Early career
From 1962 to 1964, Lauren served in the United States Army. After his discharge, he worked briefly for Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant before becoming a salesman for Rivetz, a necktie company.[22] At age 28, working for tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, Lauren convinced the company president to let him start his own line. He launched The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with men's ties.[23]
Polo
Lauren named his first full line of menswear Polo in 1968. He worked out of a single "drawer" from a showroom in the Empire State Building and made deliveries to stores himself.[24] By 1969, the Manhattan department store Bloomingdale's had built a Polo shop-in-shop boutique.
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.[25]
In 1972, the Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh Polo shirt in various colors. Featuring the polo player logo at the chest, the shirt became emblematic of the preppy look—one of Ralph Lauren's signature styles. The tagline for the ad campaign was: "Every team has its color – Polo has seventeen."[26]
In 1974, he outfitted the male cast of the film The Great Gatsby in costumes from his Polo line – a 1920s-style series of men's suits and sweaters; a pink suit was designed by Lauren especially for Robert Redford's Jay Gatsby. In 1977, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen wore Lauren's clothes throughout Allen's film Annie Hall.[27]
Demonstrated by Lauren's preppy brand style, his work is heavily influenced by the aesthetics of the British aristocracy, country life and traditional craftsmanship; the brand consistently incorporates English country style, including cricket sweaters, equestrian themes and collaborations with traditional British mills. Lauren has stated that while American fashion often focuses on the new, his work aims to emulate the British appreciation for heritage, where items are cherished and passed down. Lauren, an Anglophile, has said, "I’ve always loved England because it was non-fashion. ...It was timeless. It was not about what was the latest new sleekness. It was about weathering and those things that get better with age."[28]
Fragrance
The first Ralph Lauren fragrances, produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd. were launched at Bloomingdale's in March 1978. Lauren, a fragrance for women, on March 12 and Polo, cologne for men, on March 26. This was the first time that a designer had 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.
Later 20th century
In 1986, Ralph Lauren opened his first flagship in the Rhinelander mansion on Madison Avenue and 72nd Street in New York City. Lauren re-created the building's original opulence with a young design consultant named Naomi Leff, with whom he had previously worked on Ralph Lauren Home.[29] The Polo Sport line was introduced in 1992 followed by 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 company became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.[30]
The 98-seat restaurant "RL" opened in March 1999 in Chicago. The restaurant occupies in a newly constructed building adjacent to the largest Ralph Lauren flagship store in the world — on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Michigan Avenue. It was followed by the opening of two additional restaurants – "Ralph's" at 173 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris flagship store in 2010 and "The Polo Bar" at Polo's flagship in New York in 2015.[31]
Later years
In 2000 the company launched polo.com as its website and online shop, through RL Media (a cooperation between Ralph Lauren and NBC). In 2007, Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the web site was relaunched as ralphlauren.com. In 2008, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a brand called American Living, exclusively for JCPenney. It was the largest cross-category brand launch in the history of Ralph Lauren and JCPenney. On September 29, 2015, it was announced that Stefan Larsson would replace the company's founder, Ralph Lauren, as CEO in November. Lauren will stay on as executive chairman and chief creative officer.[32][33]
Lauren has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Architectural Digest, GQ, Forbes, Town & Country, TIME and Vogue.
Lauren celebrated the 50th anniversary of his brand in a fashion show at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park on September 8, 2018. Attendees included Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Kanye West
