About the Company
Ralph Lauren Corporation is a fashion company incorporated in 1967. It offers a range of products, including apparel, accessories and fragrances, and is best known for its clothing line. The company’s headquarters are in New York City, New York, United States. In 1997, Ralph Lauren Corporation became a publicly-traded company, and its shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol of RL. RL shares are also included as a component in the S&P 500 stock market index.
The company began operations as a seller of men’s ties. Its founder, Ralph Lauren, decided to start his own line of clothing and launched a line of menswear named “Polo” in 1968. Ralph Lauren Corporation launched its first full women’s collection in 1972. That same year, RL opened its first freestanding store in Beverly Hills, California, United States. Ralph Lauren Corporation also outfitted the male cast in the film The Great Gatsby from its Polo collection. Ralph Lauren was also the first designer to introduce two fragrances – one for women and one for men, simultaneously, in 1978. The company expanded its operations internationally by entering the European market in 1981 and opened a retail store in London.
Ralph Lauren received the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. In 2000, it launched an online shop and website called Polo.com, which later became ralphlauren.com. In 2003, RL inaugurated the Ralph Lauren Centre for Cancer through a partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. Forbes recognised RL as one of the World’s Most Valuable Brands in 2015. It also opened The Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer, a research institution for care and prevention of the disease, in 2016. Over the years, the company also sponsored several sporting events as their official outfitter, such as USTA 2005, Wimbledon 2006, and Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
As of 2021, Ralph Lauren Corporation has a global presence and operates in numerous countries, including Australia, China, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, France, Italy, Singapore, India, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, among others. It is one of the largest global apparel manufacturers and retailers in the world. RL constitutes one of the world’s most recognised families of consumer brands, which includes Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Chaps, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Club Monaco, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, and Ralph Lauren Collection. Ralph Lauren ranked 469 on the list of Fortune 500 companies in 2020. It ranked 1810 in the Forbes’ list of Global 2000 2020 companies. Forbes also included RL in its 2020 rankings of the World’s Best Employers, Best Employers for Diversity, and Best Employers for Women. Ralph Lauren was also included in Forbes rankings of Forbes 400 and Billionaires 2020, wherein he held the 110th and 280th spots, respectively.;
Organisation | Ralph Lauren Corp |
Industry | Apparel Manufacturing |
HeadQuarters | New York, NY |