Ralph Lauren's reach of relevance
Ralph Lauren's reach of relevance
Want to better grasp Ralph's incredible influence on fashion? Look no further than his own (former) employees.
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I often think about how Ralph Lauren managed to build such a wildly successful clothing empire.
Even further, I think about how he successfully lured and built a team of future superstars who would later launch their own brands & communities.
There’s a saying that great companies are built on great people, and I believe that’s true in this case. So many fantastic designers worked for Ralph early in their careers, and it was life-changing for them.
Like Vera Wang.
Thom Browne.
Sid Mashburn.
Tory Burch.
Todd Snyder.
Frank Muytjens.
Joseph Abboud.
John Varvatos.
The list goes on and on.
Here’s a fun little graphic to illustrate it for you.
An entire generation of designers took their experiences working for Ralph and carried them into building their own brands.
Let’s zoom out for a sec.
Look at the categories these designers went on to represent:
Suiting
Luxury
Workwear
Womenswear
Sportswear/casual
Handbags & accessories
Wanna know something else?
Nearly all of Ralph’s proteges who went on to create their own brands created them eponymously.
Coincidence?
I think not.
Here’s what they were inspired by…
And here’s what they went on to design for their own brands…
You can see the direct influence Ralph had on every designer, across every category.
Each category and design is a reflection of Ralph and the wide-ranging vision he had for his brand.
Anyway, food for thought and wanted to share 😌