Ralph Lauren

Ralph J. Lauren was born Ralph Lifschitz on October 14, 1939 in the New York City Bronx borough to middle-class Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz. He grew up in a middle-class family where he and his three older brothers were raised by his mother while his father was a house painter. His life has many parallels to Robert Denning, the interior designer. Both grew up without fashion, but went on to create and market a lifestyle of society, old money and country club style. Although neither had any exposure to this world as a child, each was able to visualize and create his dream. For Lauren this look would eventually become Polo Ralph Lauren.

From a very young age, Lauren started working after school to earn money to buy stylish, expensive suits with an early preference for quality over quantity. His attire soon gave him a trendy reputation among his peers. Lauren attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy). At MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. At age 16, Ralph and his older brother Jerry changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren. Lauren graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. In his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire. Lauren went to the Baruch College where he studied Business but never graduated, dropping 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.

Lauren did not attend fashion school; instead he but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman and then went on to create the label Polo, a necktie business. He later purchased this name from his initial backer, Norman Hilton. In 1984 Lauren recreated the Rhinelander Mansion a former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. That same year de Evia photographed the Lauren home at Round Hill in Jamaica for House & Garden.

Lauren's fashion empire has since grown into a billion-dollar business. As the epitome of timeless fashion, new product lines were developed including Ralph Lauren for Women, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Home, and Ralph Lauren Paint. In the middle of the 1990s Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL, with Lauren controlling 90% of the voting power. Most recently Polo Ralph Lauren and Richemont decided to form a joint venture, the name of which is Polo Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Company, to develop luxury timepieces and fine jewelry items.

Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky, have two sons and a daughter: Andrew, David, and Dylan. David is an executive at Polo Ralph Lauren. Dylan owns and operates an upscale candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar at 59th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. With a net worth of $1 billion, Lauren and his family have several homes in the U.S. and Jamaica and own an extensive auto collection including a 1929 Bentley, 1938 Bugatti and 1962 Ferrari.

Information courtesy of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Lauren