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.
