The latest issue of
Fortune Magazine features
Ralph Lauren, the man behind the billion dollar fashion empire. After reading the article, I came away with a few tidbits about this fashion mogul and world-wide brand:
Ralph Lauren was actually born with the name Ralph Lifshitz
- He doesn't know how to sketch and never attended fashion school
- Growing up in Brooklyn, Ralph Lauren actually wanted to be a movie star or ballplayer
- Polo's stock (RL) was added to the S & P 500 index last February
In February 2008 Ralph Lauren is planning to launch an in-house brand for J.C. Penney. This brand is named "American Living" and is targeting the 14-29 demographic. Some analysts say that
Ralph Lauren may be getting off his high-horse when "less-than-Preakness-quality" brands are brought in.
What do you think? Should Ralph Lauren just stick with the brands he already has or do you think partnering with J.C. Penney may dilute the brand?
