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Lauren creates clothing that is both fashionable and functional.

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This article supports the author's argument that Lauren transformed American fashion.

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In fashion, few trends last long but Ralph Lauren's designs have made his brand an icon.

The designer, who has stepped down as head of the company he founded, is best known for the colourful collared shirts and knit sweaters that became part of the classic American wardrobe.

Mr Lauren, who turns 76 in October, has turned the company that bears his name into a $7.5bn (£5bn) business. He will stay on as chief designer.

He has said his style is modelled after the clothing worn at America's Ivy League colleges.

In his biography he wrote: "I loved the oldness, the custom mood of navy blazers, school crests, rep ties, flannels, and saddle shoes."

To make his label global he translated a style often favoured by older white men into a look for everyone.

It was his 1989 knit sweater featuring a US flag that accomplished this. The sweater would become a top seller and the American flag featuring his initials instead of stars was used as the company's logo for a range of products.

Ten years later he doubled down on his reverence for the American flag, donating $13m (£8.5m) to a Smithsonian museum to help preserve the flag that inspired the country's national anthem.

Mr Lauren counts several of America's biggest celebrities among his friends. Kanye West in particular has established a close relationship with the designer and helped make the label popular among the hip hop star's legions of fans.

Having celebrities wear his styles off and on the red carpet also helped make the brand cool. Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow and Taylor Swift are all fans.

Though many associate the Polo Ralph Lauren brand with the cotton collared shirts featuring a pony mounted, mallet-swinging player, Mr Lauren began the Polo brand with ties.

The ties were sold successfully at New York department store Bloomingdales encouraging him to release a full menswear line a year later.

In 1971 he followed up with a line of tailored suits for women and soon after released his iconic, colourful, short-sleeved polo shirts that would become the brand's signature look.

The first Polo Ralph Lauren store opened in Beverly Hills, California, in 1971 and the first international location opened in London's West End in 1981.

Despite being known for his luxury designs, Mr Lauren came from humble beginnings.

Born in the Bronx, New York to Jewish parents, he changed his name from Ralph Lifshitz to Ralph Lauren at 16.

The young Lauren did not start out with any ambition to be a fashion designer. He was working for Brooks Brothers as a salesman when the desire to create his own line of neck-ties struck.

In its 48-year history, the company has gone far beyond runway fashion.

Mr Lauren opened RL Restaurant in Chicago in 1999, followed by ones in Paris and New York. The Ralph Lauren Company includes home goods and fragrance brands.

As a designer he has also embraced sports. The company has sponsored and designed outfits worn by golfers, tennis players and Olympians.

Polo Ralph Lauren was the first label to sponsor Wimbledon in 2006. The brand redesigned the uniforms worn by the ball boys and girls and the judges.

The brand also designed the Team USA uniforms for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

These events have enabled the brand to represent the American look on a world stage and incorporate some of the preppy design elements Polo Ralph Lauren is known for.

As the icon prepares to step down as CEO, questions circulate about the impact his successor Stefan Larsson will have.

Mr Larsson is known for increasing sales at low-end retailers Old Navy and H&M.

And with the luxury industry struggling, shareholders have welcomed his appointment.

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How Ralph Lauren created an American fashion icon - BBC News

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In fashion, few trends last long but Ralph Lauren's designs have made his brand an icon. The designer, who has stepped down as head of the company he founded, is best known for the colourful collared shirts and knit sweaters that became part of the classic American wardrobe.

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Kathleen Baird-Murray is an author, beauty journalist and Financial Times columnist

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Throughout the novel, the author explores Lauren's tremendous impact on American fashion.

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NEW YORK, United States- Perhaps no designer is as closely associated with her brand as Diane von Furstenberg, whose wrap dress helped to define 1970s fashion and is now considered a classic. But about five years ago, von Furstenberg, who turns 71 this year, decided that she wanted to focus more of her day-to-day on philanthropy. "My third act," as she calls it. In May 2016, Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders, whose aptitude for print and colour aligned well with von Furstenberg's vision, joined the brand as chief creative officer, taking over the creative direction of the company.

"I really have been thinking about it for a long time," von Furstenberg says. "I remember when Jonathan appeared on the scene [in the early 2000s] and I immediately loved his work; I thought it was so fresh. I loved his eye, his patterns and his sense of colour. When I found out last year that he was available, I immediately contacted him."

A year into Saunders' tenure, the company is facing widespread market challenges - from a waning wholesale model to the rise of new brands popularised on social media - by turning out exuberant, original designs that communicate the label's joie de vivre. "He changed the logo, changed the look of the store - he did a lot in less than a year - and yet, somehow, it's very DvF," she says. "It's like a marriage. You've got to be lucky."

But like many marriages, it has not always been smooth sailing. In November 2016, chief executive Paolo Riva - who von Furstenberg previously called an "heir" who could steer the company "for the next decades" - resigned, along with other senior members of the team.

Saunders' arrival at DvF has also underscored a particularly tough challenge many well-known brands face: After years in the spotlight, a founder's big personality often outshines the product. In response, Saunders has been adamant about separating his creative vision from von Furstenberg, insisting that she not attend his first presentation.

"He pushed me aside, and I wanted him to. But nevertheless, it's always a little strange," she says, reflecting on the transition. "It was the right thing to do. Of course, it's very risky and difficult with the founders of brands. The brand is so entwined with the person and the life."

In years to come, DvF may, in fact, serve as one of the best examples of how a founder-led fashion brand can elegantly and respectfully negotiate the inherent turbulence of bringing in new leadership without irrevocably damaging its DNA, something with which several of von Furstenberg's peers are currently wrestling.

It's like a marriage. You've got to be lucky.

Many of America's top fashion houses - from Ralph Lauren to Carolina Herrera - are currently grappling with the reality that their founders will not remain at the helm forever. While there are several European houses facing succession scenarios in the not-so-distant future - including Versace and Chanel - few, other than Armani, remain founder-led.

And unlike decades-old European houses, many of which were small financial entities when they were acquired by the luxury conglomerates over the past 30 years, most of these American brands are multi-billion-dollar businesses, relying financially on things that no longer resonate with consumers, such as down-market licensing or mass mid-market distribution. They also tend to be more focused on wholesale, while the European conglomerates have made easier-to-control direct retail - and real estate - a larger part of the business.

"In some cases in Europe, it's already the sixth generation of designers," says Lewis Alexander, who consults on executive search and organisation structure for luxury brands. "American houses have allowed the businesses to lead. At many companies, the merchants have more power than the creative. Now, they need to evolve or crumble."

This inevitable wave of successions comes at a challenging time for the American fashion business, as the way clothes and accessories are made, marketed and distributed is changing dramatically. Many of the sectors largest brands are struggling to evolve.

Calvin Klein retired from his company shortly after selling it to Corp. in 2003, but the majority of his contemporaries are still leading their brands. Ralph Lauren, for one, has long managed both the creative and financial sides of the business, which generated $7.4 billion in net revenues in the 2016 fiscal year, a massive-but-declining number (down 3 percent on a reported basis from the year previous).

In November 2015, Ralph Lauren hired Gap Inc. and veteran Stefan Larsson as chief executive in an effort to reverse the trend of declining sales and shrinking profits. Parts of Larsson's "Way Forward" turnaround plan - including closing underperforming stores and peeling away unnecessary layers of management - have been implemented. However, the executive exited the company in May 2017 less than a year on the job after disagreements with the founder (who is also the executive chairman) over the company's strategic direction.

"Stefan and I share a love and respect for the DNA of this great brand, and we both recognise the need to evolve," Lauren stated at the time of the announcement. "However, we have found that we have different views on how to evolve the creative and consumer-facing parts of the business. After many conversations with one another, and our board of directors, we have agreed to part ways."

American houses have allowed the businesses to lead... Now, they need to evolve or crumble.

Just weeks after Larsson's official departure, the company announced that Procter & Gamble veteran Patrice Louvet would join in July 2017 as its new president and chief executive. "[Louvet] is an enormously skilled business leader with a deep passion for the consumer and a sophisticated understanding of building global brands," Lauren said in a statement. "This, combined with his collaborative working style, transformation experience and intense focus on results, will put us in a stronger position as we move toward the future."

In the coming years, younger brands including Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors - all major American fashion players - will have to begin thinking seriously about succession. It's likely that not every one of these brands will survive, at least not in their current iteration. Donna Karan's namesake house closed its doors after a restructuring by then-owner LVMH, although she continues to design under the Urban Zen moniker. (In December 2016, apparel group G-III closed a deal to acquire Donna Karan International, Inc. from LVMH $650 million. The women's segment of its diffusion line, DKNY, will now be sold exclusively at Macy's, but the namesake brand remains dormant.) Halston and Bill Blass, contemporaries of Oscar de la Renta, now operate in less prestigious corners of the market.

Failed successions - whether they are on the executive or consumer-facing side of the business - are failures for many reasons, but the biggest is a lack of planning.

"Many companies treat the CEO succession as a one-off event triggered by the abrupt departure of the old CEO rather than a structured process. The succession is therefore often reactive, divorced from the wider system of leadership development and talent management," McKinsey's Åsa Björnberg and Claudio Feser wrote in a 2015 report. "This approach has significant risks: potentially good candidates may not have sufficient time or encouragement to work on areas for improvement, unpolished talent could be overlooked and companies may gain a damaging reputation for not developing their management ranks."

When the person being replaced is also the creative visionary and founder of the company, emotions are even more heightened. "Whenever you have founders involved, it's about finding the right people that strike the balance between being respectful of the heritage and helping bring the company into the new era," explains Caroline Pill, vice president of global executive search at Kirk Palmer Associates. "If it's a failure, it's a failure for everyone."

The solution, then, is to face the scenario head on, and well in advance. "Ideally, succession planning should be a multiyear structured process tied to leadership development," Björnberg and Fesser wrote.

For Oscar de la Renta, succession planning began years before the passing of its namesake designer in October 2014. Mr. de la Renta's chosen successor, Peter Copping, spent the previous months working alongside the founder in the atelier.

But less than two years after Copping's appointment, he departed the company, soon to be replaced by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, two longtime employees of the house who had launched their own well-received collection, Monse, and consulted for Carolina Herrera in the interim.

Succession planning should be a multiyear structured process tied to leadership development.

"It was a complicated process that was so personal to Oscar. He built this house, he built this brand," says Alex Bolen, the company's chief executive since 2004. (He is also the designer's son-in-law.) "To balance business with family... did we do a perfect job with it? No, we did not, but we are in a great place and Oscar would be very happy." Whether or not Kim and Garcia's vision for the house will result in a stronger business remains to be seen. But they are known for their commercial success, having worked on a best-selling collection at Carolina Herrera.

Disagreements around Kim's contract at Carolina Herrera resulted in a much-ballyhooed lawsuit, which also revealed tensions between Herrera and her potential successor. While the lawsuit was resolved earlier this year, it underscored the house of Herrera's own need to find a successor for its namesake, whose business generates well over $1 billion in retail sales annually - driven, in large part, by a robust fragrance offering and apparel licensing.

Herrera's New York atelier, where it creates ready-to-wear and wedding gowns, needs a creative leader to support the namesake's vision and dream for the house, which helps to sell more affordable product. The difficulty is finding the right match.

While newly appointed Carolina Herrera president Emilie Rubinfeld would not comment on a succession plan for Herrera specifically, she did emphasise the importance of recruiting talent for the label's New York City atelier, which requires attracting a small pool of high-level sewers, pattern makers and designers. "Carolina Herrera is so synonymous with a specific set of codes, and that's a unique strength," she says. "We are investing in talent on the design team and the atelier team to continue building and growing this business and sustaining the mission that we believe in so much."

Some American houses have looked abroad for new talent, from Stuart Vevers at to at Calvin Klein, as European designers have a better track record when it comes to creative refreshes. However, this approach, as illustrated by Copping's turn at Oscar de la Renta, is not always successful.

"American education doesn't focus on creativity, it focuses on business. Americans can stand up for themselves, they have bigger personalities, versus the Europeans who are a little bit more inclined to have the artistic temperament," Alexander says. "There are some who buck the trend - such as Jonathan Saunders, [Joseph's] Louise Trotter, Hedi Slimane or Raf Simons, who are incredible at the left brain and right brain. They'll have their voice heard."

"The couture training is in Europe," notes Rubinfeld. "That being said, there is lots of talent in New York in particular. We also offer apprenticing programs so young talent in our atelier and studio can learn."

And for companies like Herrera and Oscar de la Renta, which are private, there is the luxury of restructuring behind closed doors. "They may be able to take a longer view on measuring success because they don't have pressure of external voices and financial markets," Pill says. At least a little bit longer.

"I own my brand, so for me to make that decision, in a way it's easier and in a way it's harder," von Furstenberg concludes. "Jonathan has proven to be such a good idea.... He's a true leader. My role is to support him, [hire] the right people around him, and provide the proper financing. Of course I'm superstitious, and a little [apprehensive] to say it aloud, but I really think he is my heir."

"Private companies have time," adds Pill. "That's really the massive difference."
Related Articles How Carolina Herrera Built a Billion-Dollar Brand With Staying Power
Reshaping American Fashion Houses

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For American Fashion, A Changing of the Guard

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NEW YORK, United States- Perhaps no designer is as closely associated with her brand as Diane von Furstenberg, whose wrap dress helped to define 1970s fashion and is now considered a classic. But about five years ago, von Furstenberg, who turns 71 this year, decided that she wanted to focus more of her day-to-day on philanthropy.

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Lauren increases his customer base by maintaining many different styles of clothing in his collections.

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The novel touches on the complexities and struggles of the business. This article goes into depth about what kind of struggles brands undergo.

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By Luca Solca May 19, 2017 05:30

NEW YORK, United States - Today's luxury market is about maintaining the illusion of exclusivity, while selling units by the millions. Shatter the illusion and brand cachet is lost - and with it goes growth, margin and, ultimately, value. While Europe's luxury houses play a long game, working hard to maintain the perception of exclusivity, America's large luxury players have adopted a different approach altogether, sprinting to sell as much as possible, as fast as possible, then suffering the consequences.

Indeed, the US luxury industry tends to follow a cool/not cool cycle: a brand is suddenly perceived as cool; the company goes all-out to distribute as widely as possible; revenues shoot up, followed by returns; then the brand becomes ubiquitous and is no longer cool. This has resulted in a luxury model based on higher off-price engagement, broader distribution and lower entry-level price points than is generally found in Europe. The financial returns can be exhilarating: analysis of the figures show fantastic progression among US luxury companies during the early years of this century, with returns on invested capital (ROIC) attaining heights unknown to European players. Then came the inevitable crash, sending returns at almost all US luxury companies back to the levels of the early 2000s.

America's luxury players have been sprinting to sell as much as possible, then suffering the consequences.

This makes American luxury goods stocks volatile as they tend to trade on quarterly results. Fundamental investors interested in medium- to long-term prospects would need to bet on entering share positions when valuations, revenues and profits are at rock-bottom levels, when brands have purged the excesses of the previous cycle, in the hope that new management is able to ignite a new boom (and bust) cycle. Of course, buying into a brand before its initial rise is ideal. But at this early stage in a company's life-cycle, hits are rarely easy to identify and the investment could fail.

The American luxury company whose model is closest to the European model is Tiffany. Its brand equity, especially outside the USA, is very strong. The company is not without its shortcomings, but these do not seem impossible to address: poor in-store merchandising, poor in-store experience, poor "exclusivity pretence." There are also a number of avenues for creating value, for example, differentiated retail concepts for jewellery and silver - which could work well online - and developing its designer jewellery and watches offering.

The appointment of a new CEO to replace Frederic Cumenal, who stepped down in February, could usher in a new era for Tiffany and bring an end to the tug-of-war on strategic direction. At the same time, the company's strong brand equity and untapped potential makes Tiffany an appealing takeover target for a large European player, especially given the prospect of a US "border adjustment tax."

Of the rest, is probably the most interesting company in the US soft luxury space. The company seems intent on revitalising its core brand while acquiring new assets that could drive fresh growth. Yet Coach is still highly dependent on its off-price business and so still tied to the short-cycle world.

Ralph Lauren's experiment in injecting new "mass fashion" life into the decaying designer business model seems to have failed. Former executive Stefan Larsson, who held the role of CEO at Ralph Lauren for less than two years, is now gone and we are back to square one. Meanwhile, Michael Kors seems close to the bottom - at least in terms of its stockmarket value - and the company seems likely to remain there for some time before there is any hope of another meteoric return.
Luca Solca is the head of luxury goods at BNP Exane Paribas. This article appears in BoF's latest special print edition: "America." Did you know that BoF Professionals receive our print issues first? Annual BoF Professional memberships also include unlimited access to articles, exclusive analysis, invitations to networking events and the members-only app. Not a BoF Professional? Subscribe here. The issue is also available for purchase at shop.businessoffashion.com and at select retailers around the world. Related Articles: Counting on the USA: Fashion, Trump and America's $500 Billion Trade Deficit The Independent Boutiques Outfitting America Doing Business in Trump's America

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By Luca Solca May 19, 2017 05:30 NEW YORK, United States - Today's luxury market is about maintaining the illusion of exclusivity, while selling units by the millions. Shatter the illusion and brand cachet is lost - and with it goes growth, margin and, ultimately, value.

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This article gives a brief background and history of both Ralph Lauren and his brand.

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Ralph Lauren is an American clothing designer best known for his sportswear line Polo Ralph Lauren, the centerpiece of his fashion empire.

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Every business faces struggles throughout its lifetime. Although Ralph Lauren has become a world-renowned brand, it still has its struggles .

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Last week, the Ralph Lauren Corporation named long-time P&G executive Patrice Louvet as the company's new President and Chief Executive Officer. Louvet joins the company with business building, marketing and branding bona fides. But with revenues down 10% YoY, the company has a deep hole to climb out of.

Everyone's asking the same question:

How will Louvet's CPG experience translate into the fashion business?

Perhaps even more importantly:

To help answer these questions, I reached out to company insiders to get their advice for Louvet as he takes over his new role. Representing the wholesale, corporate and retail sides of the business, none of them wished to be named for this article, but were eager to weigh in.

All are guardedly optimistic about Louvet's appointment, but one executive who worked directly with Larsson, believed that Stefan had the right stuff to get the Ralph Lauren brand back on track. "Stefan was an inspiring leader. He knew fashion. He knew what the customers wanted. He knew how fashion must flow into the market," this management insider said. "But the 'creative differences' Stefan knew needed to be changed were organizational. And those things clearly weren't going to be changed. RL lost a lot when they lost Stefan."

Here are some ideas:

Help Ralph translate his vision for today's customer

People inside and outside the company hold Ralph Lauren in high regard. His creative vision is what made the brand great, and what they believe can make the brand great again. But great design alone isn't enough anymore. The brand must talk to today's customer experience. "Mr. Lauren has an illustrious career and success as a luxury design visionary, but the brand needs to speak to today's consumer. That is the stumbling block," said this retail executive. "It's not so much about the product, but it's how we get it to the customer."

Ralph's creative vision needs to be expressed not just in designing next season's fashions, but the whole customer experience. "The need is to understand how to engage the consumer today and that is much different than how you engaged yesterday," this insider notes.

Talk to the customers you want to and need to attract

The suggestion is that the company continues to speak to the customers it always has talked to and has not learned how to communicate with the next generation. "Technology will be increasingly important, but so will the customer experience at all touchpoints. It has lost traction in proper positioning strategy and technology," said one. "The improvements being made reflect work being done to strengthen the brand, but it has a ways to go."

The company needs to build pathways to share insights, ideas and perspectives from the customer-facing lines up the corporate ladder. "That is how you find out how well you are doing and where you get ideas in how to strengthen your brand. Your customer speaks to you," says another.

Creative enterprises, like fashion, need cross-pollination, both from within and without the company. But the RL culture isn't necessarily breeding that free flow of ideas. "Great companies listen to the customers and they also listen to the people that work there. That is where you get your answers. You have to be where your people are and where your customers are," another advises.

These insiders suggest that the culture has become siloed with design, merchandising and marketing operating more or less independently, not nurturing cross-functional collaboration. This wholesale executive said, "You get a tool box of designs that they want you to sell, but you have no say over it. I am hearing from customers what they want, yet I have no interaction with design."

Within this confined corporate structure, many feel restricted to working inside the box, rather than thinking outside of it. That has often resulted in an exodus of the very creative talents needed to move the brand forward. "They have lost how to nurture design talent in their midst. There are too many rules and regulations," this management insider said.

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An Inside Take On The Challenges Patrice Louvet Faces At Ralph Lauren

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Last week, the Ralph Lauren Corporation named long-time P&G executive Patrice Louvet as the company's new President and Chief Executive Officer. Louvet joins the company with business building, marketing and branding bona fides. But with revenues down 10% YoY, the company has a deep hole to climb out of.

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Lauren increases customer satisfaction by making every part of the purchasing experience noteworthy.

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This article supports one of the author's main points that Lauren's humble beginnings guided his brand identity and led to his ultimate success.

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

In the 1957 DeWitt Clinton High School yearbook, Ralph Lauren wrote "millionaire" as one of his life goals.

Today, he has an estimated net worth of $7 billion, according to Forbes, after netting billions with his iconic brand Polo Ralph Lauren.

Long before he became a fashion icon, he was Ralph Lipschitz, the youngest son of Jewish immigrant parents living in the Bronx.

Growing up, he learned to escape his family's poverty by going to the movies and immersing himself in the fictional plot lines.

"He would literally fall into the fantasies of the movies of that era," Michael Gross, author of " Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren," told Bloomberg. "He truly did project himself into the scenes in which men like Gary Cooper and Cary Grant were playing. He sees the characters that populate his dreams and visions, and that vision - that ability to step into a fantasy world - Ralph brought to the fashion business."

He further detached from his humble origins in his late teens when he chose to change his name from Lipschitz to Lauren after enduring years of teasing and bullying.

Later, after a short stint in the army, Lauren moved back to New York City and started working as a clerk at Brooks Brothers.

Edgar de Evia

Then a transformative experience - his first polo match - helped to shape his perspective and activate his entrepreneurial spirit. "We were exposed to fabulous things," recalled Warren Helstein, the friend that took him to the polo match. "The silver, the leather, the horses, the tall slinky blondes with the big hats, and the high society that we really weren't knowledgeable of."

The event inspired him to start developing a high-class, elegant brand, which would eventually become Polo Ralph Lauren.

Having only a high school diploma and a few business classes under his belt, the decision to start his own company was the first of many risks Lauren would take in his legendary career.

The next was designing wide, colorful neckties at a time when narrow and plain was the norm.

The radical approach won over Bloomingdale's - and loads of customers. He sold $500,000 worth of ties in one year.

Despite such quick success, Lauren relentlessly expanded his company. "Ralph doesn't sit on his laurels for one minute," Lauren's protégé John Varvatos told Bloomberg. "You can enjoy the moment, but you have to keep things going - and you can't be a one-trick pony."

When it came to new design ideas, Lauren kept it simple. He envisioned clothing that he would want to wear, clothing fit for a movie star.

"What you thought Cary Grant was wearing, you could not walk into a store and buy," he told Charlie Rose in 1993. "The things that I made, you could not buy. You could not find them anywhere."

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Lauren took the company public in 1997 - a decision he grappled with, unsure if he wanted shareholders and a board in the picture - but still controls 81.5% of the voting power.

The wide-eyed kid who dreamed of becoming a millionaire now, at age 75, enjoys the spoils of his success, with homes in Jamaica, Long Island, Bedford, and Manhattan, as well as a 17,000-acre ranch in Colorado.

He also boasts "Others collect art, but for me owning a rare and magnificently designed car offers a different kind of experience," he one of the world's most valuable car collections. told Architectural Digest. " In the end you can enjoy both the beauty of the machine and the journey it takes you on."

SEE ALSO: 15 Billionaires Who Were Once Dirt Poor

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From dirt poor to a $7 billion fortune - the incredible rags-to-riches story of Ralph Lauren

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In the 1957 DeWitt Clinton High School yearbook, Ralph Lauren wrote "millionaire" as one of his life goals. Today, he has an estimated net worth of $7 billion, according to Forbes, after netting billions with his iconic brand Polo Ralph Lauren.

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The "country club"' lifestyle of Ralph Lauren is portrayed at every step of the experience, from advertisements to stores.

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The Ralph Lauren brand has created a lifestyle portrayed in the clip which the consumer can both feel and participate in.

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"Postcards from Paradise" by Bruce Weber - Ralph Lauren Spring 2016 Collection

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Postcards from Paradise: introducing our Spring '16 video, directed by Bruce Weber "My Women's Collection for Spring 2016 is a modern expression of the glamorous spirit of the French Riviera. It has a romantic rusticity, as well as a sleek and luxurious sportiness that represents to me both the cool insouciance and understated style of the women who inspire me."

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Baird-Murray has worked at many fashion magazines throughout her career, including Net-A-Porter, Elle, and Vogue.

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This documentary gives a brief overview of how Lauren created the brand we know today.

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Ralph Lauren: How I Built a Fashion Empire

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Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- This episode of Game Changers spotlights the career of fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Explore his meteoric rise, his personal and professional set-backs, as well as his successes as an ambassador for America. --Subscribe to Bloomberg on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg Bloomberg Television offers extensive coverage and analysis of international business news and stories of global importance.

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RALPH LAUREN | Ralph Lauren: In His Own Words

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Ralph Lauren describes the process, trials, challenges and ultimate rewards of bringing his dreams to life each season on the runway