A Man With Chic Taste
“I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.”
Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, New York City, on October 14, 1939, the third of four siblings. His parents Frieda and Frank were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants who had fled Belarus, and the youngster grew up in the Mosholu Parkway area of the family’s adopted borough.
At the age of 16, Ralph and his brother Jerry changed their last name to Lauren after having been teased consistently at school. Another brother, Lenny, retained the family name. Ralph was known for his distinctive fashion sense as a teen, finding inspiration in screen icons like Fred Astaire and Cary Grant while having a taste for both classic preppy wear and vintage looks.After a year of falling shares, Lauren stepped aside as chief executive of Ralph Lauren Corp. in September 2015 and appointed Stefan Larsson, the global president of The Gap’s Old Navy division, to take over as CEO. Lauren took on the role of executive chairman and chief creative officer of the company he founded.
Ralph Lauren is an American clothing designer best known for his sportswear line Polo Ralph Lauren, the centerpiece of his fashion empire.
Lauren has also designed Olympic uniforms for Team USA, though controversy ensued when it was discovered that the competitors’ attire for the 2012 summer games was made in China.
INSPR 