As a fashion enthusiast, I love the clothing designed by Ralph Lauren.
While I know that everyone has their own preferences, I personally adore his elegant Americana aesthetic that many have dubbed as “old money aesthetic.”
If I had a trust fund, my closet legitimately would be filled with his clothes.
Not only do I love Lauren’s clothing, but I also admire his journey of how he became an esteemed fashion designer.
Believe it or not, Lauren came from humble beginnings. Although he wasn’t born into wealth, Lauren possessed drive, creativity and big dreams.
In time, Lauren would create a fashion empire worth billions, with hundreds of stores across the globe.
As a person who also comes from a modest background, I do revere him. In fact, his inspirational life story, along with a few other stories, influenced me to pursue my own dream.
Lauren was born Oct. 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, to working-class Jewish parents who immigrated from Belarus. His parents had four children, with Lauren being the third.
Like Ralph, I’m also a child of working-class immigrant parents. My mother came from Laos, and my father came from the Philippines.
Between my parents, I’m the only child. But, I have four half sisters, and fun fact: I’m the oldest sibling.
Interestingly, the designer was born as “Ralph Lifshitz.” At age 16, Lauren changed his surname because of the constant teasing he received at school.
Speaking of surnames, it’s a long story, but I actually have my mother’s surname.
During his youth, Lauren regularly went to the movie theater and immersed himself into the world of Old Hollywood. From this, Lauren idolized dashing actors like Fred Astaire and Cary Grant.
Similar to Lauren, I also turned to certain outlets for inspiration during my childhood. While flipping through magazines such as Vogue, GQ and Bon Appetit, I would think of how much I wanted to see what was beyond my home state of Hawaii.
For personal style inspiration, I love the Ralph Lauren ads in the ‘90s and the early 2000s.
After high school, Lauren attended Baruch College to study business. After two years in college, Lauren enlisted in the U.S. Army. After serving two years, Lauren didn’t go back to college.
Instead, he decided to work in fashion.
For his first job, Lauren worked at Brooks Brothers as a sales assistant. After a brief moment there, Lauren then worked at a tie manufacturing company called Beau Brummell, in sales.
I can relate to Lauren’s retail life. Way back when, in Hawaii, I worked at a locally-owned toy shop called Thinker Toys. I also worked at Kate Spade for a bit.
Lauren’s early days in fashion made me realize that many of us start from somewhere. That first job may not fully relate to one’s bigger dreams, but that’s okay. Other opportunities shall arise in due time.
In 1967, Lauren wanted to design men’s ties — but with his own flair. Once Lauren got approval from the president of Beau Brummell, he began working on his own collection of ties — which made me realize that we have our own unique journeys, and we shouldn’t feel like we need to be more like “this person” or “that person.”
Instead of conforming to the trend of the day of skinny, neutral-colored ties, Lauren designed ties that were wide and colorful.
Luckily, Lauren’s ties were a hit.
During his first year in business, he sold $500,000 worth of ties to some of the most prestigious names in fashion such as Paul Stuart, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s.
With his desire to create something aspirational, Lauren named the collection “Polo.”I admire Lauren’s creative vision and confidence. In life, I understand that sometimes we need to follow certain guidelines. But, other times we need to be bold — pun intended — and stand by our convictions, instead of just “following the trend.”
Following the success of his ties, Lauren would achieve other milestones in the fashion industry. As recognition for his achievements, in 1976, Lauren won a Coty award for womenswear and a Coty Hall of Fame award for menswear.
Fast forward to today, Lauren has his own company. Known as the Ralph Lauren Corporation, the company today creates luxury lifestyle products in the categories of apparel, footwear, accessories, home, fragrances and hospitality.
The company’s foundation, titled the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, continues to support a variety of causes related to, but not limited to cancer care and prevention, environment protection, higher education and the LGBTQ+ community.
Like Lauren, in the future I hope to create some kind of positive impact for others. I know it’s an ambitious goal — but when considering my own background I hope to support other people who come from lower-income, minority and or LGBTQ+ backgrounds in some kind of way.
Although Lauren stepped down as chief executive officer in 2015, he continues to be an active figure in the company as executive chairman and chief creative officer.
Along with his exquisite clothing, perhaps Lauren also created something intangible and inspiring.
Considering everything he went through, I think that Lauren is encouraging us all to dare to dream and be confident in pursuit of that dream.
One of my dreams was to study something communications-related in a new city, and like Lauren, I decided to make a bold move and take a chance.
In short, I’m very grateful to be at Boston University as a journalism graduate student.
Lauren once said, “People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams.” This quote inspires me to continue to have goals and aspirations, and I hope it inspires you to do the same.