What began 40 years ago with a collection of ties has grown into an entire world, redefining American style. Ralph Lauren has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in their dream. They were the innovators of lifestyle advertisements that tell a story, and the first to create stores that encourage customers to participate in that lifestyle.
This was the first time that a designer has introduced two fragrances – one for men and one for women – simultaneously. The company entered the European market, and went international, in 1981 with the opening of the first freestanding store for an American designer on New Bond Street in the West End of London, England. In 1971, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, which introduced the Polo player emblem to the world for the first time, appearing on the shirt’s cuff. The first full women’s collection was launched the following year. In 1971 Lauren also opened a store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California; this was the first freestanding store for an American designer.
Wanting to leverage his interest in sports, the designer opted for Polo when it came to naming his eponymous label. What Lauren—nee Lifshitz—started with a simple necktie, eventually transformed into an entire wardrobe. The SSENSE editors unpack the ABCs of the Polo Ralph Lauren legacy. Ralph Lauren has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in our dream. In 2011, a selection from his car collection was exhibited in Paris.
Lauren Ralph Lauren conveys a spirit of polished luxury each season through a stylish offering of shoes, handbags, swimwear, sleepwear, and jewelry. From workday to weekend, Lauren Ralph Lauren combines modernity with fresh, chic style. Outfit them in trusted dresses, jackets, sweatshirts, and more for fall.
The brand he established, Polo, is now one part of an international empire that includes fragrances, home furnishings, luxury clothing and dining based on a fantasy aesthetic of upper-crust life. Lauren, a funder of cancer research initiatives, has also used his personal fortune to amass a collection of rare and classic cars as well as a massive Colorado ranch. The collection offers elegantly designed women’s clothing. The established brand has a collection that features sophisticated dresses, blouses and denim for day or work. The line also has dressy evening gowns, accessories, handbags and shoes.
Young boys look handsome in Lauren Ralph Lauren boys’ suit coats, dress shirts, dress pants and shorts perfect for holidays and special occasions. Their dads find beautifully constructed suits, tuxedos and suit separates for every season of the year. Women enjoy a broad range of Lauren Ralph Lauren plus size and women’s clothing for work, evenings and casual occasions.
Lauren will stay on as executive chairman and chief creative officer. Spanning the range from casual sportswear to formal wear, the company’s clothing and fragrances reflect a classic American style, and often impart a rugged, outdoorsy image. Many garments and fragrances incorporate a logo with a pony, with or without a polo player astride. Originally conceived as a women’s wear spinoff of the preppy, all-American Ralph Lauren brand, Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt’s popularity has grown to include stylish menswear, big & tall, preppy styles for children, handbags, shoes and accessories. Explore our collection of Lauren Ralph Lauren clothing for work, special occasions and casual wear clothes for the entire family.
As his peers in New York retire or leave the main stage, Ralph Lauren looms large. At the age of 16, Ralph and his brother Jerry changed their last name to Lauren after having been teased consistently at school. Ralph was known for his distinctive fashion sense as a teen, finding inspiration in screen icons like Fred Astaire and Cary Grant while having a taste for both classic preppy wear and vintage looks.