Ralph Lifshitz better known as Ralph Lauren was born on October 14, 1939 in the New York City, Bronx. Lauren had grown up in a middle-class Jewish family. He and his three brothers were raised by his mother as his father painted houses. He did not have any exposure to fashion. With the talent to visualize and construct dreams he has come a long way from his days of sharing a bedroom with two of his brothers. Fashion was always in his blood because at an early age he would buy expensive and classy materials from the money he earned after his school job. Lauren had always preferred quality over quantity. At the age of 12 itself he wanted to look stylish and fashionable with the expensive threads he purchased for his attire. He never took any formal training in fashion designing but was a drop out of City College a business school in Manhattan. He used to study in the night and during day time he was a salesman for a tie manufacturer named A. Rivetz & Co the fashion company which is headed by Lauren today.

In 1967 Lauren began designing ties and with his tie designs he took a $50,000 loan and established his polo label. To defeat the narrow ties and conservative look of the olden days, he designed wide ties using stunning, rich and exuberant materials. Ralph said "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." Soon the ties became a status item for the men. He chose the name polo as the sport symbolizes elegance and classic style which he always wanted to associate with his brand.

His exceptional designed tie was just the first step before bringing in the fashion revolution in America. Lauren had a very strong instinct in his brand. A retail giant Bloomingdale insisted Lauren to remove his name from the ties label and make the tie narrower. But Lauren was reluctant to sell to the department store under any circumstances instead the retailer came back to Lauren to sell the ties under his terms after seeing the brands success. Rest is history.

Ralph Lauren is the first designer to merge classic American style with the sophistication, tailoring and sensibility of European fashion. In 1969 Lauren established the first shop within a shop designer boutique fro men in Bloomingdale in New York City. In 1970 Lauren won his first Coty award for menswear. Later Lauren introduced Ralph Lauren womenswear in which he designed men's tailored shirts for women to personify the rebel and sporty look. Polo Ralph Lauren further expanded his product line to accessories, footwear, boys wear and fragrances.

Lauren has also designed men's costume for The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow in which the entire men cast were dressed with his brand.

More Brands

1. First fragrances i.e. polo for men & women.
2. Safari Ralph Lauren fragrance (1990 FiFi Fragrance Star of the Year).
3. Children's wear i.e. polo for boy.
4. Ralph Lauren home collection debuts in 1983

Ralph Lauren is the first designer to launch an entire home collection. The collection includes beddings, towels, area rugs, wall coverings and table coverings. Through his home collection he sells a lifestyle image of style, class and taste.

He is truly the shining example of classic fashion and proud owner of product lines such as Polo/Ralph Lauren for Men, Ralph Lauren for Women, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Home, and even Ralph Lauren paint. His recent show in fall 2007 ready-to-wear in New York showcased a classy and elegant look with long and lean suits, with a closely fitting, cropped jacket and a skirt in three quarter length appealed the youth the most.

His clothing line has a taste of simplicity, stylish and polished appeal that makes the Ralph Lauren/Polo brand timeless.