50-418: Ralph Lauren ( / ˈ l ɔːr ən / LOR -ən ; né Lifshitz ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer , philanthropist , and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren , a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his collection of rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. He stepped down as CEO of
100-646: A Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, a 1929 Bentley 4½ Litre ("Blower Bentley"), one Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic , a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Gangloff, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS , a Bugatti Veyron , a 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK "Count Trossi" (aka "The Black Prince"), a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia. and a rare Lamborghini Reventón Roadster. His cars have won " Best of Show " at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance twice, his 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic won in 1990 and his 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK "Count Trossi" roadster won in 1993. In 2005 his collection
150-406: A culvert made from brick and stone was discovered in the area. The street was named after Sir Thomas Bond , the head of a syndicate of developers who purchased a Piccadilly mansion called Clarendon House from Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle in 1686, and proceeded to demolish the house and develop the area. At that time, the house backed onto open fields, known as Albemarle Ground, and
200-577: A man's surname at birth that has subsequently been replaced or changed. The diacritic mark (the acute accent ) over the e is considered significant to its spelling, and ultimately its meaning, but is sometimes omitted. According to Oxford University 's Dictionary of Modern English Usage , the terms are typically placed after the current surname (e.g., " Margaret Thatcher , née Roberts" or " Bill Clinton , né Blythe"). Since they are terms adopted into English (from French), they do not have to be italicized , but they often are. In Polish tradition ,
250-406: A Kabbalah Centre remains on the street. The Royal Arcade links Old Bond Street with Albemarle Street . It was originally proposed in 1864 as a longer link between Old Bond Street and Regent Street , but this plan was rejected because of the scale of proposed demolition and reduced access to existing properties. It was subsequently redesigned in its current layout, opening in 1879 and replacing
300-524: A benign brain tumor and made a full recovery. Lauren owns a 17,000-acre cattle ranch in Ridgway, Colorado , and a 17,000 sq foot manor built in 1919 in Bedford, New York . Ralph Lauren is well known as a collector of automobiles, with about 100 automobiles, some being extremely rare. He owns a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO , two Ferrari TRs , three 1996 McLaren F1s (one of them an ultra-rare McLaren F1 LM ),
350-463: A consequence, though, the street has many times suffered from armed robbery , as robbers are attracted by the high value of the goods. The Graff Diamonds robbery in Bond Street in 2009 resulted in an estimated loss of £40 million. According to Westminster City Council , Bond Street has the highest density of haute couture stores anywhere in the world, attracting "the rich, the famous, and
400-738: A film producer and actor; David Lauren (b. 1971), an executive vice president at Ralph Lauren Corporation ; and Dylan Lauren (b. 1974). In September 2011, David married Lauren Bush , granddaughter of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush . Lauren and David have three children and live in Manhattan. Dylan Lauren , owner of Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City, was married in June 2011 to hedge fund manager Paul Arrouet. Dylan and Paul had twins on April 13, 2015, via surrogate in New York City. In April 1987, Ralph Lauren underwent surgery to remove
450-554: A fragrance for women, on March 12 and Polo, cologne for men, on March 26. This was the first time that a designer had introduced two fragrances – one for men and one for women – simultaneously. The company entered the European market, and went international in 1981 with the opening of the first freestanding store for an American designer on New Bond Street in the West End of London , England. Ralph Lauren opened his first flagship in
500-566: A new flagship store on Old Bond Street. The street features Allies , a statue of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt , who are portrayed sitting in conversation on a park bench, sculpted by Lawrence Holofcener . The statue, popular with tourists, was erected by the Bond Street Association to commemorate 50 years since the end of World War II , and was unveiled in May 1995 by Princess Margaret . In 2013, maquettes of
550-405: A reputation as a fashionable place for shopping, including the flagship stores of Ralph Lauren and Cartier . Fenwick have had a department store on Bond Street since 1891. The Phillips building at No. 101 is still used for auctions; the company was bought in 2001 by Bonhams , who spent £30 million expanding and refurbishing the premises. In 2015, Valentino announced plans to build
SECTION 10
#1732782757360600-534: A salesman for Rivetz, a necktie company. At age 28, working for tie manufacturer Beau Brummell, Lauren convinced the company president to let him start his own line. He launched The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with men's ties. Drawing on his interests in sports, Lauren named his first full line of menswear 'Polo' in 1968. He worked out of a single "drawer" from a showroom in the Empire State Building and made deliveries to stores himself. By 1969,
650-554: A street for luxury shopping. The auctioneer Phillips was established in 1796 at No. 101 Bond Street, specialising in stringed instruments and sheet music. The jewellers Asprey originally opened in 1830 at Nos. 165–169 New Bond Street. Opposite Asprey was the luxury luggage and trunk maker Finnigans , originally established in Manchester in 1830. The house of Finnigans opened their New Bond Street shop in 1879. The Jewish practice of Kabbalah has been associated with
700-842: Is a collaboration between Ralph Lauren, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and North General Hospital in Harlem. In 2014, the Ralph Lauren Corporation partnered with the Royal Marsden , the largest and most comprehensive cancer center in Europe, to develop a world-class breast cancer research facility. They opened the Royal Marsden Ralph Lauren Center for Breast Cancer Research in 2016. In 2023, the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention
750-449: Is at the southern end between Piccadilly and Burlington Gardens . The northern section, New Bond Street, extends to Oxford Street. The entire street is around 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long. Many shop frontages are less than 20 feet (6 m) wide. The nearest tube stations are Green Park on Piccadilly, and Bond Street station on Oxford Street. Bond Street station does not directly connect to either New or Old Bond Street. No buses use
800-519: Is the daughter of Margaret Vytouch and Rudolph Loew-Beer. The two had met six months earlier, in a doctor's office where she was working as a receptionist; on alternate days, she was teaching dance. She is the author of The Hamptons: Food, Family and History . The Laurens are members of the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, leading the synagogue's capital campaign that ended in 2019. They have three children: Andrew Lauren (b. 1969),
850-416: Is the feminine past participle of naître , which means "to be born". Né is the masculine form. The term née , having feminine grammatical gender , can be used to denote a woman's surname at birth that has been replaced or changed. In most English-speaking cultures, it is specifically applied to a woman's maiden name after her surname has changed due to marriage. The term né can be used to denote
900-691: The City University of New York (CUNY), where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. He was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish community in the Bronx, along with Calvin Klein and Robert Denning . From 1962 to 1964 Lauren served in the United States Army . After his discharge, he worked briefly for Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant before becoming
950-506: The Manhattan department store Bloomingdale's sold Lauren's men's line exclusively. It was the first time that Bloomingdale's had given a designer their own in-store boutique. In 1971, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a line of tailored shirts for women, which introduced the Polo player emblem to the world for the first time, appearing on the shirt's cuff. The first full women's collection
1000-486: The Clarendon Hotel, which had been demolished in 1870. The Grosvenor Gallery opened on New Bond Street in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay . It cost over £100,000 to build and included a restaurant and library downstairs, and two exhibition rooms upstairs. A negative review by John Ruskin of exhibits by James McNeill Whistler led to Whistler suing Ruskin for libel, winning a farthing in compensation. This case
1050-643: The Elder and Laurence Sterne . In 1784, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire , an active socialite , demanded that people boycott Covent Garden as its residents had voted against Whig member of parliament Charles James Fox . This had caused him to lose his seat in Parliament, leading to the dissolution of the Fox–North Coalition . She insisted people should look for nearer shopping streets, and encouraged people to go to Bond Street. Consequently,
SECTION 20
#17327827573601100-614: The Polo Jeans G.I.V.E. (Get Involved, Volunteer, Exceed) campaign was created to inspire and encourage community service through volunteerism by supporting the efforts of dedicated volunteers and their causes, including Habitat for Humanity . The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation established the American Heroes Fund following the September 11th attacks to allow Polo's 10,000 employees worldwide, as well as their customers,
1150-514: The Ralph Lauren Corp, through individuals, donated $ 63,000 to Democratic organizations and individuals. Birth name#Maiden and married names A birth name is the name given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname , the given name , or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth register may by that fact alone become
1200-500: The Rhinelander mansion, on Madison Avenue and 72nd Street in New York City in 1986. Lauren re-created the building's original opulence with a young design consultant named Naomi Leff, with whom he had previously worked on Ralph Lauren Home. The Polo Sport line was introduced in 1992 followed by over ten additional lines and acquired brands, including Ralph Lauren Purple Label in 1995 and Lauren Ralph Lauren in 1996. On June 12, 1997,
1250-610: The ad campaign was: "Every team has its color – Polo has seventeen." In 1974, he outfitted the male cast of the film The Great Gatsby in costumes from his Polo line – a 1920s-style series of men's suits and sweaters, except for the pink suit which Lauren designed especially for Robert Redford 's Jay Gatsby. In 1977, Diane Keaton and Woody Allen wore Lauren's clothes throughout Allen's film Annie Hall . The first Ralph Lauren fragrances, produced by Warner-Lauren, Ltd. were launched at Bloomingdale's in March 1978. Lauren,
1300-547: The age of 16, he and his brother George Poitras Lauren legally changed their last name from Lifshitz to Lauren, due to bullying at school . His choice of the name followed his older brother Jerry Lauren, who had first done so after experiencing bullying in the U.S. Air Force . Lauren attended day school followed by the Manhattan Talmudical Academy , before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. He attended Baruch College of
1350-653: The company became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange . The 98-seat restaurant "RL" opened in March 1999 in Chicago in a newly constructed building adjacent to the largest Ralph Lauren store at the corner of Chicago and Michigan Avenues. It was followed by the opening of two additional restaurants – "Ralph's" at 173 Boulevard Saint-Germain , Paris flagship store in 2010 and "The Polo Bar" at Polo's flagship in New York in 2015. In 2000
1400-572: The company in September 2015 but remains executive chairman and chief creative officer . As of April 2024, his net worth was estimated at US$ 8.8 billion. Lauren was born on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx , New York City, to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants Frieda (Cutler) and Frank Lifshitz, an artist and house painter, from Pinsk , Second Polish Republic (now Belarus ). His mother was from Drohiczyn , Poland (now Drahichyn, Belarus). The youngest of four siblings, he has two brothers and one sister. At
1450-515: The company launched polo.com as its website and online shop, through RL Media (a cooperation between Ralph Lauren and NBC ). In 2007, Ralph Lauren Corporation acquired the NBC share of RL Media and the web site was relaunched as ralphlauren.com. In 2008, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched a brand called American Living, exclusively for JCPenney. It was the largest cross-category brand launch in the history of Ralph Lauren and JCPenney. On September 29, 2015, it
1500-529: The development of estates in Mayfair had just begun. New Bond Street was laid out during the second phase of construction 14 years after Bond's syndicate began developing the area. Most of the building along the street occurred in the 1720s, on what was the Conduit Mead Estate . John Rocque's map of London , published in 1746, shows properties along the entire length of Bond Street, including
1550-453: The fully constructed side streets. The two parts of the street have always had separate names, and a plan by the council to merge the two into a singular "Bond Street" in the 1920s was rejected by locals. During the 18th century, the street began to be popular with the bourgeoisie living around Mayfair. Shop owners let out their upper storeys for residential purposes, attracting lodgers such as Jonathan Swift , George Selwyn , William Pitt
Ralph Lauren - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-584: The late Post fashion correspondent, Nina Hyde . He served as chairman and created the name and symbol for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a charitable initiative of the CFDA that founded in 1994 that marshals the goodwill and services of the fashion industry to raise public awareness and funds for breast cancer internationally. In 2003, Lauren supported the establishment the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem , Manhattan, New York City. The Center
1650-415: The longer northern section New Bond Street , a distinction not generally made in everyday usage. The street was built on fields surrounding Clarendon House on Piccadilly, which were developed by Sir Thomas Bond . It was built up in the 1720s, and by the end of the 18th century was a popular place for the upper-class residents of Mayfair to socialise. Prestigious or expensive shops were established along
1700-535: The opportunity to participate in the relief effort. The Polo Fashion School was established in 2004, in which company executives work with inner-city youth to offer insights into the fashion business. The Star-Spangled Banner , the original 1813 flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the United States National Anthem , was preserved by a $ 10 million contribution to Save America's Treasures from Polo Ralph Lauren in 1998. The flag
1750-560: The person's legal name . The assumption in the Western world is often that the name from birth (or perhaps from baptism or brit milah ) will persist to adulthood in the normal course of affairs—either throughout life or until marriage. Some reasons for changes of a person's name include middle names , diminutive forms, changes relating to parental status (due to one's parents' divorce or adoption by different parents), and gender transition . The French and English-adopted née
1800-777: The sculpture (which are replicas, as Holofcener did not make any as part of the original artwork or design) were sold at Bonhams. Henry Moore has four sculptures engraved into the building work of no.153 (a Loro Piana branch), which he subsequently attempted to buy back when he felt no one noticed them. The construction of Crossrail , part of which runs between Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road stations, involved demolition of property in nearby Hanover Square , some of which backs onto New Bond Street. This affected Nos. 64–72, which required refurbishment. Bond Street has been mentioned in several works of literature, including Jane Austen 's novel Sense and Sensibility and Virginia Woolf 's 1925 novel Mrs Dalloway . The plot of
1850-489: The simply curious". The entire length of Bond Street has been part of the Mayfair Conservation Area controlled by Westminster City Council since 1969. Building alterations and constructions are tightly controlled to ensure the street's appearance and upkeep are unaltered. Many buildings are listed . The council regulates the style and materials used on shop front advertising. At one time, Bond Street
1900-415: The street after former East End trader Sarah Levenson opened a shop on No. 50 New Bond Street in 1856 which immediately became profitable, albeit through exaggerated and questionable product claims. Levenson was twice taken to court and prosecuted for fraud ; each prosecution resulted in a five-year prison sentence. She died midway through the second. Nevertheless, the practice regained popularity and
1950-599: The street became a retail area for people living in Mayfair. By the end of the century, an upper-class social group known as the Bond Street Loungers had appeared, wearing expensive wigs and parading up and down the street in a pretentious manner. Lord Nelson stayed at temporary lodgings in New Bond Street between 1797 and 1798, as did his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton between 1811 and 1813. Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford lived in Bond Street and
2000-405: The street, although the 22 service crosses New Bond Street. Part of New Bond Street is numbered B406 but the remainder and all of Old Bond Street is unclassified. New Bond Street is pedestrianised between Grafton Street and Clifford Street to prevent through traffic and to stop the road being used as a rat run . There is evidence of Roman settlement around what is now Bond Street. In 1894,
2050-445: The street, but it declined as a centre of social activity in the 19th century, although it held its reputation as a fashionable place for retail, and is home to the auction houses Sotheby's and Bonhams (formerly Phillips ) and the department store Fenwick and jeweller Tiffany's . It is one of the most expensive and sought after strips of real estate in the world. Bond Street links Oxford Street and Piccadilly . Old Bond Street
Ralph Lauren - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-468: The term z domu (literally meaning "of the house", de domo in Latin ) may be used, with rare exceptions, meaning the same as née . New Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and
2150-770: Was announced that Stefan Larsson would replace the company's founder, Ralph Lauren, as CEO in November. Lauren will stay on as executive chairman and chief creative officer. Lauren has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Architectural Digest , GQ , Forbes , Town & Country , TIME and Vogue . Lauren celebrated the 50th anniversary of his brand in a fashion show at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park on September 8, 2018. Attendees included Oprah Winfrey , Hillary Clinton , Kanye West , Robert DeNiro , and Jessica Chastain . On December 20, 1964, Lauren married Ricky Ann Loew-Beer in New York City. She
2200-652: Was best known for top-end art dealers and antique shops that were clustered around the London office of Sotheby's auction house, which has been at Nos. 34–35 Bond Street since 1917, and the Fine Art Society , founded in 1876. The sculpture over the entrance to Sotheby's is from Ancient Egypt and is believed to date from around 1600 BC. It is the oldest outdoor sculpture in London. Some dealers and antique shops remain, but others are fashion boutiques or branches of global designer brands. The street still has
2250-656: Was displayed at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts . Seventeen cars from his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris , in 2011. In 2017, Lauren's now $ 600 million dollar car collection took center stage during New York Fashion Week. Lauren has focused a substantial amount of his philanthropy to address cancer . In 1989, he co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. in memory of
2300-493: Was launched the following year. In 1971 Lauren also opened a store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California ; this was the first freestanding store for an American designer. In 1972, the Ralph Lauren Corporation introduced a signature cotton mesh Polo shirt in various colors. Featuring the polo player logo at the chest, the shirt became emblematic of the preppy look—one of Ralph Lauren's signature styles. The tagline for
2350-697: Was opened at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University . In 2000, the Ralph Lauren Corporation launched its Volunteer Program, which energizes employees and creates meaningful connections with the communities in which they work. On Friday, September 15, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched the Pink Pony Campaign, a national initiative to reduce disparities in cancer care by raising awareness as well as enhancing prevention, screening, and treatment in poor and underserved communities. Similarly, in 2006,
2400-586: Was satirised in Gilbert and Sullivan 's Patience , with the line, "greenery-yallery, Grosvenor Gallery". The street has maintained its reputation for luxury shopping into the 21st century, and has on occasion been regarded as the best retail location in Europe. In 2011, Bloomberg News reported that New Bond Street was the most expensive retail street in Europe after the Champs-Élysées in Paris . As
2450-782: Was then unveiled on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, in a new gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History , in Washington, D.C. Ralph Lauren Corporation announced in July 2013 its commitment to restore the elite École des Beaux-Arts in Paris , one of the most influential art schools in France. As recently as 2012 , with a $ 35,800 donation to the Obama Victory Fund, Lauren made regular small donations to U.S. Democratic candidates. In 2022,
2500-556: Was unhappy about the presence of the Bond Street Loungers. Already notorious for a violent and abusive temper, on 7 October 1801 he refused invitations to join in celebrations of peace between Britain and France (which led to the Treaty of Amiens ), resulting in an altercation with several Loungers at his doorstep. Camelford retreated upstairs and fired upon the crowd with a pistol. During the 19th century, Bond Street became less known for its social atmosphere but increased its reputation as
#359640