In a rare move, Lauren then began designing clothes for women as well as for men. The rapid growth of Polo Fashions, Inc. By , according to Time, "Lauren suddenly discovered that his enterprise was almost bankrupt because of poor financial management and the costs of headlong expansion. The arrangement gave Lauren 90 percent and Strom 10 percent ownership. Strom described their duties to the New York Times Magazine: "We divide the work this way: I do everything Ralph doesn't want to do; and I don't do anything he likes to do.
He designs, he does advertising, public relations; I do the rest. During its first four years, Polo Fashions, Inc. Their first step in reorganization was to concentrate on what they did best--design--and leave the rest to other companies.
With this in mind, Polo Fashions, Inc. Under licensing agreements, the designer got a cut of wholesale revenues--usually between 5 and 8 percent for Polo, according to Forbes --and shared in advertising costs. Such agreements would be the basis for Polo's future business.
Beginning in the mid s, Polo Fashions, Inc. From being a designer and licenser of limited lines of men's and women's clothing, the company expanded its products to include fragrances, eyewear, shoes, accessories, housewares, and a range of other products. Yet even as the number of products bearing the brand names "Polo" or "Ralph Lauren" expanded, the image of the company became more secure and more singular.
Soon, people were speaking of the "Laurenification of America," crediting Ralph Lauren with creating a unique American aesthetic, and calling the s the "decade of Ralph Lauren.
Fashion critics and journalists used words like integrity, elegance, tradition, sophistication, WASPy, mannered, pseudo-English, and sporty to describe Lauren's many designs.
Yet no single word could encompass the many themes--from the famous English Polo Club designs to the distinctly American western designs--with which Lauren experimented. Some critics complained that Lauren was a relentless borrower, possessed of no unique vision.
Lauren himself stated in New York that he was interested in "style but not flamboyance, but sophistication, class, and an aristocratic demeanor that you can see in people like Cary Grant and Fred Astaire. They're things I love and can't get away from.
There are some things in life that, no matter what the times are, keep getting better and better. That's really my philosophy. Polo excelled at getting Lauren's distinctive design image across to consumers. From its very first advertisements in New York City newspapers in , the company attempted to portray its products as part of a complete lifestyle. Polo pioneered the multi-page lifestyle advertisement in major magazines.
These ads presented a world lifted out of time, where wealthy, attractive people relaxed in Polo products during a weekend at their country estate or on safari in Africa.
Vogue described the ads as a kind of "home movie," with a cast of "faintly sorrowful but wildly attractive people. The women are always between childhood and thirty; the men are sometimes old. An ad director for a major fashion magazine told Time: Polo "has some of the best advertising in the business because it sets a mood, it evokes a lifestyle.
Lauren's intuitive design sense and the company's ability to create an idealized image for its products provided the base for the company to expand the variety of products it marketed and attain greater control over retailing.
From its first product lines--Polo by Ralph Lauren menswear and Ralph Lauren womenswear--the company introduced a variety of products: Polo by Ralph Lauren cologne and boys' clothing in ; a girlswear line in ; luggage and eyeglasses in ; home furnishings in Later brand extensions included shoes, furs, and underwear. The company introduced its collection of apparel for newborns, infants, and toddlers in These new product lines were accompanied by continual updating of the older brand names.
Although Polo retained control over the design and advertising of its products, the success or failure of Polo product expansion often depended upon its licensees, as Polo's experience with fragrances and its home collection indicated.
Polo's fragrances became a major income producer only when it found a licensee who was willing to help develop and promote the products. Perhaps with the popular trend of polo throwbacks, the sport will now experience a resurgence in popular culture as well? From there, Ralph Lauren added the Polo Bear— a gift he once received.
The Polo Bear is depicted in many different occupations often sporting a mallet. The badge would become an icon for the brand. The entire brand has now become a true lifestyle brand, and all others are trailing in its path.
Angelika Pokovba has ridden all paths of life, from luxury fashion to travel writing. But equestrian sports have always lurked in the shadows since learning to ride as a child with her dad.
She is now turning her long-time hobby into a proper journalistic beat. Get first dibs on articles, interviews, and updates for free with your subscription to PoloWeekly. Subscribe below! Subscribe Now.
Image Courtesy: High Snobiety. A look at the old Polo Ralph Lauren logo. Ralph Lauren for US Open. A look at Ralph Lauren now. Angelika Pokovba Angelika Pokovba has ridden all paths of life, from luxury fashion to travel writing. This comment form is under antispam protection. Most reacted comment. Hottest comment thread. Recent comment authors. 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. He went on to attend Baruch College in Manhattan, where he studied business for two years.
After a brief stint in the Army, Lauren took on a sales job at Brooks Brothers. In , Lauren was awarded the Coty Award for his men's designs. Following this recognition, he released a line of women's suits tailored in a classic men's style. Then in , Lauren released a short-sleeve cotton shirt in 24 colors. Lauren is known for capitalizing on an aspirational style and key insignia which evokes the British gentry while also referencing the aesthetics of the American upper class.
His fashion ideas have been criticized by some for not being particularly innovative while also embraced by scores of consumers who prefer more approachable looks. Lauren subsequently broadened his brand to include a luxury clothing line known as Ralph Lauren Purple, a rough and rustic line of apparel dubbed RRL, a home-furnishing collection called Ralph Lauren Home and a set of fragrances. Polo currently produces clothing for men, women and children and has hundreds of internationally placed stores, including factory stores that produce the majority of his sales domestically.
Lauren has also designed Olympic uniforms for Team USA, though controversy ensued when it was discovered that the competitors' attire for the summer games was made in China. During the s, Lauren made his foray into the film business as well, further cementing his status as a classic American designer by outfitting cast members for the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby , starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
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