Public | |
Traded as | |
Industry | Design |
Predecessor | Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation |
Founded | 1967 |
Founder | Ralph Lauren |
Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States of America |
Area served
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Worldwide |
Key people
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Products |
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Services |
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Revenue | US$ 7,4 billion (2016) |
US$ 794 million (2016) | |
US$ 546 million (2016) | |
Total assets | US$ 6,2 billion (2016) |
Total equity | US$ 3,8 billion (2016) |
Number of employees
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23,000 (2014) |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | ralphlauren |
Ralph Lauren Corporation (: RL) is an American corporation. They are known for the clothing, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. The Company's brand names, which include Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, Chaps and Club Monaco, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American, publicly traded holding company headquartered in New York City. Ralph Lauren Corporation began with the 1967 founding of the Polo Ralph Lauren company by American designer Ralph Lauren.
The Ralph Lauren Corporation started in 1967 with men’s ties. At 28 years-old, Lauren worked for the tie manufacturer, Beau Brummell. At that time, he persuaded the company's president to let him start his own line. Drawing on his interests in sports, Ralph Lauren names his first full line of menswear ‘Polo’ in 1968. He works out of a single "drawer" from a showroom in the Empire State Building and makes deliveries to stores himself.
By 1969, the Manhattan department store Bloomingdale’s sold Lauren’s men line exclusively. It was the first time that Bloomingdale’s had given a designer his own in-store shop. In 1971, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, which introduce the Polo player emblem to the world for the first time, appearing on the shirt’s cuff. The first full women’s collection was launched the following year.
1971 also marked the opening of Ralph Lauren’s store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. This is the first freestanding store for an American designer. 1977 Ralph Lauren Corporation introduces a signature cotton mesh Polo shirt in various colors. Featuring the polo player logo at the chest, the shirt becomes emblematic of the preppy look--one of Ralph Lauren's signature styles.
In 1974, Ralph Lauren outfitted the male cast of The Great Gatsby in costumes chosen from his Polo line a 1920s-style series of men's suits and sweaters, except for the pink suit which Lauren designed especially for Robert Redford’s Jay Gatsby. In 1977, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen wear Lauren’s clothes throughout their Oscar-winning film, Annie Hall.