50 Things You Didn't Know About Ralph Lauren

The Polo icon has quite the interesting story that some may not know.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Ralph Lauren's name is synonymous with iconic menswear. From the polo shirt seen on everyone at some point in history to his reinterpretation of military garb, to the iconic '90s designs that made him a symbol of street aspiration. Recently, he announced he would be stepping down as CEO of his namesake company, installing Stefan Larsson as the new man-in-charge. The Internet was unsure of what to make of the corporate shift, but Larsson's pedigree is an impressive one, and under him the Ralph Lauren brand hopes to flourish.

But as one of the most well-known denizens of fashion, there are just some things about Lauren that aren't all that well-known about Ralph Lauren the man—as well as the billion dollar company he built on a foundation of dreams. What's his birth name? Did he really make a $20k bag inspired by his wife? What was his early work? All these things and more are answered as we take a look at 50 Things You Didn't Know About Ralph Lauren.

RELATED: Interview: Just Blaze Breaks Down His Massive Polo Collection

RELATED: 50 Things You Didn't Know About Stussy

RELATED: 50 Things You Didn't Know About The Hundreds

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Rueben Lifschitz.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph's parents were Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants who moved to The Bronx.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph's brother, changed their last name, not Ralph.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren got his start working for Brooks Brothers.

Not Available Interstitial

Lauren made his first ties out of old rags and sold them out of a drawer in the Empire State Building.

Not Available Interstitial

His first source of inspiration was Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren's first investor was preppy clothier Norman Hilton.

Not Available Interstitial

A Bloomingdale's buyer once asked a young Lauren to take his name off his ties and put their private label, Sutton East, on instead.

Not Available Interstitial

The first women's collection for Polo Ralph Lauren was launched in 1971, in Beverly Hills, California.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren outfitted Robert Redford's Jay Gatsby.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren's clothes feature in Annie Hall.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren's famous Polo shirts were released in 1972, and they came in 24 colors.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren did not invent the polo shirt.

Not Available Interstitial

The Polo brand almost went bankrupt in 1972.

Not Available Interstitial

After spending numerous summers there since the 1970s, Ricky Lauren wrote about the history of The Hamptons.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Not Available Interstitial

In 1989, he helped found a breast cancer research center.

Not Available Interstitial

The Rhinelander Mansion, home of Ralph Lauren's flagship store, is named for heiress Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo, wh

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren has an amazing car collection with a few that are priceless.

Not Available Interstitial

His collection reportedly features over 70 cars.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

via

There's a portion of the Ralph Lauren website dedicated to his car collection.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren owns a Bugatti worth $40 million.

Not Available Interstitial

The RRL collection takes its name from Ralph Lauren's Double RL Ranch in Telluride, CO.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph's daughter Dylan opened her own franchise of candy shops.

Not Available Interstitial

A lot of popular menswear designers have worked for Ralph Lauren at one point or another.

Not Available Interstitial

J. Crew's head men's designer is a Ralph Lauren alumni.

Not Available Interstitial

Polo Ralph Lauren gave the world the first black male supermodel.

Not Available Interstitial

In 1999, Ralph Lauren shut down a magazine related to the sport of polo for calling itself "Polo."

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren owns Club Monaco.

Not Available Interstitial

There's a 50/50 chance you've been saying "Lauren" wrong this whole time.

Not Available Interstitial

At 37,000 square feet, Chicago's Ralph Lauren store is one of the world's largest.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren opened the RL Restaurant in Chicago in 1999.

Not Available Interstitial

Kanye West once got a seersucker suit tailored in the RL store.

Not Available Interstitial

There are just about 30 sub-brands under the Ralph Lauren umbrella.

Not Available Interstitial

Jennifer Aniston's character on Friends, Rachel Green, worked for Ralph Lauren.

Not Available Interstitial

In 2006, Ralph Lauren became the first designer to officially outfit participants at Wimbledon.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren's “Big Pony” logo stemmed from their sports partnerships.

Not Available Interstitial

The Polo Bear began as a stuffed animal.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren created the Ricky Handbag, inspired by his wife, and it can cost up to $22,500.

Not Available Interstitial

After Rugby shuttered, Vado wanted to start his own clothing line to carry the torch.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren has officially ditched “Polo” from its brand name.

Not Available Interstitial

In 2014, Ralph Lauren's revenue was roughly $7.5 billion.

Not Available Interstitial

PoloTech is the brand's foray into smart fashion.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph's son David married into a presidential family.

Not Available Interstitial

The Lauren family has a rescue dog named Rugby.

Not Available Interstitial

Men's designer Greg Lauren is Ralph's nephew.

Not Available Interstitial

There was once a J.C. Penney-exclusive diffusion line.

Not Available Interstitial

The U.S. Polo Association cannot use the word “polo” or a polo player on any of its merchandise.

Not Available Interstitial

They were once sued by Levi's for their jeans.

Not Available Interstitial

Ralph Lauren is the only designer to win all of the CFDA's four highest honors.

Not Available Interstitial

Latest in Style