Spot on: Ralph Lauren

LIFE

• American fashion designer and business executive

• Born Ralph Lipschitz in the Bronx, New York, October 14, 1939

• Jewish family

• Attended MTA school (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy)

• In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students

• At the age of 16, Ralph’s brother Jerry changed their last name to Lauren to avoid the obscenity reference Lipshitz has in English (although Ralph’s brother Lenny retained the name)

• Apparently Ralph was teased about it in school

“My given name has the word shit in it,” he told Oprah Winfrey. “When I was a kid, the other kids would make a lot of fun of me. It was a tough name. That’s why I decided to change it. Then people said, “Did you change your name because you don’t want to be Jewish?” I said, “Absolutely not. That’s not what it’s about. My cousins who lived in California had changed their last name to Lawrence. So I just thought, “I’m going to pick a nice last name”—it wasn’t particularly connected to anything or anyone. 

 • He later attended Baruch College where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years

• From 1962 to 1964 he served in the United States Army

• He did NOT attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman

• In 1967, with the financial backing of Manhattan clothing manufacturer Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label “Polo

• He later received the rights to use the trademark Polo from Brooks Brothers.

PERSONAL LIFE

• December 20, 1964, he married Ricky Anne Low-Beer in New York City

• Ricky was the daughter of an Austrian Catholic motherand a Jewish father

• Ralph kept it a secret from his parents that his new bride was only half Jewish. They have three children: Andrew Lauren (b.1969) – film producer and actor, David Lauren (b. 1971) – Senior Vice President, Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Polo Ralph Lauren. In September 2011, he married Lauren Bush, granddaughter of President George H.W. Bush. Dylan Lauren (b. 1974) – owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar, which claims to be the largest candy store in the world, based in New York City.

• In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the COTY Award for his menswear line

• Around that same time he released a line of women’s suits that were tailored in a classic men’s style, which was when the first Polo emblem was seen.It was on the cuff of the women’s suit

• Ralph Lauren released Polo’s famous short sleeve mesh shirt with the Polo logo in 1972

• It came out in 24 colors and soon became a classic

• He also gained recognition for his design after he was contracted to provide clothing styles for the movie The Great Gatsby.

• The Polo Ralph Lauren flagship on Madison Avenue in New York City.
• On June 11, 1997, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York
• Stock Exchange under the symbol RL
• By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutiques in the United States
• The Financial Times reported in its edition of January 2–3, 2010 that the firm had revenues of $5 billion for the fiscal year 2009
• In 2010, Ralph Lauren was decorated Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Paris
• Sometime in early 1987, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. In April 1987 he underwent surgery to remove the tumor and made a full recovery.


NET WORTH
• As of September 2011, Forbes estimates his wealth at $6.1 billion dollars which would make Ralph Lauren the 173rd richest person in the world
AUTOMOBILE COLLECTION
• A collector of automobiles, some of which are extremely rare
• A large portion of his over 70 automobiles are held in his estate in Katonah, New York
• His cars have won “best in show” at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance multiple times
• In 2005 his collection was displayed at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts
• In 2011 17 prime members of his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
OLYMPIC 2012 
The 2012 US Olympic team uniforms for opening ceremony of the London Olympics were designed by Ralph Lauren. The uniforms were manufactured in China, setting off a Bipartisan backlash from the United States Congress protesting American manufacturing not being showcased in America’s greatest athletes.

Bisou-bisous,

Mel.