Polo/Ralph Lauren Company Biography
Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets and distributes premium lifestyle products in four categories: Apparel (Mens, Womens, Children); Home (sheets, towels, furniture); Accessories (ties, belts, gloves, wallets, briefcases, luggage); and Fragrances (Chaps, Polo and other colognes). For more than 30 years, the company's reputation and distinctive "good life" image have expanded to a number of products and brands that have penetrated hundreds of international markets. The Company's brand names include "Polo," "Polo by Ralph Lauren," "Polo Sport," "Ralph Lauren," "RALPH," "Lauren," "Polo Jeans Company," and "Chaps." These, and other brand names make up a widely recognized family of consumer brands that are sold in: more than 1,500 department and specialty stores; its own company-owned Polo Ralph Lauren and Polo Sport shops; more than 100 US and global stores operating under license; and some 60 outlet stores. The Home Collection offers home products ranging from bedding to giftware, much of it made under the company's brand names by companies such as Reed and Barton (flatware) and WestPoint Stevens (bedding). Polo also has a number of other major licensing agreements. Designer Ralph Lauren controls his namesake company, which went public in 1997 (Ralph Lauren, 1998).
As a tough and middle class kid growing up in a broken-down neighborhood in New York, Ralph Lauren only had one dream: to be a millionaire. In fact, he even wrote that in a high school yearbook, to a classmate friend of his named Calvin Klein (Koepp, 1986, 56). Lauren was born as Ralph Lifshitz, son of poor Jewish immigrants. He started showing a flair for clothes in his early teens. He states: "The kids I grew up with were wearing leather motorcycle jackets like Marlon Brando. But at the same time I saw there was a collegiate side of the world. I was inspired by it. I was always very preppie." After serving...