The Tie That Makes The Man

The story of the Ralph Lauren legacy

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In the history of fashion, there are many rags to riches stories, tales of the underdog rising to the top to create world-famous brands or become the face of fashion. Yet one story always sticks out, of a man that came from adversity and not only created a world-famous brand but went on to sell a lifestyle. Ralph Lauren is arguably the biggest and most recognizable name in fashion today and has a fashion empire that made him a multi-millionaire. Not bad for a bullied kid from the Bronx.

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, New York City, on October 14, 1939, the third of four siblings. His parents Frieda and Frank were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants who had fled Belarus, and the youngster grew up in the Mosholu Parkway area of the family’s adopted borough. At the age of 16, Ralph and his brother Jerry changed their last name to Lauren after having been teased consistently at school. Another brother, Lenny, retained the family name. Ralph was known for his distinctive fashion sense as a teen, finding inspiration in screen icons like Fred Astaire and Cary Grant while having a taste for both classic preppy wear and vintage looks. Unlike his fellow classmates who donned the “Fonz” leather jacket and jeans look Lauren instead wore tennis jerseys to cool, a look he found more aesthetically pleasing and fashionably sensible. Possessed of an innate fashion sense from birth, he took part-time jobs early on to fund his penchant for designer clothes. His chosen course of study, however, was business, although he left the course at City College in Manhattan before receiving his degree. Unhappy with the design of men’s clothing at the time, Ralph designed his own despite his lack of formal training and had them custom made.