Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in Bronx, NY on October 14, 1939. His parents were both Jewish immigrants from Belarus. At the young age of 16, Ralph changed his last name to Lauren due to being teased by other kids at school. Ralph attended Baruch College in Manhattan, where he had studied business for two years. He then took a sales job at Brooks Brothers for a short time and then became a salesman for a tie company. His first breakthrough was in 1966 when he designed a wide, European style necktie. The company he worked for, so he left to establish his own company, which included taking rages and turning them into ties, rejected Ralph’s ideas.
In 1970 he released a woman’s line, along with his menswear line,
which was when the first Polo emblem was seen on the woman’s cuff. Ralph Lauren also gained recognition for his designs in movies such as THE GREAT GATSBY and ANNIE HALL. In 1984 Ralph Lauren opened his flagship store in Jamaica. In 1997 Ralph Lauren Corporation became a public company, trading under the New York Stock Exchange-Symbol RL. By 2007, Ralph Lauren had 35 stores and many locations carry the Ralph Lauren Label. Financial times reported in January of 2010 that the firm had revenues of $5 billion for fiscal year 2009.
Ralph Lauren designs clothes based on lifestyles many people dream on having. Preferring to stay out of the spotlight, Ralph Lauren’s vision defines the American Style. Ralph Laurens philosophy for success is being true to himself, remembering his own personal/professional values and creating inspiration for the consumer.
Works Cited
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Oprah-Interviews-Ralph-Lauren/6
http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-lauren-9374814
http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/ralph-lauren-biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Lauren