“I don’t design clothes, I design dreams.” Ralph Lauren
HBO Documentary Films present Very Ralph, the first documentary portrait of fashion icon Ralph Lauren. The man behind the icon and the creation of one of the most successful brands in fashion history. Offering unprecedented access to his life and work, Ralph Lauren speaks candidly in extensive interviews about his childhood, his five-decade-long marriage, the early days of his company, his response to criticism, his inventive multi-page ad campaigns and his pioneering vision which includes a remarkable series of firsts: Lauren was the first designer to create and market a complete lifestyle brand and expand into home furnishings, one of the first to champion diversity on the runway and in advertising and the first to create immersive retail environments that transformed the shopping experience.
Born Ralph Lifshitz to Jewish immigrants from Belarus, Lauren, who is now 80, always had a keen awareness of his appearance and a natural affinity for putting himself together. “I always felt a little special about who I was,” he says with a smirk. Girls wanted to dance with him, and guys wanted to dress like him. In 1964, three years before Lauren started his own business, the trade paper Daily News Record featured him as a “dashing man about town,” highlighting the fact that he got all of his clothes custom-tailored. And boy, was he dashing, with thick eyebrows; a confident, cheeky stare; and a seemingly permanent tan. “His taste seems to be a season’s jump ahead of the market,” the article reads, next to a picture of Lauren with his shirt unbuttoned, pants riding high on his waist. “I just knew what I wanted,” Lauren adds.
The Ralph Lauren brand has transcended overall racial, and cultural barriers and has become a staple in all social circles. Everyone from hip-hop heads, Hampton socialites, and A-List celebrities wear the brand. Ralph Lifshitz did more than create a brand, he created a culture.