Ralph Lauren

founded by

Ralph Lauren

belongs to

Polo is a public company. The board of directors includes Terry Semel, CEO of Yahoo, and Joyce Brown, president of F.I.T.

about

In 1967 Ralph Lauren establishes the Polo label with an instantly successful line of ties. In direct opposition to the narrow ties and conventional styles of the time, Lauren designs wide, handmade ties using unexpected, flamboyant, opulent materials. The ties quickly become a menswear status item.

Already interested in promoting a lifestyle with his ties, Ralph Lauren names his line after a sport that embodies a world of discreet elegance and classic style: Polo.

Polo by Ralph Lauren establishes the first shop-within-a-shop designer boutique for men in Bloomingdale�s in New York City in 1969.

The 1970s open with the introduction of Ralph Lauren womenswear. Lauren creates a daring line of men�s tailored shirts for women�reinventing a classic men�s look for women�s style.

The Polo store in Beverly Hills opens, making Ralph Lauren the first American designer with his own freestanding store in 1971.

Ralph Lauren�s first women�s shop-within-a-shop boutique opens in Bloomingdale�s in New York City.

During the 1970s, Polo continues to open stores throughout the country, including in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

In 1972 a full womenswear line, including a complete sportswear line, is launched with Polo�s first fashion show for women, featuring an innovative collection of tailored clothing for women, which gains acclaim and national attention.

Furthermore in 1972 Polo Ralph Lauren expands its presence into accessories and footwear, as well as boyswear and fragrances.

In 1978 Ralph Lauren�s first fragrances, Polo for Men and Lauren, are introduced. This is the first time that two fragrances�one for men and one for women�are launched together, and both go on to become international classics.

Ralph Lauren�s first fragrances, Polo for Men and Lauren, are introduced. This is the first time that two fragrances�one for men and one for women�are launched together, and both go on to become international classics.

In 1981 The Santa Fe collection debuts. Lauren draws on the patterns and colors of the Navajo Indians and the American Southwest with concho belts, petticoat skirts, Indian patterned sweaters and blanket jackets. As with his Westernwear collection, Lauren captures the essence of the American cultural experience, forging a connection between Polo Ralph Lauren and the romance of the American West and launching a major fashion look with worldwide influence and appeal.

In 1981 Ralph Lauren becomes the first American designer with a European boutique with the opening of a store on London's New Bond Street. London quickly becomes Polo's most successful store per square foot; its success in popularizing the American look in Europe starting with the Santa Fe line leads to the opening of Polo's largest international store in Paris in 1986.

1999 sees the continued success of Polo Ralph Lauren in Europe with the opening of a London flagship store and the first European freestanding children's store by an American designer.

Polo Ralph Lauren now has retail stores in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Isreal, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, French West Indies, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay.

In 1983 the Ralph Lauren home collection debuts.

In 1986 Polo Ralph Lauren opens a flagship store in the famous Rhinelander mansion on Madison Avenue at 72nd Street.

The Polo Sport line was introduced in 1993.

In 1994 Ralph Lauren introduces Purple Label.

By 1997 when he was selling more than $ 5 billion per year, with 155 shops around the world, employing more than 3,000 people Ralph Lauren went public with his company on the New York stock exchange. His estimated net worth is around $ l billion. The Ralph Lauren Company is in private hands. The company consists of more than 350 contract manufacturers worldwide and owns around 400 retail and outlet RL stores worldwide.

In 1999 RALPH by Ralph Lauren, a collection targeting 16- to 25-year-old women, is introduced.

In 2000 Ralph Lauren Media opens the Polo.com Web site. For over 30 years, Polo Ralph Lauren has reflected the American lifestyle on a global scale�now Polo.com will transform the world of Ralph Lauren from multipage magazine ads and four-walled retail stores into the dynamic full motion and sound experience of the Internet. Providing services, content and product sales to an increasing community of users, the Web site allows Polo Ralph Lauren to create a context around the products that have defined the Polo Ralph Lauren experience.

In 2002 the RRL flagship store opens on Mulberry Street in New York. The store brings the revitalized line of rugged and timeless clothes, inspired by an eclectic series of vintage pieces, to fashionable SoHo.

In 2002 the new Blue Label collection was introduced.

Discover the global world of Ralph Lauren by visiting Global.Polo.com. Polo Ralph Lauren launches Web sites in 2003, localized by country, to support its growing international business. The sites include fashion shows, local store information, company history, current advertising campaigns and its exclusive RL Style Guide.

Ralph Lauren opens its first domestic children�s store at 872 Madison Avenue in New York City in 2003.

In the same year Ralph Lauren opens a Home floor at the New Bond Street store in London. This new Home floor, nearly 3,800 square feet, is the largest Ralph Lauren Home presentation in Europe and one of the largest worldwide and offers New Bond Street shoppers a full design center.

Ralph Lauren opens a Home floor at the New Bond Street store in London. This new Home floor, nearly 3,800 square feet, is the largest Ralph Lauren Home presentation in Europe and one of the largest worldwide and offers New Bond Street shoppers a full design center.

Polo Ralph Lauren offers the Create-Your-Own polo shirt for men and women, exclusively at Polo.com. Through this interactive innovation in fashion and technology, shoppers effectively design their own shirt by choosing the shirt and pony colors, and receive their personalized polo dated with the vintage year. The response was overwhelming, prompting Polo.com to roll out Create Your Own in new styles in October, with more to follow in 2004.

In October 2004 Ralph Lauren launched Rugby, a full lifestyle collection designed for men and women ages 16 to 25.

September 2004 marked the opening of the Ralph Lauren flagship at 4 via Montenapoleone in Milan, bringing the total number of Ralph Lauren stores in Europe to 12.

On July 2004 2 Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation announced the acquisition of RL Childrenswear Company LLC, which was the company�s licensee for childrenswear in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

March 29, 2006, a 24,000-square-foot Ralph Lauren flagship store opens in the Omotesando shopping area of Tokyo, Japan.

In 2007 Polo Ralph Lauren expands its global fashion empire to Russia with two flagship locations in Moscow. The first store opens in the heart of Russia�s Tretyakovsky shopping district. A second location opens within Barvikha Luxury Village, half an hour from downtown Moscow.