Jewogle - Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren (Born: October 14, 1939), born Ralph Lifschitz, is an American fashion designer and business executive

Life:

Ralph J. Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the south of New York City borough of The Bronx to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.

From a very young age, he started working after school to earn money to buy suits that were stylish, expensive suits with an early preference for quality over quantity. His attire soon gave him a trendy reputation among his peers. Calvin Klein, a younger contemporary also lived in the same Bronx neighborhood, but it is not believed that they ever met while living there.

Lauren attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before ultimately graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. In his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire.[citation needed] Other notables who attended this school include Burt Lancaster, Robert Klein, and Stan Lee. At age 16, Ralph's brother Jerry changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren (his brother Lenny remained a Lifshitz for many years).

He went to the Baruch College (of the City University of New York) where he studied Business and dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964, he served in the United States Army. After his discharge, in 1968, he married Ricky Low-Beer. He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman and then created the label Polo, a necktie business. He later purchased this name from his initial backer, Norman Hilton. Lauren's fashion empire has since grown into a billion-dollar business.

In 1984 he recreated the Rhinelander Mansion, a former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. This same year de Evia photographed the cover feature story for House & Garden on the Lauren home Round Hill in Jamaica, which had formerly been the home of Babe and Bill Paley.

In the middle of the 1990s, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL.

Ralph and his wife, Ricky, have two sons and a daughter: Andrew (b. 1969 in New York City, New York), David (b. 1971), and Dylan Lauren (b. May 1974 in New York City, New York). David is an executive at Polo Ralph Lauren and Dylan owns and operates an upscale candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar, at 59th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. Ricky appeared on the television show Martha on December 10th 2006 and stated that her son Andrew is in the "movie business".

Lauren is the subject of several biographies (written by Jeffrey Trachtenberg, Michael Gross and Colin MacDowell).

Lauren is also well-known as a collector of classic automobiles. His cars have won best in show at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance multiple times. His collection was recently displayed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutiques in United States. There were 23 locations that carried Ralph Lauren Purple Label, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chevy Chase, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Dallas Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Manhasset, New York, Palm Beach, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Short Hills, Troy, and Washington DC.

In 2000, Ralph Lauren created the home section. It now has Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection and the fancier Ralph Lauren collection. The signature stores of the Ralph Lauren home collection are Madison Ave, Boston and Short Hills Mall.

There are 15 locations that carry Ralph Lauren Home, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boca Raton, Chevy Chase, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Manhasset, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix, San Francisco, Short Hills, Southampton, New York, and Troy.

Pronunciation:

The correct pronunciation of Lauren is (LÔR-ən).

There has been some confusion over the pronunciation of Ralph Lauren; some pronounce it la-WREN, while others pronounce it like the name Lauren (LÔR-ən), but the latter pronunciation is correct. On her website, Jenny Lauren, Ralph Lauren's niece, clarifies this issue, saying that it is pronounced "like a girl's first name." [3] The Library of Congress officially lists it as being pronounced (LÔR-ən).[4]