Ralph Lauren is an iconic brand in American. Not only is it a brand but Ralph Lauren is actually a real person and the fashion designer of the multi-billion dollar brand, Ralph Lauren. Ralph was born in New York City on October 14, 1939. He was born with the name Ralph Lifshitz, which he later changed to Lauren (pronounced like the girls name) due to being teased. As a teen, Ralph said he had heroes such as JFK and James Stewart. Personas like these inspired him to create a “movie star” type of personality for himself. As stated underneath his yearbook picture, it was his ambition to become a millionaire. Ralph attended Baruch College in Manhattan, where he studied business for two years. After briefly serving in the army, Ralph got a job at Brooks Brothers. In 1967, Ralph began designing men’s neckties and using the name “Polo”. He sold them at large department stores, including Bloomingdale’s. Ralph soon expanded his designs to a full menswear line. In 1970, Ralph was awarded the Coty Award for his menswear designs. After this honor, he included a line of women’s suits. In 1972, Ralph released what would become the brand’s signature look- the polo shirt. It was a short-sleeved cotton shirt which came in 24 colors, emblazoned with the Polo logo. Since then, the Ralph Lauren brand has created a luxury line called Ralph Lauren Purple, a home-furnishing collection called Ralph Lauren Home, as well as a collection of fragrances. Ralph currently sells clothes for men, women, and children. He has also designed uniforms for the US Open as well as for team USA in the Olympics.

Currently, Ralph has a net worth of 7.1 billion and is the 193^rd richest person in the world. In 1964, Ralph married, Ricky, his muse. They have three children: Andrew Lauren, David Lauren, and Dylan Lauren. Andrew is a film producer/actor, David is involved with Polo Ralph Lauren, and is married to Lauren Bush, and Dylan is the owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar.

Ralph is also involved in philanthropy, although he doesn’t like to call it that. “I hate it when people call me philanthropic because I see it as more coming from the heart”. Ralph co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University in 1989 and was one of the main forces behind the annual Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign, which launched in 1994. In 2001, the Ralph Lauren Corporation started the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation to support various charitable initiatives around the world. This includes the New York based Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, as well as the “Pink Pony Fund”. In 2014, Ralph joined with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to fund a new, state-of-the-art breast cancer research facility. We expect for his work to continue to inspire us.