Ralph Lauren Biography

Vita

• Early years

  At the age of 12, Ralph Lauren — inspired by Fred Astaire and Cary Grant — is already known at school for his expensive suits. He earned the money for this by selling ties to his fellow students.

• 1967

  After dropping out of college and serving two years in the Army, Lauren designs his first tie collection under the Polo name. He acquires the rights to the brand name in the same year from the Brooks Brothers, who had originally planned a fashion line for polo players.

• 1970

  The designer wins the Coty Award for his New England-style collections for men.

  

• 1971

  The first complete women's collection follows.

• 1972

  Lauren designs costumes for The Great Gatsby (1974) which wins the Oscar for Best Costume Design. He creates the polo shirt, which is still popular today, in the same year. The shirt became a symbol of the preppy look, one of Ralph Lauren's signature styles in the fashion industry.

  

• 1974

  Ralph Lauren wins his first "Winnie" - the Coty Award for womenswear.

• 1975

  More cinematic work follows: The Wild Party (1975) and later Annie Hall (1977). Ralph Lauren is awarded the American Fashion Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

• 1987

  Ralph Lauren fell ill with a brain tumor, but was able to be completely cured. Since then, he has supports various initiatives for research and treatment of cancer.

• 1991

  Lauren receives a lifetime achievement award.

• 1997

  The company goes public as the largest listed clothing company on the New York Stock Exchange. Ralph Lauren holds about 73% of the company's shares.

  

• 2001

  The american designer starts the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, which is committed to the fight against cancer.

• 2005

  Ralph Lauren has been the official outfitter of the US Open, since 2006 of the Wimbledon tournament, and since 2008 he has outfitted the US Olympic team.

  

• 2010

  He becomes a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

• 2015

  Lauren hands over the CEO post to Stefan Larsson, but retains the role of chief designer and chairman of the board of directors. Larsson is replaced again in 2017.

• 2019

  Lauren becomes the first U.S. fashion designer to be named an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles.

  

• 2022

  The head of a Mexican cultural commission accuses the entrepreneur of copying indigenous designs. For this, Lauren immediately apologized. (BBC)