Ralph Lauren partnered with L’Oreal in 1978 to release two debut fragrances, his and hers simultaneously, launched at Bloomingdale’s. “Polo” was woody, vigorous, and masculine where “Lauren” was soft, floral, feminine. This event would inaugurate decades of smash-hit scents for men and women , and an enormous slew of magazine advertisements torn out and pasted on teenage walls worldwide. From Ralph Lauren Blue, Polo Sport, Ralph for Women, Ralph Lauren’s fragrance campaigns, with their perfectly of-the-moment casting and youthful sex appeal set the tone for his and hers aesthetic aspirations. Perhaps advertising campaigns are just as closely linked to memory as scent.
Seventeen cars from his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in 2011. In 2017, Lauren’s now $350 million car collection took center stage during New York Fashion Week. 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, Robert DeNiro and Jessica Chastain. Lauren has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Architectural Digest, GQ, Forbes, Town & Country, TIME and Vogue. In 1974, he outfitted the male cast of The Great Gatsby in costumes from his Polo line – a 1920s-style series of men’s suits and sweaters, except for the pink suit which Lauren designed especially for Robert Redford’s Jay Gatsby.
Elevate your accessories with an array of leather cross body bags, shoulder bags, tote bags and backpacks or smarten up your footwear with a white trainers, boots and loafers in black or brown. Lauren is known for capitalizing on an aspirational style and key insignia which evokes the British gentry while also referencing the aesthetics of the American upper class. His fashion ideas have been criticized by some for not being particularly innovative while also embraced by scores of consumers who prefer more approachable looks. Lauren subsequently broadened his brand to include a luxury clothing line known as Ralph Lauren Purple, a rough and rustic line of apparel dubbed RRL, a home-furnishing collection called Ralph Lauren Home and a set of fragrances.
Famed for its unique blend of preppy Americana with European tailoring, Ralph Lauren offers men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes and bags that epitomize refined sophistication. With an array of diffusion lines and iconic products under its belt, namely its polo shirts, Ralph Lauren has come to represent modern luxury while taking its cues from timeless heritage aesthetics. In 1989 Lauren co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C.
Anybody who has ever swung at a golf ball and missed might be inclined to believe that what they’re doing wrong is maybe not wearing enough Ralph Lauren. As integral to golf as the putting green is to the game, Ralph Lauren’s Golf line features enough golf gear options to outfit a pebble beach. The riding jackets, the jodhpurs, the saddle-shaped Polo Ralph Lauren t shirt bag, the stirrup-shaped watch collections, the Gia Carangi ad, the embroidered crests and wool training vests. The story goes that Ralph and his wife Ricky (an original horse-girl muse?) were shopping in a riding store one day. Ralph bought Ricky an authentic boy’s tweed hacking jacket, and whenever she’d wear it, women would compliment.
The word “polo” comes from the the Balti word for “ball,” and there isn’t much American about it at all. It is rumoured that Ralph discovered the Polo logo when he visited Brioni in Italy in the 60s. The menswear brand had polo players printed on the lining of their jackets, because polo was the sport of the wealthy at the time. Ralph Lauren asked to license it for the American market, and they let him. Ralph convinced the president of the manufacturing company for which he worked—Beau Brummell—to let him release his own personal line of ties. Donna KaranDonna Karan is an American fashion designer and is the creator of the Donna Karan New York clothing line.