a showroom in the Empire State Building and made deliveries to stores himself. By 1969, the Manhattan department store Bloomingdale’s had built a Polo shop-in-shop boutique.
The Polo Ralph Lauren flagship store occupying the Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House on Madison Avenue in New York City
In 1971, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, which introduced the Polo player emblem to the world for the first time, appearing on the shirt’s cuff. The first full women’s collection was launched the following year. In 1971 Lauren also opened a store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California; this was the first freestanding store for an American designer.
In 1972, the Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh Polo shirt in various colors. Featuring the polo player logo at the chest, the shirt became emblematic of the preppy look—one of Ralph Lauren’s signature styles. The tagline for the ad campaign was: “Every team has its color – Polo has seventeen.”
In 1974, he outfitted the male cast of the film The Great Gatsby in costumes from his Polo line – a 1920s-style series of men’s suits and sweaters; a pink suit was designed by Lauren especially for Robert Redford‘s Jay Gatsby. In 1977, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen wore Lauren’s clothes throughout Allen’s film Annie Hall.
Fragrance
The first Ralph Lauren fragrances, produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd. were launched at Bloomingdale’s in March 1978. Lauren, a fragrance for women, on March 12 and Polo, cologne for men, on March 26. This was the first time that a designer had introduced two fragrances – one for men and one for women – simultaneously. The company entered the European market, and went international in 1981 with the opening of the first freestanding store for an American designer on New Bond Street in the West End of London, England.
Later years
In 2000 the company launched polo.com as its website and online shop, through RL Media (a cooperation between Ralph Lauren and NBC). In 2007, Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the web site was relaunched as ralphlauren.com.
Automobile collection
Ralph Lauren with his Porsche GT3 RS (2010)
Ralph Lauren is well known as a collector of automobiles, with about 100 automobiles, some being extremely rare.
Philanthropy
Lauren has focused a substantial amount of his philanthropy to address cancer.
In 2000, the Ralph Lauren Corporation launched its Volunteer Programme, which energizes employees and creates meaningful connections with the communities in which they work. On Friday, September 15, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched the Pink Pony Campaign, a national initiative to reduce disparities in cancer care by raising awareness as well as enhancing prevention, screening, and treatment in poor and underserved communities.
The Polo Fashion School was established in 2004, in which company executives work with inner-city youth to offer insights into the fashion business.
The Star-Spangled Banner, the original 1813 flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the United States National Anthem, was preserved by a $10 million contribution to Save America’s Treasures from Polo Ralph Lauren in 1998. The flag was then unveiled on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, in a new gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, in Washington, D.C. Ralph Lauren Corporation announced in July 2013 its commitment to restore the elite École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, one of the most influential art schools in France.
Politics
As recently as 2012, with a $35,800 donation to the Obama Victory Fund, Lauren made regular small donations to U.S. Democratic candidates. In 2022, the Ralph Lauren Corp, through individuals, donated $63,000 to Democratic organizations and individuals.
Source: Wikipedia
