Ralph Lauren, dream maker<

By Estelle DelpechShareSend by email

Since the opening of his first boutique in 1967, Ralph Lauren, founder of the eponymous house, has definitively marked the history of fashion by concretizing the sartorial ideal of a fantasized America.

RALPH LAUREN, THE AMERICAN DREAM

Son of Russian immigrants of Jewish origin, Ralph Lauren, born Lifschitz, grew up in the Bronx in the 1940s and 1950s. Fate doing things well, the son of one of his neighbours, was none other than Calvin Klein. As a young man, Ralph Lauren already dreamed of success and began studying management, which he later abandoned. He did his military service in a training camp at Fort Dix (New Jersey) then, without any diploma in his pocket, he did odd jobs without bending his pretensions of fortune and success. At the age of 20 years, he worked as a salesman at Brooks Brothers, the illustrious men's clothing store. There, he was inspired by the latest trends and, driven by his ambition, he began to create his own ties.

FROM POLO TO RALPH LAUREN

He tries to canvass the department stores, without success. Finally, he succeeded in convincing the entrepreneur Norman Hilton. He borrows 50,000 dollars from her and thus develops his line of ties, but also his own fashion house called Polo, in reference to this elitist sport. Although he does not know how to draw, that does not prevent him from making a line of short-sleeved polo shirts, available in 27 colours. From then on, this garment stamped with the logo of the little horseman would become the symbol of the brand. In 1969, the launch of his first women's ready-to-wear collection prompted him to change his name to Ralph Lauren. Implicit homage to actress Lauren Bacall, of whom he is a big fan. True to its sportswear convictions, the label also designs sports equipment (skiing, golf, rugby, horse riding). And, over the years, it developed internationally while diversifying into perfumery, watchmaking (RL Watches and Fine Jewelry), interior design (RL Home) and catering (RL Restaurants).

RALPH LAUREN, PREPPY STYLE PROMOTER

Fascinated by the lifestyle of high society WASP (the first Anglo-Saxon and Protestant arrivals), this child from the Bronx was inspired by the stylistic glamor of Ivy League students (a sort of cartel of the best universities) but also Hollywood actors, cowboys of the conquest of the West or even the gentlemen farmers of New England... A melting pot of myths that gradually shapes the elegance without artifice, and resolutely preppy, of the Ralph Lauren label. Ranging from sportswear to cocktail outfits, his collections exemplify the definition of casual chic to make it a synonym of good American taste. To the point that directors Jack Clayton and Woody Allen called on him to dress the actors in their films, Gatsby the Magnificent (1974) and Annie Hall (1977). This great fashion diversity is also expressed by the impressive number of additional brands: Polo Sport (1992), Double RL (1993), Lauren Ralph Lauren (1996), Ralph by Ralph Lauren (1994), Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren (2011), American Living (2008), Women's Polo (2014) etc. Enough to reinforce its strength of style all over the world.

RALPH LAUREN, THE ELABORATION OF A MYTH

In 2015, 75-year-old Ralph Lauren became concerned about his estate. He then made the decision to leave the general management of his company Ralph Lauren Corp to pass the torch to the Swedish Stefan Larsson, then to the French Patrice Louvet. He still retains his position as head of creation. A true self-made man, as America has a gift for producing, Ralph Lauren has achieved his goal by building a powerful fashion empire. Starting from nothing, the 91st fortune American, according to the Forbes (2017) ranking, does not see herself as a creator but rather as a designer of dreams: "For me, clothes are not just simple pieces of fabric. They are a reflection of our lives and our dreams... I design clothes that bring dreams to life." Thus, Ralph Lauren has never ceased to fuel his sartorial utopia. Its collections, like the Hollywood blockbusters, have embroidered the story of the American Dream to establish itself today as a myth.