POLO RALPH LAUREN

HISTORY & INTERESTING FACTS

With a commitment to high quality products, impeccable style, a global presence and strong humanitarian efforts, Polo Ralph Lauren is more than a brand name. Did you know that….

             Ralph Lauren began with 26 boxes of ties in 1967?

             Polo Ralph Lauren stores exist in over 30 countries?

Polo Ralph Lauren lines include RRL, RLX, Purple Label, Blue Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, Polo Sport, Polo Jeans Co., RALPH, Club Monaco, Rugby, and American Living created exclusively for JCPenney's?

The Polo Pony player logo was originally used in 1971 for the women’s collection?

Ralph Lauren designed the clothing for the movies "The Great Gatsby" and "Annie Hall"?

Polo Ralph Lauren is the official apparel sponsor for the U.S. Open and the Official Outfitter for Wimbledon?

Ralph Lauren was awarded by Princess Diana for his humanitarian efforts?

There is a Jamaican stamp of Ralph Lauren?

Ralph Lauren donated $13 million to restore the Star Spangled Banner housed at the Smithsonian Institute in 1998?

Since Polo Ralph Lauren’s first successful season of selling dog shirts, they have added cashmere sweaters and other products for the ‘pup’ in your life? In fact, their retail stores are pet friendly, offering a gourmet pet treat or a walk while you shop?

In 2006 Ralph Lauren appears in Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people?

 

We are pleased to offer Polo Ralph Lauren clothing and accessories for men, women and children. You will find out more interesting facts about the history of the growth of the business, the line of products and the humanitarian, Ralph Lauren, in the information below and online at the history tab at the website:

http://about.ralphlauren.com/default.asp?ab=footer_aboutus

(The information below is summarized from the Ralph Lauren website noted above. Wording in bold and surrounded by quotation marks (") are quotes from Ralph Lauren taken from the same website.)

"What began forty years ago with a collection of ties has grown into an entire world, redefining American style. Ralph Lauren has always stood for providing quality products, creating worlds and inviting people to take part in our dream. We were the innovators of lifestyle advertisements that tell a story and the first to create stores that encourage customers to participate in that lifestyle.

RalphLauren.com takes this participation to a new level, as a rich and exciting interactive destination. When you’re transported into the world of Ralph Lauren online, you can shop for great products for yourself and your home, learn about adventure, style and culture in RL Magazine and RL TV, find one-of-a-kind vintage pieces and exquisite gifts and much, much more. Back when all this started, I felt sure that there were no boundaries for Polo. I’m even more sure of that today."(Quote from Ralph Lauren)

 1960’s

Ralph Lauren begins a long and successful career with a line of ties. They defy the narrow style of the day with wide ties that are handmade and flamboyant. He named his line of ties ‘Polo’, after a sport which he considered to be classic and discreetly elegant.

"A tie was the way a man expressed himself. I believed that men were ready for something new and different. They didn’t want to look as if they worked for IBM. A beautiful tie was an expression of quality, taste, style."

"I never went to fashion school—I was a young guy who had some style. I never imagined Polo would become what it is. I just followed my instincts.""

1970’s

"I’m not a fashion person. I’m anti-fashion. I don’t like to be part of that world. It’s too transient. I have never been influenced by it. I’m interested in longevity, timelessness, style—not fashion."

Ralph Lauren wins his first of many awards – the Coty Award for Menswear. (The Coty Awards became the Council of Fashion Designers of America/CFDA Awards.)

Ralph Lauren begins the line of womenswear, influenced by his wife’s experience of clothes shopping. The signature emblem of the polo player and pony started on the cuff of women’s tailored shirts.

The very first Polo store opened in Beverly Hills in 1971, being the first freestanding store of an American designer. The next year the polo mesh shirt was released in 24 colors and was a huge hit. The classic oxford button-down shirts, chinos, tweed jackets, denim and chambray shirts of the preppy menswear clothing embody the Ralph Lauren Polo style.

Ralph Lauren designs the men’s clothing for the movie, "The Great Gatsby", in 1974, creating the famous pink suit in the 1920’s style for the lead, Robert Redford."Gatsby was this self-made man, and he was all about looking glamorous and wealthy and mysterious."

"My clothes are always visions of what I believe in. Someone once told me I was a writer, and it’s true—I write through my clothes. They’re whole stories, not just clothes."

Ralph Lauren also designs the clothing for "Annie Hall" in 1977. Diane Keaton, in her leading role, created the ‘Annie Hall look’, with the mix of feminine and masculine lines in her clothes."Woody liked my stuff because he was so anti-fashion. Everything he is wearing in Annie Hall is Polo. I lent Woody a jacket of mine for one of his movies."

The western look of clothing was introduced in 1978 with vest, rancher’s jackets and fringed buckskin. Ralph Lauren, himself, appeared in the ads for the Westernwear, since this line reflected his own personal style.

The children’s clothing line began, once again, inspired from his own personal life experience.

"I had two sons by then, and my wife came home from shopping telling me that there were no pure cotton shirts for boys. Everything was polyester, nothing of the kind of quality we like. So I started making boy’s clothes. Everything I do is a reflection of my life. I’m committed to my family, and when I start something at Polo, it is to fill a need that I have, or that they have."

1980’s

Ralph Lauren opens a boutique in London and becomes the first American designer on New Bond Street. The store is hugely successful and leads to the opening of many stores throughout Europe.

Polo Ralph Lauren now has retail stores in over 30 countries, including, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, French West Indies, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay.

In 1986, Polo Ralph Lauren opens a flagship store in New York in the old Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue.

"To me it’s the most beautiful store in the world: the details, the world it creates, the mix, the textures…it’s a store that has an emotional impact. I’ve watched so many people come into it—and be dazzled when they enter."

1990’s

1993 saw the introduction of the Polo Sport line and it becomes the official outfitter of the America team for the America’s Cup, who despite being the underdog team, go on to win the event.

Expanding his humanitarian efforts, Ralph Lauren and the CFDA founded an organization that raised over $10 million, the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, with campaigns in several countries.

The Purple Label line is introduced initially to provide tailor-made quality suits for men, with Ralph Lauren himself appearing in the original ad campaigns.

"I didn’t really like suits; I didn’t like how they made me feel. I had worn jeans for years, with tuxedo jackets, with anything. Suddenly everyone was in jeans and tweed jackets and blazers with boots. The American man ran away from suits.

And I realized there was a need for a change. What I wanted was very Savile Row—an English tailored suit, sophisticated, carefully made. I went to a tailor I had in London and asked him to make me a suit, with a clean, structured shape. I brought the suit back to New York. People said, ‘Hey, great suit!’ and I said, ‘This is what I want to make next.’"

In June 12, 1997, the privately held company, Polo Ralph Lauren, becomes ‘RL’ (NYSE), the publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

The very next year, the company donates $13 million to the Save America’s Treasures Campaign to preserve the Star-Spangled Banner, which is housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

The Polo Sport line of RLX, which sponsors athletes in the World Cup mountain bike team, national and world champion triatheletes and snowboarders, is created the same year. Its purpose is:

"To design the ultimate in high-performance, functional athletic apparel and accessories. Quality, innovation, technical performance and the Ralph Lauren aesthetic sensibility are what distinguish RLX from its category competitors."

In 1999, beginning a new venture, the RL restaurant in Chicago was opened, next to the largest Polo store in the world.

"The [Rhinelander] mansion had just opened, and we had a great party. When I left the party to go to dinner, I thought, ‘Where can I go now? That will keep my mood like this, keep me feeling good like this?’ The excitement of retailing is that it allows you to bring your vision into diverse areas; the restaurant is another expression of that vision."

A line of clothing for 16 to 25 year old women was introduced, called RALPH by Ralph Lauren.

"RALPH is the daughter of the Lauren woman—reasonably priced Ralph Lauren clothes for young women who want to be part of the lifestyle."

2000’s

The Polo Ralph Lauren company not only contributes $5 million to establish the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention and Care at North General Hospital in Harlem, but they introduce the Pink Pony to raise awareness for breast cancer and improve the preventive screening and treatment.

Expanding their product lines, The RRL line (clothing with a rugged and timeless look), the Blue Label for Women (modern clothing with fresh style), and the Rugby lifestyle collection for young men and women are introduced.

Forty years after starting with 26 boxes of ties, Polo Ralph Lauren celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2007. A commemorative book, Ralph Lauren, is released to share "an intimate view of Lauren’s professional evolution, design philosophy and process and personal passions with more than 700 illustrations and photographs."

In a somewhat surprising twist, Polo Ralph Lauren created a new line of clothing, American Living, which was introduced in the spring of 2008 exclusively for JCPenney’s. JCPenney’s announcement read: "The launch will be the largest in JCPenney's history and will include a full range of merchandise for women, men and children, as well as intimate apparel, accessories and home. American Living will be available in JCPenney's stores, catalog and industry-leading website jcp.com, beginning in spring 2008.

"American Living will be an exciting new lifestyle brand for JCPenney, offering America's families inspiring style and great quality at smart prices," said Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and chief executive officer. "We are enthusiastic about working with Global Brand Concepts to bring American Living to our customers. For 40 years, Polo Ralph Lauren has been the leader in developing compelling lifestyle brands and we believe American Living will be an outstanding reflection of that talent and vision."

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