Fashion Designer Ralph Lauren: “I Prepared for Greatness From an Early Age”
In the late 60s, Ralph Lauren sold ties, and now the revenue of the company he founded reaches $6.2 billion a year. About how to build a brand on children’s dreams, “bend your own line” and feel the needs of customers - in a selection of his statements.
About a dreamer from the Bronx
A student of one of the New York schools, Ralph Lifshitz, wrote in his graduation album in 1957 that he was going to become a millionaire, although at that time he did not even think how he would achieve this. Today, the whole world knows him as Ralph Lauren, and he clearly over fulfilled his plan: his fortune is estimated at $6.5 billion. Lauren’s business empire includes several lines of clothing, shoes and accessories, a brand of furniture and home goods, as well as several restaurants. He has dressed the actors of The Great Gatsby and Annie Hall films, sewed uniforms for the US Olympic team and won the CFDA award four times - the fashion equivalent of an Oscar.
However, Lauren’s starting conditions were far from ideal. He was born in the Bronx to immigrant parents two weeks before the outbreak of World War II. The fashion designer later recalled that his childhood was happy, but the Lifshits always lived in poverty. And so the cinema of the “golden age” of Hollywood became for little Ralph a window into another world: he often imagined himself as Cary Grant or Gary Cooper, a goodie who, among other things, always looks perfect. He admitted later that he incredibly wanted to become part of this world.
“Oh, I prepared for greatness from an early age,” said Lauren. “I did what many other kids do: I went to the movies on Saturdays, and then I fought my brothers pretending to be Tarzan. There were a lot of dreamers in the Bronx". He took a pseudonym in honor of the Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall.
The future fashion designer studied at the university for two years, but then dropped out and got a job with the office of the Brooks Brothers menswear brand, and then as a sales specialist for Beau Brummell, a tie manufacturer. In the mid-60s, tight solid ties were in fashion, but Lauren did not like them - he wanted to do something more interesting. He tried to convince the company’s management that it was worth starting to experiment with design, but was refused. Then Lauren, confident in his idea, decided to act on his own, and launched his own brand. He called it Polo: Loren liked the way polo players and people who attended matches dressed. “Polo is a way of life,” said Lauren. His ties were wider, prints and colors more diverse than those of his competitors, and buyers liked this.
About believing in yourself
Polo soon launched a menswear line as Lauren continued to draw inspiration from polo players and favorite “old Hollywood” movie stars. The fashion designer explained that he did not want to chase trends, but “sold” a certain aesthetics, the lifestyle that he would like to lead himself. “When I first started, people saw what I was wearing and asked if I could make the same for them. Then I realized that I could offer something special, ” he said.
The company grew rapidly. In 1971, a line of women’s clothing appeared, a few years later - perfumery. In 1983, Lauren created the Ralph Lauren Home Collection, a brand of home goods - in his own words, he simply could not find what he liked. “I do everything starting from how I myself would like to live,” he reflected. One day, my wife Ricky and I went to buy things for our apartment, but all the bedding in the store was in some kind of roses. <…> Therefore, I decided to sew the bed linen myself from the oxford fabric that usually went on the shirts.
Lauren never rested on his laurels and created more and more new brands, designed for customers with different needs and with different incomes. For example, in 1992 he launched Polo Sport with casual sportswear, and three years later he launched Ralph Lauren Purple Label aimed at the premium segment. “I don’t think everyone needs a cashmere sweater and a pair of expensive trousers. Not everyone can afford the Ralph Lauren Purple Label and not everyone needs it. Therefore, I sewed for those who prefer elegant suits, and for lovers of a more relaxed style, and for those who wear expensive sportswear.” Lauren explained.
The fashion designer often repeated that he “does not care about trends.” He always tried to produce things that would not go out of fashion for a long time and was guided only by his own taste and flair. The opinion of the critics did not bother him. Lauren is convinced that it was an unshakable belief in himself and his vision that helped him succeed. “Confident people are happier and kinder,” he said in an interview.
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and founder of the Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Ralph Lauren (Lifshitz) was born in 1939 in New York. He studied for two years at the City University of New York, after which he dropped out and began a career in fashion retail as an employee. In 1967, he created his own brand of ties, Polo Ralph Lauren, and later began to produce men’s clothing under the same label. In 1971, he created the Ralph Lauren Collection women’s clothing line. Over the next decades, other brands were founded, focused on different price segments (Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Sport, Lauren Ralph Lauren, etc.). In 1997, Ralph Lauren Corporation held an IPO.
In 2015, Lauren left the post of CEO of the company, but remained its president and creative director. He owns 85% of the voting shares of the Ralph Lauren Corporation. Forbes estimates his fortune at $6.5 billion.
About a strong brand
Now Lauren is 83 years old: in 2015 he left the post of CEO of his company, but still continues to work on collections as a designer. He spends most of his time at his ranch in Colorado, but likes to stay both in his native New York and in a villa in Jamaica. In her spare time, Lauren collects cars - they interest him more than art. “For me, buying a rare car with a stunning design is a completely unique experience. You can admire its beauty and at the same time enjoy the ride as a driver,” he explained.
Lauren does not hide the fact that she enjoys her fame. “I like to be recognized when I arrive in Paris and people turn around. I like that I can afford the best seats in the cinema or in the theater” the fashion designer admitted. Success, in his opinion, gives a feeling of confidence in yourself and your future.
He once said that the Ralph Lauren Corporation brands basically do not cooperate with the “stars” of show business and do not pay for, for example, someone to wear a dress to an awards ceremony. “Why? Because I myself am a star, said Lauren. - I became a celebrity. This is Ralph Lauren. You come to buy clothes from Ralph Lauren, not from anyone else.”
Sources: GQ UK, Harper’s Bazaar UK, CBS News, The Gentleman’s Journal, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Insider (formerly Business Insider), Architectural Digest.