The story of Ralph Lauren is the story of aspiration stitched into cotton, wool, and silk. It's not just a brand—it’s a mythos draped across the shoulders of American style.

The Origin: From the Bronx to Bloomingdale’s

Ralph Lifshitz was born in 1939 in the Bronx to Jewish immigrant parents from Belarus. His name would change, but the dream stayed the same: to live beautifully and to dress like he belonged in that world. After a stint in the army and a brief time at Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren launched a line of handmade neckties in 1967 under the brand Polo. The ties were wider, bolder, more expressive than what men were wearing—and they struck a nerve. Bloomingdale’s took them in. The myth had its first chapter.

Polo as a Lifestyle

By 1971, the first full line of menswear hit the shelves, marked by a logo stitched into history: a polo player in mid-swing. It wasn’t just about shirts; it was about what the shirts meant. Ralph Lauren was selling not just clothes, but a way of life—equestrian estates, vintage sports cars, leather club chairs, aged scotch. This was American aristocracy reimagined through the eyes of a self-made dreamer from the Bronx.

Then came the womenswear, then the stores, then the fragrances, the bedding, the tableware. Ralph Lauren didn’t just build a brand; he built a world—a curated and romanticized Americana.

A Visual Dream

From the beginning, the ads felt like stills from a movie you wanted to live in. Windswept hair, horses in the distance, old Jeeps parked outside cedar lodges. Models looked like they’d just stepped out of an old Fitzgerald novel or a New England prep school yearbook. The brand blended Ivy League tradition, rugged frontier, and Western nostalgia with a modern, tailored sensibility.

Key Lines

• Polo Ralph Lauren: The flagship, blending prep, sport, and equestrian elegance.

• RRL (Double RL): A rugged, ranch-inspired sub-label launched in 1993, deeply rooted in vintage workwear, denim, and Western Americana.

• Purple Label: Launched in 1994, it represents the highest-end tailoring—Italian-made, full-canvas suits and cashmere overcoats with timeless silhouettes.

• Lauren Ralph Lauren: A more accessible diffusion line.

• Chaps: Once an outlet staple, geared toward department stores.

Cultural Weight

Ralph Lauren didn’t just clothe the wealthy—he gave the middle class a taste of wealth. He wasn’t content to copy British or French fashion; he wanted to bottle the American spirit. He dressed everyone from U.S. Olympians to Hollywood stars, outfitted Robert Redford in The Great Gatsby, and defined a generation of American style.

He also became one of the first designers to embrace diversity in casting—his ads in the ’80s and ’90s often featured models of all races, giving the dream of Americana a broader and more inclusive face.

Legacy

Today, Ralph Lauren stands as one of the few American designers whose name means more than just fashion. It evokes an emotion, a story, a lifestyle. The clothes have patina and purpose—especially the vintage pieces, which feel like artifacts from a personal archive.

For curators of Americana, Ralph Lauren isn’t just a brand. It’s the canvas on which the American dream was embroidered. It's the smell of leather, the glint of brass buttons, the feel of thick cotton twill across your back. It's the fantasy—and the craftsmanship—that keep calling us back.