Ralph Lifshitz- The Man known as "Ralph Lauren"

Thanks to http://www.fashion-forum.org/ and http://www.wikipedia.com/ for the following biography information on Ralph Lauren! I can't claim to have actually researched all this on my own. So KUDOS to those who gathered all this great info for me!

Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz on October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive. "The first image-maker", according to New York magazine, Lauren is one of the fashion industry's biggest hitters. But Lauren studied business science and served his time in the army before breaking into fashion.

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Rueben Lifshitz in the south of New York City borough of the Bronx to Jewish immigrants Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter. He attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School, and eventually graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. He went to the Baruch College (of the City University of New York) where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964, he served in the US Army. After his discharge, in 1968, he married Ricky Low-Beer.

He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967, with the financial backing of Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo". He later purchased this name from Hilton. Next came menswear and, in 1971, Lauren introduced his women's label.

The chic, preppy look of his designer collections is now complemented by the whole gamut of sportswear, casualwear and home furnishings. Lauren's fashion empire, which floated on the US stockmarket in 1997, now includes such brands as Polo Ralph Lauren, Polo Sport and the Ralph Lauren Collection. Lauren's fashion empire has since grown into a billion-dollar business.

In 1999, the silver-haired designer broke into the "entertainment" business, too, with a walk-on part on TV sitcom Friends. He followed this up, at the beginning of the new millennium, by signing a landmark 30-year deal with NBC and two NBC affiliates to sell his designer "lifestyle" on the Internet, on TV and in print. "We don't only sell clothes," he said at the time, "we are selling a dream and a vision."

Lauren and his wife Ricky make their home in Bedford, Connecticut. Ralph and Ricky have two sons and a daughter: Andrew, David, and Dylan. David is an executive at Polo Ralph Lauren. Dylan owns and operates an upscale candy store, Dylan's Candy Bar, at 59th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. Ricky appeared on the television show Martha on December 6th, 2006 and stated that her son Andrew is in the "movie business".

Lauren is also well-known as a collector of classic automobiles. His cars have won best in show at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance multiple times. His collection was recently displayed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutique stores in the United States. His clothing and home collections are also featured in hundreds of other retail stores throughout the world.