Born Ralph Lipschitz in 1939 to Jewish immigrant parents Frank (from Belarus) and Frieda Lipschitz (from Poland), Ralph was the youngest of 4 siblings. The family wasn’t rich, living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood. So Ralph occupied himself in the cinema world to escape boredom.
Despite his humble origins, he was thinking big. In his 1957 High School yearbook, he wrote being a millionaire was his life goal! Was this the lad behind the fashion house fortune?![]()
Michael Gross* described how the youth used his vivid imagination to step into the fictional world of cinema greats like Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. Lipschitz changed his name to Lauren in his late teens, after reportedly enduring years of teasing from his surname. In 1962, at 23, he joined the US Army and served until 1964, when he took a clerk job at Brooks Brothers, the oldest men’s clothing American brand.
In Dec 1964, Lauren married Ricky Loew-Beer in NY, dance teacher and author. They remained members of Park Ave Synagogue Manhattan, and had 3 children. [In 2011, their son David married Lauren Bush, granddaughter of ex-Pres George H Bush and the niece of ex-Pres George W Bush].
Lauren then worked for Beau Brummell, a famous tie manufacturer. Ralph persuaded the company president to let him design his own line of ties; hence the Ralph Lauren Corporation was born in 1967. His interest in sport then led to the launch of his iconic brand Polo. Watching his first polo match had activated his entrepreneurial spirit. He went with friend Warren Helstein who described how they were exposed to fabulous things; horses, silver, leather, tall blondes in hats and high society.
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His next big risk was designing wide, colourful ties, in an era when plain and narrow was the fashion. His radical approach paid dividends – Bloomingdale’s loved it and bought $500,000 of ties in his first year.
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Lauren continued expanding his company. He believed in enjoying the moment, constantly moving forward. When it came to designing clothing, he came up with designs that he would want to wear himself. He imagined clothing fit for movie stars. “The things that I made, you could not find them anywhere,” he said.
He had started out in menswear, not launching his first tailored shirts for women until 1971, with his now-famous Polo player emblem. He also opened his ship on Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills, that year! His signature cotton Polo short was launched in 1972, while his range of fragrances made their debut at Bloomingdale’s in March 1978.
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The 98-seat restaurant RL opened in 1999 in Chicago in a newly built building adjacent to the largest Ralph Lauren store at cnr Chicago and Michigan Avenues. It was followed by the opening of two additional restaurants, Ralph's in Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris flagship shop in 2010 and The Polo Bar at Polo's flagship shop in New York in 2015. I have never been in any of these 3 restaurants.
The marketing genius is that his brand conjured romantic, nostalgic visions of rugged wranglers, and clean, Ivy League privilege, yet Lauren made billions from polo shirts and denim. But in 2016 Ralph Lauren brand seemed to be stressed. Analysts criticised discounting, claiming they cheapened its image, while a failure to attract younger buyers was also relevant. In 2017 the designer responded by launching wearable tech in a fitness technology shirt, combined with a mobile app. The Polo Tech Smartshirt athletic apparel pioneered physical tracking technology. It was embedded with sensors, tracking heart rates, breathing, stress level and calories burned. Data were streamed to an app that generated workout programmes, enabling Polo Sport to compete with sports brands eg Nike and Adidas.
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Summary
Amassing a fortune, fashion designer Ralph Lauren went from rags to riches. The army veteran and former clerk earned his fortune through building an empire with his Polo clothing brand, launched in 1968. Thus the Bronx lad who dreamed of becoming rich is a multi-billionaire, with homes in Long Island, Jamaica and Manhattan, plus a huge Colorado range. He stepped down as CEO in Sept 2015, remaining executive chairman. In April 2024, his net worth was cUS$9 billion.
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Despite his humble origins, he was thinking big. In his 1957 High School yearbook, he wrote being a millionaire was his life goal! Was this the lad behind the fashion house fortune?
Left: daughter Dylan Lauren, Ralph, Ricky, sons Andrew and David
at the Ralph Lauren in NY City.
people.com
In Dec 1964, Lauren married Ricky Loew-Beer in NY, dance teacher and author. They remained members of Park Ave Synagogue Manhattan, and had 3 children. [In 2011, their son David married Lauren Bush, granddaughter of ex-Pres George H Bush and the niece of ex-Pres George W Bush].
Lauren then worked for Beau Brummell, a famous tie manufacturer. Ralph persuaded the company president to let him design his own line of ties; hence the Ralph Lauren Corporation was born in 1967. His interest in sport then led to the launch of his iconic brand Polo. Watching his first polo match had activated his entrepreneurial spirit. He went with friend Warren Helstein who described how they were exposed to fabulous things; horses, silver, leather, tall blondes in hats and high society.
Ralph Lauren opened luxury flagship in Miami
in 2023
It spurred Lauren into developing an elegant and high-class brand, which later became known as Polo Ralph Lauren. It was a massive risk launching the company, as he had only a high school diploma and some business classes, never finishing studies at the City Uni of New York.
His next big risk was designing wide, colourful ties, in an era when plain and narrow was the fashion. His radical approach paid dividends – Bloomingdale’s loved it and bought $500,000 of ties in his first year.
Polo Ralph Lauren pure silk tie
Reddit
Lauren continued expanding his company. He believed in enjoying the moment, constantly moving forward. When it came to designing clothing, he came up with designs that he would want to wear himself. He imagined clothing fit for movie stars. “The things that I made, you could not find them anywhere,” he said.
He had started out in menswear, not launching his first tailored shirts for women until 1971, with his now-famous Polo player emblem. He also opened his ship on Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills, that year! His signature cotton Polo short was launched in 1972, while his range of fragrances made their debut at Bloomingdale’s in March 1978.
His outfits for men and women were unfussy and very smart. Denim was very popular.
He opened his flagship store on Madison Avenue and 72nd St in New York in 1986. In 1992, Lauren launched his iconic Polo Sport line, followed by additional lines and acquired brands eg Ralph Lauren Purple Label in 1995. His company was publicly traded on the NY Stock Exchange in June 1997.
The 98-seat restaurant RL opened in 1999 in Chicago in a newly built building adjacent to the largest Ralph Lauren store at cnr Chicago and Michigan Avenues. It was followed by the opening of two additional restaurants, Ralph's in Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris flagship shop in 2010 and The Polo Bar at Polo's flagship shop in New York in 2015. I have never been in any of these 3 restaurants.
The marketing genius is that his brand conjured romantic, nostalgic visions of rugged wranglers, and clean, Ivy League privilege, yet Lauren made billions from polo shirts and denim. But in 2016 Ralph Lauren brand seemed to be stressed. Analysts criticised discounting, claiming they cheapened its image, while a failure to attract younger buyers was also relevant. In 2017 the designer responded by launching wearable tech in a fitness technology shirt, combined with a mobile app. The Polo Tech Smartshirt athletic apparel pioneered physical tracking technology. It was embedded with sensors, tracking heart rates, breathing, stress level and calories burned. Data were streamed to an app that generated workout programmes, enabling Polo Sport to compete with sports brands eg Nike and Adidas.
Ralph Lauren's Celeb-Packed Show in the Hamptons
2024, Getty
Amassing a fortune, fashion designer Ralph Lauren went from rags to riches. The army veteran and former clerk earned his fortune through building an empire with his Polo clothing brand, launched in 1968. Thus the Bronx lad who dreamed of becoming rich is a multi-billionaire, with homes in Long Island, Jamaica and Manhattan, plus a huge Colorado range. He stepped down as CEO in Sept 2015, remaining executive chairman. In April 2024, his net worth was cUS$9 billion.
photo credit: Ralph Lauren Corporation.
In Jan 2025 President Joe Biden awarded Lauren the Presidential Medal of Freedom, making him the first fashion designer ever to receive the highest civilian honour.
*Read Biographer Michael Gross’ Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren, 2003.
*Read Biographer Michael Gross’ Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren, 2003.