Ralph Lauren Biography
Ralph Lauren, born Ralph Lifshitz Lauren, is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and business executive best known as the founder of the Ralph Lauren Corporation. He is also prominent for collecting rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. Although he founded the Ralph Lauren Corporation, he is not the CEO of the company as he stepped down from the position in 2015. At the time, he serves as the Chief Creative Officer and Executive Chairman of the enterprise.
Ralph Lauren Age
He was born on the 14th of October 1939 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States. As of 2018, he is 79 years old.
Ralph Lauren Family
He is the youngest of five born to Frieda (maiden name Cutler) and Frank Lifshitz, artist and house painter. He has three brothers, Jerry Lauren, Lenny Lifshitz, and George Poitras Lauren, and one sister Thelma Fried.
Ralph Lauren Wife
He has been married to Ricky Ann Low-Beer, the author of “The Hamptons: Food, Family, and History” since the 20th of December 1964. The couple met six months before this in a doctor’s office when she was working as a receptionist and dance instructor.
Ralph Lauren Children
The couple bore three children, a daughter, Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City, and two sons, Andrew Lauren, film producer and actor, and David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing, and Communications at Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Ralph Lauren Career
In his early years, he served in the U.S. Army. He later left to work for a while for Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant. He left this and became a salesman for a tie company. He talked with the company president of Beau Brummel, a tie manufacturer, to let him start his own clothing line. He started a Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with a line consisting of men’s ties. He named his first clothing line Polo in 1968 following his interest in sports. At first, he worked out of a single “drawer” from a showroom in the Empire State Building and also working as his own delivery man.
Bloomingdale, by 1969, was selling his products exclusively, and they gave him an in-store boutique. His corporation launched a line of women’s tailored shirts which were the first to use the emblem of the polo player on the shirt’s cuff. This also marked the opening of a new store along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. In 1974, he outfitted the male cast members of the film “The Great Gatsby”. He chose costumes from his Polo line to dress the actors.
In March 1978, Warner Lauren ltd. first introduced Ralph Lauren Fragrances. He became the first designer to introduce two fragrances, one for women and another for men. In 1981, the opening of the first freestanding store on New Bond Street in the West End of London marked the entering of the company in European and International markets. The company’s Polo Sport line was introduced in 1992 along with over ten additional lines and acquired brands, including Ralph Lauren Purple Label in 1995 and Lauren Ralph Lauren in 1996. On June 12, 1997, the Ralph Lauren Corporation became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.
According to an announcement made on the 29th of September, Ralph Lauren would step down from CEO position to become the company’s Chief Creative Officer and Executive chairman, while the CEO empty seat would be awarded to Stefan Larsson. Lauren has been featured on over 100 global magazines covers like Architectural Digest, GQ, Forbes, Town & Country, TIME and Vogue. On the 8th of September 2018, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his brand in a large scale fashion show in at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park.
Ralph Lauren Net Worth
Forbes estimated his total wealth in 2018 to amount to 7.2 Billion dollars making him #91 in the richest people in America.
Ralph Lauren Car Collection
He has collected about 100 automobiles, some of them being extremely rare. The collection consists of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, two Ferrari TRs, two 1996 McLaren F1’s and an extremely rare McLaren F1 LM, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, a 1929 Bentley 4½ Litre, one Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Gangloff, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a Bugatti Veyron, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK “Count Trossi”, a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia, and a rare Lamborghini Reventón Roadster among many others.
In 2005 his collection was displayed at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. His cars have also won “Best in Show” at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance twice. 17 cars from his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in 2011.
Ralph Lauren Awards and Honors
Year |
Award / Honor |
2018 |
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) |
2016 |
Honored at the 50th Anniversary Riverkeeper Fishermen’s Ball at Chelsea Piers in New York City With Leonardo DiCaprio |
Women’s Wear Daily’s inaugural John B. Fairchild Honor. |
|
2014 |
The Company’s “The Dog Walk Campaign” won the Clio Image Award |
James Smithson Bicentennial Medal for his contributions to American entrepreneurship, artistry, and creativity |
|
2012 |
Ralph Lauren tops the list for the global apparel industry category for the first time in Fortune magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Company” 2012.” |
2010 |
Mayor Michael Bloomberg presents Ralph Lauren with a key to the city of New York. |
Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur from Nicolas Sarkozy, for his contributions as a designer, business leader, and philanthropist. |
|
2009 |
CFDA’s “Popular Vote Award” |
2007 |
American Fashion Legend Award, at the CFDA Awards |
2003 |
His Corporation receives a Restore America Heroes award from The National Trust for Historic Preservation. |
2000 |
Inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame in the center of New York City’s Fashion District. |
1997 |
CFDA’s Award for Humanitarian Leadership for his commitment to fighting breast cancer. |
1996 |
Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research’s first Humanitarian Award |
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Brandeis University |
|
CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year. |
|
1995 |
CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. |
1992 |
CFDA Lifetime Achievement award specifically for him. |
1989 |
The American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 1989 for fashion and design |
1988 |
Pratt Institute awards him with an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts. |
1987 |
1986 “Retailer of the Year” |
1985 |
Menswear Association of America’s Designer Achievement Award. |
1981 |
CFDA Fashion Award. |
1979 |
Special citation at the 1979 Coty Awards for his direct influence in establishing American fashion |
1977 |
Coty Hall of Fame award for womenswear. |
1976 |
Entered the Coty Hall of Fame for Menswear, and also wins a Coty Award for Womenswear |
1975 |
American Fashion Award. (Council of Fashion Designers of America) |
1974 |
Coty Award for womenswear. |
1973 |
Coty Award for menswear |
1970 |
Coty Award for the highest creativity of the year in men’s fashion design. |
Ralph Lauren Philanthropy
- He co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University Hospital.
- His corporation launched a volunteer program to create meaningful connections with the communities in which they work
- The corporation also launched the Pink Pony campaign to reduce disparities in cancer care by raising awareness as well as enhancing prevention, screening, and treatment to the less fortunate.
- Polo Ralph Lauren supported the establishment of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem.
- Polo Fashion School, introduced in 2004, helps Company executives work with inner-city youth to offer insights into the fashion business.
- The Polo jeans G.I.V.E. (Get Involved, Volunteer, Exceed), was created in 2006 to inspire and encourage community service through volunteerism by supporting the efforts of dedicated volunteers and their causes.
- His corporation was committed to restoring the”École des Beaux-Arts” in Paris, one of the most influential art schools in France.
- Together with Royal Marsden, the corporation the Royal Marsden Ralph Lauren Center for Breast Cancer Research in 2016.
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