BUSINESS LESSONS
The Man. The Myth. The Style Legend – Mr. Ralph Lauren
“What I do is about living.” – Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren: Defining modern luxury with romantic elegance and timeless style since 1967.
A style legend, famed for his sense of style in clothing – Ralph Lauren has redefined American fashion.
For those of you who don’t know him – Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and business executive, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global Fashion and Lifestyle Empire.
Ralph Lauren once said “What I believe in is the timelessness of an attitude, the timelessness of style” and it was with this belief that he has built up the iconic namesake label – a name synonymous with classic grace.
- He is the executive chairman and chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren, his all-American fashion empire which he founded in 1967.
- He started a business in a tiny office at the Empire State building making ties in 1967.
- His first breakthrough came when Neiman Marcus ordered 1,200 ties.
- By 1997, he was considered the most successful designer of all time.
- His name has transcended from fashion to lifestyle.
- He is indeed of the most famous fashion designers in the world.
Ralph Lauren: How He Started.
Born as Ralph Lifshitz into a poor family in the Bronx. He began his career working out of a drawer in the Empire State Building turning scraps of fabric into designer ties. Though his ties were more expensive than the average tie, they were high quality and had a distinct style.
He risked it all by taking out a $50,000 loan for his men’s tie collection. When his ties became popular, he expanded the Polo label with suits and home wear. He continued building his company to the Classic American empire it is today.
His creativity and vision made him one of the world’s most influential global brands. His personal fortune is currently estimated at $5.9 billion and he is the second richest fashion designer in the world [after Giorgio Armani].
It takes hard work, dedication, and consistency to be able to achieve this type of success. Here are some of the business lessons we can learn from Ralph Lauren quotes on elegance, timeless style, and success.
May it inspire us all to create something from nothing and make our dream a reality, just as Ralph Lauren has done.
25 Ralph Lauren Quotes On Elegance, Timeless Style, and Success
#1. IT’S MORE THAN FASHION. IT’S ABOUT LIVING.
- “I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.” Ralph Lauren
- “What I do is about living. It’s about living the best possible life you can and enjoying the fullness of the life around you—from what you wear, to the way you live, to the way you love.” Ralph Lauren
- “The clothes that I design and everything I’ve done is about how people live and how they want to live and how they dream they’ll live. That’s what I do.” Ralph Lauren
- “I have a vision for living. It’s about elements of style. It’s about all the things that I love, that I believe in.” Ralph Lauren
- “My eyes are on my life. They are my private camera. I extend all the experience from my private life into my work because living is my library.” Ralph Lauren
- “Love the fun of clothes, not the status of fashion.” Ralph Lauren
- “When I create a collection, I approach it with a cinematic point of view – I am not designing clothes, I’m creating a world.” Ralph Lauren
#2. IT’S ALL ABOUT STYLE – PERSONAL STYLE, TIMELESS STYLE … QUALITY STYLE!
- “Personal style is about having a sense of yourself and what you believe in every day.” Ralph Lauren
- “Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever.” Ralph Lauren
- “We continue to be an innovator in the industry by constantly updating our products.” Ralph Lauren
- “It’s easier to follow fashion than it is to have a personal style.” Ralph Lauren
- “What I believe in is the timelessness of an attitude, the timelessness of style.” Ralph Lauren
- “I’m a fan of people that have quality, that do what they do and that are not into the showbiz.” Ralph Lauren
- “I have always loved things that are timeless and get better with age.” Ralph Lauren
#3. YOU DON’T NEED CREDENTIALS. WHAT MATTERS IS THE BELIEF IN ONESELF! TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS.
- “I went to my boss, and I said, ‘Look, I’d like to design these ties because I think they could be new.’ He said, ‘The world isn’t ready for Ralph Lauren.’ I never forgot that because I thought that was a compliment.” Ralph Lauren
- “Fashion is not necessarily about labels. It’s not about brands. It’s about something else that comes from within you.” Ralph Lauren
- “You have to create something from nothing. It’s all possible and I’m living proof.” Ralph Lauren
- “I never went to fashion school, I didn’t know what a designer was; I knew I had something, but I didn’t know what it was.” Ralph Lauren
- “My father was an artist. When life was harder and he couldn’t get jobs, he painted houses, but he was artistic. When I went to see his work, it was special. Somewhere along the line, I felt I was special. I didn’t know why.” Ralph Lauren
- “I went through the extremes of amazing notoriety and also the dreaded things that you never thought you’d have to live through. Not everything works the way you want it to, but if I sit back and think, ‘Am I happy about this?’ Yeah. I wouldn’t have done anything any better.” Ralph Lauren
#4. IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR DREAMS, HOPES, AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE. DREAMS OF MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE USING YOUR TALENT AND YOUR GIFTS.
- “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.” Ralph Lauren
- “A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.” Ralph Lauren
- “I was very influenced by movies; I was very influenced by a world that had a sense of dream.” Ralph Lauren
- “My life has been a dream. If someone had to write a story about it, it would seem a little unreal. It’s the kind of story I would read and say, Nah, that’s not possible.” Ralph Lauren
- “I would love the legacy of this company to be not only the beautiful products we made but the way we thought about the world and tried to make it a better place.” Ralph Lauren
#5. FAMILY IS IMPORTANT. DO WELL. LIVE WELL. STAY HEALTHY. REINVENT YOURSELF.
- “Enjoy your family. Do things that you like to do. Stay strong. That’s the secret to remaining happy.” Ralph Lauren
- “I exercise at the gym with a trainer. I feel it’s very healthy, very important – important for everybody, I feel it’s good for you. It makes you feel better. It loosens you up a little bit.” Ralph Lauren
- “The world is open to us, and each day is an occasion to reinvent ourselves.” Ralph Lauren
FINAL THOUGHTS
The ultimate lesson we can take from this is to first identify what you love and be proud of it. Have a vision, then go ahead and build a brand around what you love. Stay loyal to the brand and make it a success.
As he once said during an interview with Oprah Winfrey
“I didn’t have a vision as in, This is where I’m going. I had a vision as in, “This is what I love to do.” The ties, as simple as they were, looked very different from other ties. They were wide and unusual. I never said to myself, ‘I’m going to be the greatest.’ I just wanted to do my own thing.” – Ralph Lauren
I hope you’ve been inspired by these Ralph Lauren quotes on elegance, style, and success. Now go forth and achieve success in your life and business.
Till you hear from me again, continue to do well, live well and dress really well.
Yours in Style,
Kobi O. Mbagwu (Mr. Kobi)
Founder, MrKoachman.com
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