|
Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) is
American
fashion designer
Ralph Lauren's luxury
lifestyle company. Polo Ralph Lauren specializes in
high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as
accessories,
fragrance, home (bedding, towels) and
housewares.
History
The brand was launched in 1967 when Ralph Lauren,
born Ralph Lifschitz, got a $50,000 loan. Prior to
starting Ralph Lauren, he worked for
Brooks Brothers. In 1968 he started a line of men's
ties. By 1969 he had a boutique store within the
Manhattan
department store
Bloomingdale's. In 1971, Polo Ralph Lauren launched
its first women's collection and his first standalone
store in
Beverly Hills, California. Ten years later, in 1981,
the brand went global with its first international store
on
London's New Bond Street. The Polo Sport line was
introduced in 1993.[1]
The brand now produces clothing, accessories,
fragrances, furniture, operates the restaurant RL in
Chicago, and sponsors a
Harlem cancer center in association with
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The flagship
store is located in the former
Rhinelander Mansion on Madison Avenue in New York
City.
Other flagship stores are located in Chicago, East
Hampton, London, Miami, Milan, Palm Beach, and Tokyo.[2]
Ralph Lauren is one of the largest retailers in the
United States with revenues reaching $4.2 billion in
2007.[3]
Polo classics
One of the most famous pieces in the Polo line is the
classic polo short-sleeved
knit shirt featuring the now-iconic Polo player on
the left breast of the shirt. This shirt in particular
became a fashion must-have in the 1980s with the
preppy set. Other Polo classics include the
cashmere cableknit sweater,
chinos and the
oxford cloth button-down shirt.
Brands
Since Ralph Lauren's first brand, Polo, was
launched in 1967, the company has expanded to include a
variety of luxury brands. They include:
Clothing for men
- Purple Label: Launched in 1994, this is
Ralph Lauren's signature, and highest end, men's
line, with classic, traditionally
British styling. It includes
ready-to-wear
suits and
sportcoats (made by
St. Andrews and Cantarelli), dress shirts,
sportswear,
accessories, and
footwear, as well as a collection of
made-to-order suits, sportcoats, shoes (made by
British company
Edward Green), dress shirts, exotic skin
luggage, small leather goods, and jewelry.
Purple Label is only available in Ralph Lauren
stores, the company's online store and high-end
department stores
such as
Neiman Marcus and
Saks Fifth Avenue.
- Black Label: Black Label for men tends to
have a more modern, Italian cut to its suits,
sportcoats (made by Raffaele Caruso), dress shirts,
and sportswear, with higher armholes and a slimmer
silhouette. Black Label was started in 2005 and is
also only available in flagship Ralph Lauren stores,
the company's online store and selected high-end
department stores.
- Polo Ralph Lauren: His first brand for
men, and also the most widely available. This 'blue
label' line spans from tailored clothing
(ready-to-wear and made to measure), sportswear,
accessories (including luggage) to small leather
goods. Available at many department and specialty
stores as well as Ralph Lauren stores and the
company's online store.
- Polo Golf: A sporty collection catering
to golfers since 1987 and often featuring celebrity
golfers as advertising models (see Sports
sponsorship below).[4]
- Polo Jeans Co.: Denim inspired line. Now
discontinued in the US.
- Polo Denim: A 2007 relaunch of the Polo
Jeans Co. line of 1996. Denim basics available
online and in department stores.
- Lauren Ralph Lauren: Basics and suiting.
Divided into Green and Silver (slightly slimmer
cuts) Label. Available primarily through department
and outlet stores, and not at RL stores or
ralphlauren.com.
- Ralph by Ralph Lauren: Exclusively
available at
Dillard's stores, this label offers suits, sport
coats, dress trousers and suit vests.
Clothing for women
- Collection: The highest end clothing line
for women (also carries a purple tag), as seen in
his runway shows. Includes classic
eveningwear,
tailored blazers, outerwear,
sportswear,
handbags, and
accessories.
- Black Label: An extension of the
Collection line, with modern, high-end casual and
semi-formal women's wear.
- Blue Label: Introduced as Blue Label in
2002. Similar in price point and styling to the Polo
men's line; has classic American styling. Knit
polo-style shirts with the Polo pony are part of the
Blue Label line. Blue Label is available exclusively
through Ralphlauren.com and through Polo Ralph
Lauren stores, including factory outlet stores.
- Lauren Ralph Lauren: Less pricey versions
of Blue Label styles. Available at Ralphlauren.com
and higher-end department stores. Available in Plus
sizes.
- RALPH by Ralph Lauren: A now discontinued
line for younger women, created in 1999. Desbribed
in the history section of the company's web site as:
"RALPH is the daughter of the Lauren
woman—reasonably priced Ralph Lauren clothes for
young women who want to be part of the lifestyle."[5]
- Ralph Lauren Golf: Golf attire collection
for women. Launched in 1998.[4]
- Lauren Jeans Co.: The casual version of
Lauren Ralph Lauren. Denim and casual basics
available at Ralphlauren.com and in department
stores.
Clothing for men and women
- RLX: A technical sports apparel line,
focusing on clothing and outerwear built for outdoor
sports such as
tennis,
golf,
skiing,
sailing, and
hiking, launched in 1998. Primarily distributed
through RalphLauren.com
- Polo Sport: A discontinued line of casual
sports clothing that was introduced for men in 1993
and women in 1996. It was retired in 2005 and
ultimately replaced by RLX as well as the
Golf and Tennis lines. The Polo Sport
fragrance lines continue to exist as remants of this
label (see Fragrances below).
- RRL (pronounced "Double-R L"): A denim
and sportswear line that takes its influence from
the
American West. Available in Ralph Lauren stores
as well as several smaller signature Double RL
stores.
-
Rugby Ralph Lauren: A brand launched in 2004
focusing on collegiate apparel with a similar look
to the pricier Polo and Blue Label
brands. Sold at signature Rugby stores and through
rugby.com. Not available at RL stores.
- Tennis: Sports clothing for tennis
players. Special collections for the
US Open tournaments (see Sports sponsorship
below).
- Pink Pony: A charity line of sportswear
and accessories all carrying a pink Polo pony. A
portion of the proceeds benefit
cancer research. Predominantly for women, the
line also includes polo shirts for men.
- Create your own: A special collection of
shirts, polos and hats as part of the Polo or
Blue Label lines that can be monogrammed and
individually arranged in terms of color and
embroidery. Available at ralphlauren.com since 2003.
Clothing for children
- Ralph Lauren Children and Baby:
Subdivided into Boys (sizes 2-7 and 8-20),
Girls (sizes 2-6x and 7-16) and Baby (Layette
and Infant, newborn to 24 months, boys and
girls). Available at RL stores, ralphlauren.com and
better department stores.
some childrens wear includes: shoes, clothing and
accessories
Home
- Ralph Lauren Home: A luxury home
furnishings and accessories line, including
furniture (manufactured by Henredon furniture
company), fabrics, tabletop, decorative accessories,
bedding, bath, and paint. Sold to the trade and in
Ralph Lauren stores, the company's online store as
well as in select department stores.
- Lauren Home: An upscale home brand,
carries only tabletop, accessories, bedding, and
bath. Sold primarily through department stores.
- Ralph: A low priced and low thread-count
line of urban bedding and bath towels available in
the mid-1990s and subsequently discontinued.
- Ralph Lauren Paint: Featuring more than
500 colors, interior paint is offered under this
label at ralphlauren.com,
The Home Depot and selected specialty retailers.
Other brands
The following labels are not immediately recognizable
by the consumer as belonging to Polo Ralph Lauren, Inc.:
-
Club Monaco: a modern label with classic New
England influences, styled for men and women that
operates its own chain of stores as exclusive
points of sale.
- American Living: Classic, all-American
collections including apparel for men, women and
children as well as home sold exclusively at
department store retailer
JCPenney since January 2008.
- Chaps: Similar to the Lauren
brand, though with a slightly lower price point.
Sold at
Kohl's,
Dillards and
Belk department stores. A true lifestyle brand,
it offers items for men, women, children and also
the home.
Fragrances
Polo Ralph Lauren corporation has launched various
fragrances and related body care products for men and
women since 1978. The products are manufactured under
license by
L'Oreal.
Ralph Lauren Fragrances
| Men's fragrances |
Women's fragrances |
Men's and women's fragrances |
- Polo (1978)
- Chaps and Chaps Musk (1979
and 1985)
- Monogram (1985) [discontinued]
- Polo Crest (1991) [discontinued]
- Extreme Polo Sport (1998)
[discontinued]
- Polo Blue (2002)
- Romance Silver (2003)
- Purple Label (2003)
- Polo Black (2005)
- Double Black (2006)
- Polo Explorer (2007)
- Polo Modern Reserve (2008)
|
- Lauren (1978)
- Ralph (2000) and its variations:
Cool, Hot, Rocks,
Wild (2004, 2006, 2006, 2008)
- Glamorous (2001)
- Ralph Lauren Blue (2003)
- Lauren Style (2004)
- Pure Turquoise (2005)
- Notorious (2008)
|
- Safari (women 1990, men 1992)
- Polo Sport (1996)
- Romance (women 1998, men 1999)
|
Sports sponsorships
In 2006, Polo Ralph Lauren became the first Official
Outfitter of
Wimbledon, redesigning the outfits for ballboys,
line and court judges. The Wimbledon logo was adapted
for this purpose. Ralph Lauren's Polo brand and style
was used and a range of clothing for men and women was
launched on June 26.[6]
In 2005, Polo Ralph Lauren and the
USTA signed a four year partnership making Polo the
official apparel sponsor of the
US Open throughout 2008. All on-court ball persons
and officials will be dressed in specially designed
Ralph Lauren apparel.[7]
The company also sponsors US professional golfers
Tom Watson,
Jonathan Byrd,
Davis Love III, and
Luke Donald; as well as
LPGA golfer
Morgan Pressel.[8]
In April 2008, Polo Ralph Lauren won the U.S. Olympic
contract to outfit the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
[9]
Roots Canada Ltd. had announced its ending as the
official clothing supplier to the US Olympic team on
April 7, 2008.
In July 2009, it was announced Polo Ralph Lauren will
continue its partnership with the U.S. Olympic team for
the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.[10]
Notes
References
-
Appelbaum, Michael (2005-03-14), "Tennis Apparel,
Anyone?",
Brandweek: 40
- "Polo Ralph
Lauren to Sponsor Morgan Pressel",
Business Wire: 1, 2006-03-15
External links
|
