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Ralph Lauren

National Portrait Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Mark Seliger, born 23 May 1959
Sitter
Ralph Lauren, born 1939
Exhibition Label
Born Bronx, New York
Long synonymous with classic American style, fashion designer Ralph Lauren has built an enormously successful lifestyle brand by making upper-class, casual elegance accessible to a global clientele. While still in his teens, Lauren developed an eye for timeless design, fine tailoring, and superior fabrics when he purchased a Brooks Brothers suit with earnings from his part-time job as a stock boy. Following his two-year service in the army and a stint as an assistant buyer for a department store chain, he began creating designs for Beau Brummell Ties. Having learned from his early experiences, Lauren launched his own Polo neckwear line in 1967. He premiered his men’s clothing collection in 1968 and soon brought home the first of many coveted fashion awards. Lauren’s line of women’s clothing made its debut in 1971, just before the introduction of his signature mesh sport shirt with the iconic polo player logo. Since the arrival of the sport shirt in 1972, the brand has grown to include a vast array of products—from perfume to home furnishings.
Nacido en el Bronx, Nueva York
El diseñador Ralph Lauren, sinónimo por mucho tiempo del estilo de modas clásico norteamericano, ha creado una marca de enorme éxito poniendo al alcance de una clientela global la elegancia informal de la clase alta. Siendo todavía adolescente, Lauren ya demostró su instinto para el diseño intemporal, el buen corte y las telas de calidad al comprar un traje de Brooks Brothers con el dinero que había ahorrado trabajando a tiempo parcial como empleado de almacén. Al cabo de dos años de servicio militar y un breve período como comprador asistente para una cadena de grandes almacenes, empezó a crear diseños para las corbatas Beau Brummell. Con la experiencia que había ido adquiriendo, Lauren lanzó su propia línea Polo de corbatas en 1967. Su colección de ropa masculina debutó en 1968 y pronto le ganó el primero de muchos codiciados premios del mundo de la moda. Su línea de ropa femenina apareció en 1971, poco antes de que presentara su distintiva camisa deportiva con el emblemático logotipo del jugador de polo. Desde la llegada de esta en 1972, la marca ha crecido hasta abarcar un gran catálogo de productos, desde perfumes hasta objetos para el hogar.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Ralph Lauren Corporation
2002 (printed 2017)
Object number
NPG.2017.89
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 2002 Mark Seliger
Type
Photograph
Medium
Chromogenic print
Dimensions
Image (not including black border): 54.1 × 42.3 cm (21 5/16 × 16 5/8")
Sheet: 60.9 × 51 cm (24 × 20 1/16")
Mat: 81.3 x 66 cm (32 x 26")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Interior\Studio
Container\Box\Crate
Ralph Lauren: Male
Ralph Lauren: Business and Finance\Businessperson
Ralph Lauren: Arts and Culture\Visual Arts\Designer\Fashion designer
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2017.89
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4cfce0c0d-ae4d-426c-8620-37f0d098cb78

Related Content

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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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