RALPH LAUREN Perfume
Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz, to Jewish immigrant parents, in New York’s Bronx in 1939. He studied art and design at the City College of New York, and later at City College in Manhattan, whilst working for a tie manufacturer to support himself. He served in the United States Army from 1962-4 and married after his discharge.Lauren never attended fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman, and had been designing ties. With a $50,000 loan from Norman Hilton, he created Polo, a necktie business, in 1968. Along with his older brother, he chose the name Polo because of the style and elegance associated with the sport. Eventually he bought back the name from his backer and has since turned his business into a billion dollar concern.
In 1970, Lauren won the Coty Award for Menswear. He continued that decade by releasing a line of suits for women tailored in a classic men’s style on the cuffs of which the Polo Players emblem was first seen. In 1972 Polo’s famous short sleeve mesh shirt appeared with the omnipresent Polo player logo and debuted in 24 colours, becoming a classic overnight. In 1971 Lauren opened his first retail store on Rodeo Drive, building toward a total of 116 Polo-Ralph Lauren freestanding stores in the United States, plus one in London, Paris, and Shanghai, as well as 1,300 boutiques in department stores. Also during the 1970’s Lauren entered the market of Men’s fragrances, which were starting to be taken more seriously. He created an extensive range of fragrances and lotions, going on to expand into women’s perfumes. These fragrances are best sellers worldwide.
In 1992 Audrey Hepburn awarded Lauren the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2006 he became the first Official Outfitter of Wimbledon, redesigning the outfits for ball boys, line and court judges and the Wimbledon logo was adapted for this purpose.
Ralph Lauren is credited with being the first designer to sell “lifestyle” image to Consumers.
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