shopping_cart Cart (0)

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren is one of America's most well known fashion designers and labels. To read the entire story on Ralph Lauren and the brand's influence on mens fashion please click this link.

Few American designers have left such a lasting impression of style like Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren was born in the New York Bronx in 1939 as son of a Jewish immigrant couple from Belarus. From an early age Lauren had an eye for elegant and classic styles. As a young boy he worked after school and used some of the money to buy suits and other elegant clothing. In addition, he had a good business sense and was driven to succeed. He sold neckties to his classmates and in a class yearbook he wrote that he inspired to be a millionaire.

Lauren went on to study business but decided to drop out after two years. He then joined the US military (1962-1964) an experience that has influenced some of his designs later on. After his service in the military he went back to work in fashion as a salesmen at New York's Brooks Brothers - a mens clothier known for elegant and timeless-classy styles. Then in 1967 his entrepreneurial spirit led him to open his own store selling mens ties. Besides selling designer labels, Lauren started to create his own designs under the label POLO.

His break through success occurred at the beginning of the 1970s. In 1972 he created the signature Polo-Shirt which became an immediate success and was soon available in 24 different color shades. Then in 1974 he designed clothing for the movie 'The Great Gatsby'. Ralph Lauren continues to create elegant and timeless designs. To date the label operates over 3 dozen of boutique retailers, sells online as well as through high end retail chains.