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Informationen zum Autor Jane O'Connor; Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi Klappentext The polo player with the raised mallet-everyone knows the Ralph Lauren logo. Learn the amazing story of the man who is a true American fashion icon. Born in the Bronx, even as a teenager Ralph Lauren was known for his distinctive fashion sense, having a taste for both classic preppy clothes and vintage looks like beat-up leather jackets. He got his start in the fashion business by selling ties that he designed. From ties he went on to create a global fashion empire. In this easy-to-read biography, best-selling author and Who Was? creator Jane O'Connor explains exactly how a fashion line is created-from first drawings to models strutting on the runway. Who Is Ralph Lauren? Growing up in the 1950s, Ralph loved going to the movies. For him, it was like entering another world, one that was completely different from the Bronx neighborhood in New York City where he lived. When they were old enough, Ralph and his friends would go by themselves to the Paradise Theatre. It seemed like a palace, with seats for four thousand people, marble columns, statues everywhere, a grand staircase, and even a fountain with goldfish swimming in it. The movies were often action-packed war stories, or Westerns with famous stars like John Wayne. For Ralph, seeing a movie wasn’t just about watching an exciting story unfold on a big screen. He could actually picture himself in the movie. He was John Wayne, riding off to catch the bad guys, wearing a cowboy hat, chaps, and dust-covered boots. Although Ralph’s family wasn’t poor, his parents didn’t have a lot of money to buy their kids new clothes. The youngest of four children, Ralph often wore hand-me-downs from his older brother Jerry. Jerry was Ralph’s idol and best friend. So Ralph didn’t mind. He felt comfortable in clothes that already had been broken in for him. It made him feel cool to put on something like an old team jacket of Jerry’s. Of course, Ralph also wanted to choose his own clothes. And by the time he was a teenager, he already had a clear sense of his own style. He didn’t dress like his friends. Most of them wore white T-shirts and jeans. They wanted to look like Elvis Presley, who was the hottest rock star of the 1950s. Not Ralph. He’d save up for a V-necked tennis sweater or a pair of tweed shorts. He looked like he belonged on the campus of Harvard or Yale rather than in the school yard. Did other kids think this was weird? No. In fact, just the opposite. They thought Ralph was cool. As he grew older, Ralph began to think that a lot of other guys might want to dress the way he did. So in his late twenties, he began designing ties. They were wider and cooler than the drab ties men wore in the mid-1960s. Ralph had the ties made by hand. Then he went around with a box of ties, trying to get stores to sell them. Have you heard of Ralph Lauren (say: LOR-en)? Even if you don’t recognize his name, certainly you know his company. The logo is a polo player on horseback, holding a raised mallet. Ralph started with ties, but fifty years later, his company designs much more than clothes for men, women, and children. There are Ralph Lauren sheets and towels, furniture, and fragrances. You can buy Ralph Lauren watches, sunglasses, handbags, underwear, suitcases, chocolate bars, and coffee. There is even a line of Ralph Lauren house paint, which offers thousands of colors, including fifty-one shades of white. What do all these different things have in common? They share Ralph Lauren’s unique sense of taste and style . Everything he designs is something he would want to own himself. Through hard work, lots of imagination, and a strong belief in himself, Ralph Lauren has created a multibillion-dollar fashion empire. His story is a v...
