Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren (/ˈlɔːrən/; LOR-ən; né Lifshitz; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his collection of rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. He stepped down as CEO of the company in September 2015 but remains executive chairman and chief creative officer.[1] As of April 2024, his net worth was estimated at US$8.8 billion.[2]
For the company, see Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Ralph Lauren
Executive chairman, Ralph Lauren Corporation
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Club Monaco
3, including Dylan and David Lauren
Greg Lauren (nephew)
Early life[edit]
Lauren was born on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York City,[3][4] to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants[5][6][7][8] Frieda (Cutler) and Frank Lifshitz, an artist and house painter,[9][10] from Pinsk, Second Polish Republic (now Belarus).[11][12] His mother was from Drahichyn, Belarus.[13] The youngest of four siblings,[14][15] he has two brothers and one sister. At age 16, he legally changed his second name from Lifshitz to Lauren along with his brother George Poitras Lauren, due to bullying at school.[16] His choice of the name followed his older brother Jerry Lauren, who had first done so after experiencing bullying in the U.S. Air Force.[17]
Lauren attended day school followed by the Manhattan Talmudical Academy, before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957.[18] He attended Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY), where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years.[19]
He was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish community in the Bronx, along with Calvin Klein and Robert Denning.[20][21]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
From 1962 to 1964 Lauren served in the United States Army. After his discharge, he worked briefly for Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant before becoming a salesman for Rivetz, a necktie company.[22] At age 28, working for tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, Lauren convinced the company president to let him start his own line. He launched The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with men's ties. [23]
Personal life[edit]
Family[edit]
On December 20, 1964, Lauren married Ricky Ann Loew-Beer in New York City. She is the daughter of Margaret Vytouch and Rudolph Loew-Beer. The two had met six months earlier, in a doctor's office where she was working as a receptionist; on alternate days she was teaching dance.[34] She is the author of The Hamptons: Food, Family and History.[35] The Laurens are members of the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, leading the synagogue's capital campaign that ended in 2019.[36]
They have three children: Andrew Lauren (b. 1969), a film producer and actor;[37] David Lauren (b. 1971), an executive vice president at Ralph Lauren Corporation;[38] and Dylan Lauren (b. 1974).[39] In September 2011, David married Lauren Bush, granddaughter of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.[40] Lauren and David have three children and live in Manhattan.[41][42] Dylan Lauren, owner of Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City, was married in June 2011 to hedge fund manager Paul Arrouet.[43] Dylan and Paul had twins on April 13, 2015, via surrogate in New York City.[44]
In April 1987, Ralph Lauren underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and made a full recovery.[45]
Lauren owns a 17,000-acre cattle ranch in Ridgway, Colorado,[46] and a 17,000 sq foot manor built in 1919 in Bedford, New York.[47]