Ralph Lauren Corporation


Ralph Lauren Corporation is a publicly traded American fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1967 by Ralph Lauren in New York City. The company markets products in apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances, and is most known for its flagship brand, Polo Ralph Lauren. The company's brands include mid-range, sub-premium, and premium labels up to its highest priced luxury Ralph Lauren Purple Label apparel.
Ralph Lauren licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear; L'Oréal for fragrances and cosmetics; Hanesbrands for underwear and sleepwear; O5 Apparel for its Chaps brand; Kohl's and Hollander Sleep Products for bedding; Designers Guild for fabric and wallpaper; and Theodore Alexander for home furniture.

History

Lauren started The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with men's neckties. At 28 years old, he worked for the tie manufacturer Beau Brummell. Lauren persuaded the company's president to let him start his own line. Drawing on his interests in sports, Lauren named his first full line of menswear "Polo" in 1968. He worked out of a single "drawer" from a showroom in the Empire State Building, and made 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, introducing the Polo player emblem on the shirt cuff. The first full women's collection was launched the following year.
The year 1972 marked the opening of Ralph Lauren's store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, his first freestanding store. In 1972, Lauren released a short-sleeve cotton shirt in 24 colors. This design, emblazoned with the company's famed logo based on polo player Bennie Gutierrez, became the brand's signature look. In 1977 Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh polo shirt in various colours, featuring the polo player logo on the chest.
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 wore Lauren's clothes in the Oscar-winning film, Annie Hall.
In 1978, the first Ralph Lauren fragrances, produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd were launched at Bloomingdale's. Lauren for women, and Polo the men's cologne. This was the first time that a designer introduced two fragrances – one for men and one for women – simultaneously.
The company went international in 1981 with the opening of a store in New Bond Street in the West End of London, England. Lauren opened his first flagship in the Rhinelander mansion on Madison Avenue and 72nd Street in New York City in 1986. On June 12, 1997, the company became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.
The 98-seat restaurant, RL, opened in March 1999 in Chicago adjacent to its largest and world flagship Ralph Lauren store at the corner of Chicago Avenue on the Magnificent Mile. It was followed by the opening of two additional restaurants – Ralph's at 173 Boulevard Saint-Germain Paris store in 2010 and The Polo Bar at Polo's store in New York in 2015. The company owned Club Monaco from 1999 to 2021.
The company launched its website and online shop in 2000 as polo.com by RL Media. In 2007, Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the website was relaunched as ralphlauren.com. In September 2015, it was announced that Stefan Larsson would replace the company's founder, Ralph Lauren, as CEO in November. Lauren stayed on as executive chairman and chief creative officer. In February 2017, it was announced that Larsson had agreed to leave his position as CEO effective May 1, 2017 due to differences with Lauren. On May 17, 2017, Ralph Lauren named Patrice Louvet President and chief executive officer. Louvet most recently was group president, Global Beauty at Procter & Gamble. He took over on July 17, 2017.
In October 2020, Ralph Lauren Corporation announced that it would transition its Chaps brand to a fully licensed business model to focus on its core brands, reduce its direct exposure to the North American department store channel, and setting up the Chaps brand to be nurtured with an experienced partner. Also in October, Ralph Lauren Corporation has appointed former Obama administration consultant Valerie Jarrett to the board of directors.
In May 2021, Ralph Lauren Corporation announced it would sell its Club Monaco brand after first purchasing it in 1999, to private equity firm Regent LP.
In December 2023, Ralph Lauren announced a partnership with Haworth Lifestyle Design to expand its Home brand starting April 2024. Haworth Lifestyle Design will also launch standalone Ralph Lauren Home stores.
In December 2023, Ralph Lauren launched an artist in residence program for artisans to work with their design teams in a creative partnership. The first artist collaboration is with the indigenous artist Naomi Glasses, a Navajo 7th-generation weaver.
In 2025, Ralph Lauren Corporation marked the 25th anniversary of its listing on the New York Stock Exchange by hosting an Investor Day event, which included presentations from corporate leadership and product showcases for attendees.
In December 2025, the "Ralph Lauren Christmas" aesthetic trend started by social media users led to a boost in sales as holiday pop-ups by the brand in Seoul, Tokyo, Los Angeles and London generated about $6 million in brand value.

Brands

  • Chaps: A mid-range brand featuring men's and women's casual sportswear. The Chaps brand is available primarily at Belk, Boscov's, Hudson's Bay and Meijer stores. This brand mainly competes with the Izod and U.S. Polo Assn brands. The brand can also frequently be found at several off-price stores such as Ross, T.J. Maxx, Macy's Backstage, and Nordstrom Rack. A lower-cost Chaps line is also sold at Walmart; this line is separate from the one sold at department stores. The brand is currently licensed to O5 Apparel.
  • Double RL: Founded in 1993 and named after Ralph Lauren and his wife Ricky's "RRL" ranch in Colorado, RRL offers men a mix of selvedge denim, vintage apparel, sportswear and accessories, with roots in workwear and military gear.
  • Fragrance: In 1978, Ralph Lauren launched his first fragrances: Lauren for women and Polo for men. Originally produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd, L'Oréal now produces the Ralph Lauren Fragrances for men and women, including World of Polo, Ralph Lauren Romance, Midnight Romance, Polo Earth, and the Big Pony Collections For Women and For Men.
  • Lauren Ralph Lauren: Lauren for Women launched in 1996, offering sportswear, denim, dresses, activewear, and accessories and footwear at a cheaper price point. Lauren for Men offers men's tailored clothing, including suits, sport coats, dress shirts, dress pants, tuxedos, topcoats, and ties at a cheaper price point. This brand generally slots above Chaps in price, but below Polo Ralph Lauren.
  • Pink Pony: Established in 2000, a percentage of sales from all Pink Pony products benefit the Pink Pony Fund and other major cancer charities around the world. Pink Pony primarily consists of women's sportswear and accessories. All Pink Pony items feature a pink Polo Player.
  • Polo Golf and RLX Golf: Polo Golf launched in 1990 and RLX Golf launched in 1998.
File:Ralph Lauren wool scarf.jpg|thumb|A woolen Polo Ralph Lauren scarf
  • Polo Ralph Lauren: Men's Polo, Ralph Lauren's first complete line of sportswear and tailored clothing, was launched in 1967. In 2014, Women's Polo was launched. While originally focused on clothing centered around the sport of polo, the brand evolved into Ralph Lauren's top-selling and highest-produced complete line of clothing, which is readily available worldwide. The line also helped popularize the polo shirt in American and global fashion.
  • Polo Ralph Lauren Children: Items include polo knit shirts and cashmere cable sweaters.
  • Polo Sport: Polo Sport launched in 1992, a line of activewear for sports and fitness. In 2014, Ralph Lauren debuted the PoloTech Shirt, which featured smart fabric technology that supposedly "captures robust biometrics from the wearer".
  • Ralph by Ralph Lauren: Launched in 1994, Ralph by Ralph Lauren offers suit separates, sport coats, vests, and topcoats.
  • Ralph Lauren Home and Paint: Ralph Lauren Home, the first complete home collection from an American clothing designer, makes its debut in 1983 with home furnishings and accessories. Ralph Lauren Home includes furniture, bed and bath linens, china, crystal, silver, decorative accessories and gifts, as well as lighting, fabric, wall covering, and floor covering. Ralph Lauren launched Paint in 1995, now with over 400 palettes.
  • File:Ralph's Coffee Rockefeller Center NYC.jpg|thumb|A Ralph's Coffee truck at Rockefeller Center, New York City, New York, United States.Ralph Lauren Purple Label: Flagship brand launched in 1994. Purple Label for men offers suiting, custom tailored made-to-measure suits and sportswear, as well as benchmade footwear and made-to-order dress furnishings, accessories, and luggage. The line is focused on using fine textiles and manufacturing methods to represent the highest level of the Ralph Lauren offerings.
  • Ralph Lauren Restaurants: RL Restaurant Chicago opened in 1999, adjacent to its largest Ralph Lauren flagship store in the world on Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile. In 2010, Ralph's was opened in the courtyard and converted stables at 173 Boulevard Saint-Germain Paris flagship store. In August 2014, Ralph's Coffee opened on the second floor of the Polo Flagship store in New York City. The Polo Bar, adjacent to the New York City Polo Flagship store, opened in January 2015.
  • Ralph Lauren Watches and Fine Jewelry: In 2009 Ralph Lauren, together with luxury group Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, launched a collection of timepieces through the Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co. In 2010, the Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co. also introduced collections of jewelry.
  • Ralph Lauren Women's Collection: Ralph Lauren Collection for women, launched in 1971, ranges from handmade evening gowns to sportswear.