Designer - Ralph Lauren

by iScent

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Rueben Lifshitz in The Bronx, New York in 1939.

After working as a salesman for Brooks Brothers, Lauren, at the age of 28, opened a boutique store within the Bloomingdales department store, selling neckties. This included his own designs, sold under the now famous ‘Polo' label.

"A tie was the way a man expressed himself. I believed that men were ready for something new and different. They didn't want to look as if they worked for IBM. A beautiful tie was an expression of quality, taste, style." Ralph Lauren

Within a few years, Ralph Lauren launched his first collection for women and first standalone store, after winning the COTY award in 1970 for his menswear line.

In 1972 he designed and released the iconic short sleeve, knitted shirt with the Polo logo, sold in 24 different colours.

In 1981, the brand expanded out of the United States, with a store in London, and has since grown around the world where it operated over 160 retail stores and over 160 factory outlets as at 2009.

Polo Ralph Lauren became a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1997.

Polo Ralph Lauren, now a luxury lifestyle company, specialises in high-end casual and semi-formal wear for women and men, as well as homewares, accessories and fragrances.

The first fragrances, launched in 1978, were Polo for Men and Lauren for Women. Other earlier scents included Chaps and Tuexedo.

In the 1990's, Ralph Lauren released fragrances such as Safari, Polo Sport and Romance.

Ralph by Ralph Lauren was a product range introduced in 2000. This was a line to target the younger consumer. After Ralph (2000), Ralph Cool (2004) was released, followed by Ralph Hot (2006), Ralph Rocks (2006) and Ralph Wild (2008).

Other Ralph Lauren perfumes for women include Glamorous, Glamorous Daylight, Ralph Lauren Blue, Lauren Style, Pure Turquoise and Notorious.

Ralph Lauren fragrances for men include Polo Blue, Romance Silver, Polo Black, Polo Double Black, Polo Explorer and Polo Modern Reserve.

Ralph Lauren married in 1968 and has a daughter and two sons. His youngest son David is currently an executive within the business.

In early 1987, Ralph Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After having surgery to remove it, he went on to make a full recovery.

As at 2010, he was ranked as the 173^rd richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of US$4.6 billion.

"I never went to fashion school...I was a young guy who had some style. I never imagined Polo would become what it is. I just followed my instincts." Ralph Lauren

This article was published on Tuesday 01 June, 2010.

Current Reviews: 0