When I thought about what my first post should be about, the answer came clear to me: Ralph Lauren. He is one of my favorite fashion designers, and his brand is //the //epitome of elegance.
Two months ago, he staged a show in the Hamptons the day before the start of NYFW, and it got me thinking: In a time when everything is moving so fast, Ralph Lauren grounds me. He reminds me of what one must never lose – //la classe//, as we say in French, meaning “chic attitude” or something like that. It sure sounds better in French.
Confidence, grace, elegance, quality – it’s something so easy to lose: to trends, to society, to oneself. But Ralph Lauren never lost them, at least it’s what his brand projects. He built his empire in 1967 and has remained true to his vision like a mountain. And has inspired others to find these timeless and valuable traits in themselves.
But besides his design aesthetic, Ralph Lauren also fascinates me for his career debut. Did you know that he became famous for designing ties?
At the beginning of his career, Ralph Lauren worked at the tie manufacturer Beau Brummell. He convinced the company’s president to start his own neckwear line, which he launched in 1967. Lauren wanted to sell his ties to Bloomingdale’s, and he eventually got the chance to show them to a buyer working at that department store Although he was asked to make the ties “a quarter inch narrower” and take his name off the label, the designer persisted in keeping the ties wide and labeling them with his name. And voilà – he got a call-back from Bloomingdale’s (that was probably impressed by the designer’s attitude) and later sold to other prestigious companies like Neiman Marcus and Paul Stuart. A year later, in 1968, Ralph Lauren debuted his first full line of menswear called ”Polo,” followed by his first full women’s collection in 1972.
This is not yet another inspirational story; this is an interesting example of the attitude one should adopt at the beginning of their career. While I believe that success is achieved through effort and years of experience, and you can get wiser with the years, I am also convinced that you have to show your //style //from the beginning and be bold while staying respectful to your superiors and peers.
To me, Ralph Lauren is bigger than fashion. It’s lifestyle and attitude. That’s why I chose to open my blog with a short story about Ralph Lauren.
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