public traded as nyse rl s & p 500 component industry design predecessor polo ralph lauren corporation founded 1967 1967 founder ralph lauren headquarters new york city new york united states area served worldwide 1 key people ralph lauren chairman stefan larsson ceo products luxury clothing footwear fragrances housewares jewelry services tailoring revenue us 7 4 billion 2016 2 operating income us 794 million 2016 2 net income us 546 million 2016 2 total assets us 6 2 billion 2016 2 total equity us 3 8 billion 2016 2 number of employees 23 000 2014 3 subsidiaries club monaco corporation polo jeans company llc ralph lauren home collections inc. ralph lauren media llc ralph lauren watch and jewelry company s rl 50 % rl fragrances llc website ralphlauren.com ralph lauren corporation nyse rl is a global leader in the design marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories apparel home accessories and fragrances . for almost 50 years ralph lauren s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products brands and international markets . the company s brand names which include polo ralph lauren ralph lauren purple label ralph lauren collection lauren ralph lauren double rl ralph lauren childrenswear denim & supply ralph lauren chaps and club monaco constitute one of the world s most widely recognized families of consumer brands . according to a study conducted in january 2016 by millward brown their men s luxury is perceived as number one in power by the consumer and number three in premium women s luxury is number one in power and number seven in premium right behind louis vuitton polo is perceived as number one in power and number one in premium and women s lauren is number one in power and number one in premium . ralph lauren corporation is an american publicly traded holding company headquartered in new york city . ralph lauren corporation began with the 1967 founding of the polo ralph lauren company by american designer ralph lauren . contents 1 history 2 brands 3 stores 4 sports sponsorships 5 philanthropy 6 controversy 7 references 8 external links history edit polo ralph lauren the flagship brand of the company . the origins of the rl corporation began with men s ties polo ralph lauren in 1967 . the name polo was inspired by porfirio rubirosa the dominican diplomat playboy and polo player . 4 born in 1939 as ralph lifshitz he later changed his name to ralph lauren in the bronx new york to ashkenazi jewish parents from the soviet union belarus lauren pursued a career in menswear and had gained background working for datrian riser . he received a 50 000 loan to realize his vision for men s ties . by 1969 he had a boutique store within the manhattan department store bloomingdale s. around that same time he released a line of suits for women that were tailored in a classic men s style ; and first used the polo emblem on the cuff of the suit . in 1971 polo ralph lauren launched its first women s collection of apparel and the first stand alone store was opened in beverly hills california . the company entered the european market and went international in 1981 with the opening of a store on new bond street in the west end of london england . the polo sport line was introduced in 1993 . in 1997 the company went public on the new york stock exchange . by now the company was structured to operate as an umbrella for its brands and other ventures and would be named the ralph lauren corporation by the early 21st century . it was originally named polo ralph lauren corporation but in subsequent years clarification needed the polo in the name was dropped to reflect the company s presence in other concepts beyond the polo line . the original polo line remained as the flagship brand of the company . ralph lauren corporation also manages several other brands including ralph lauren black label ralph lauren purple label ralph lauren blue label lauren ralph lauren club monaco and chaps . the company launched its official web site and online shop in 2000 as polo.com by rl media a cooperation between ralph lauren and nbc . it introduced a more youthful line rugby ralph lauren in 2004 . by 2007 ralph lauren had over 35 boutiques in the united states and other international locations in london milan tokyo and moscow . also in that year ralph lauren corporation acquired the nbc share of rl media and the web site was relaunched as ralphlauren.com . by then company revenue reached us 4.2 billion . 5 in 2010 a ralph lauren store opened in paris . as of september 2013 update the organization has announced changing of its leadership team and the creation of the office of the chairman which will be led by ralph lauren . 6 on 19 september 2013 the company announnced that jackwyn l. nemerov will replace roger n. farah as the president and chief operations officer . 7 in february 2014 denise incandela former president of saks fifth avenue direct joined ralph lauren corporation as president of global digital and global e commerce . 8 later that year val rie hermann joined ralph lauren corporation as the lead in the luxury division . 9 wayne meichner president and chief operating officer of ralph left the company . 10 on 29 september 2015 it was announced that stefan larsson would replace the company s founder ralph lauren as ceo in november . lauren will stay on as executive chairman and chief creative officer . 11 12 brands edit ralph lauren corporation produces clothing accessories footwear fragrances and furniture all marketed under its portfolio of various brands . men s brands polo ralph lauren purple label lauren ralph lauren rlx launched in 2008 polo sport re introduced in 2015 rrl denim & supply also big & tall golf sportswear launched in 1998 13 and tennis sportswear . women s brands collection polo ralph lauren rlx launched in 2008 lauren ralph lauren denim & supply and golf and tennis sportswear . ralph lauren childrenswear baby ralph lauren ralph lauren home bedding and bath textiles and other home accessories . ralph lauren paints home interior paints and paint accessories . denim & supply ralph lauren home at australian department store david jones in sydney subsidiary fashion brands of ralph lauren corporation club monaco chaps american living retired lines black label rrl for women polo denim ralph lauren jeans co. ralph lauren collection classics blue label men s and women s rugby ralph lauren stores edit the ralph lauren flagship store occupying the rhinelander mansion on madison avenue in new york city ralph lauren store on madison avenue in new york city the company ended fiscal 2016 with 493 directly operated stores 144 ralph lauren stores 77 club monaco stores and 272 polo factory stores . the company also operated 583 concession shop locations worldwide at the end of the year . 14 children s clothing at department store smith & caughey s queen street in auckland new zealand in addition to company operated locations international licensing partners operated 93 ralph lauren stores and 42 dedicated shops as well as 133 club monaco stores and shops at the end of fiscal 2016 . ralph lauren operates its representative flagship stores in new york city on madison avenue for menswear in the former rhinelander mansion and for womenswear and home in another structure across the street which opened in 2010 . the company also manages flagships for retailing ralph lauren collections in chicago manhasset greenwich usa london milan tokyo moscow and paris . 15 sports sponsorships edit wimbledon in 2006 polo ralph lauren became the first official outfitter of wimbledon redesigning the outfits for ball boys and girls line and court judges . the wimbledon logo was adapted for this purpose . ralph lauren s polo brand and style was used and a range of clothing for men and women was launched on june 26 . 16 ten years later in 2016 they are still designing and developing their wimbledon collection and have stockists throughout london . 17 usta in 2005 polo ralph lauren and the usta signed a four year partnership making polo the official apparel sponsor of the us open throughout 2008 . all ball boys and girls and on court officials were dressed in specially designed ralph lauren apparel . 18 golf the company also sponsors us professional golfers webb simpson tom watson jonathan byrd davis love iii and luke donald ; as well as lpga golfer morgan pressel . 19 u.s. olympic team in april 2008 polo ralph lauren won the u.s. olympic contract to outfit the 2008 u.s. olympic team after roots canada announced april 7 2008 it would withdraw as the official clothing supplier for the organization . 20 21 in july 2009 ralph lauren and the u.s. olympic team announced they would continue their partnership for the 2010 winter olympics and the 2012 summer olympics . 22 the 2012 us olympic team uniforms for the opening ceremony of the london olympics were designed by ralph lauren . the uniforms were manufactured in china setting off a bipartisan backlash from the united states congress protesting american manufacturing not being showcased in america s greatest athletes . 23 on july 13 2012 six democratic u.s. senators announced they had co sponsored legislation to require the 2012 u.s. olympic team to wear american made uniforms . the co sponsors of the team usa made in america act of 2012 are senators robert menendez and frank r. lautenberg both of new jersey bob casey of pennsylvania sherrod brown of ohio and charles e. schumer and kirsten gillibrand of new york . 24 philanthropy edit 1989 co founded the nina hyde center for breast cancer research at georgetown university hospital in washington d.c. in memory of the late post fashion correspondent . 25 1994 ralph lauren acts as chairman and creates the name and symbol for fashion targets breast cancer a charitable initiative of the cfda that marshals the goodwill and services of the fashion industry to raise public awareness and funds for breast cancer internationally . 26 2000 ralph lauren corporation launches its volunteer program which energises employees and creates meaningful connections with the communities in which they work . 27 2000 on friday september 15th ralph lauren corporation launches the pink pony campaign a national initiative to reduce disparities in cancer care by raising awareness as well as enhancing prevention screening and treatment in poor and underserved communities . 28 2001 the polo ralph lauren foundation establishes the american heroes fund following september 11th to allow polo s 10 000 employees worldwide as well as their customers the opportunity to participate in the relief effort . 29 2003 ralph lauren supports to establish the ralph lauren center for cancer care and prevention in harlem . the center is a collaboration between ralph lauren memorial sloan kettering and north general hospital in harlem new york city . 30 2004 the polo fashion school is established in which company executives work with inner city youth to offer insights into the fashion business . 31 2006 established in 2006 the polo jeans g.i.v.e. get involved volunteer exceed campaign was created to inspire and encourage community service through volunteerism by supporting the efforts of dedicated volunteers and their causes . 32 2008 the star spangled banner the original 1813 flag that inspired francis scott key to write the national anthem was preserved by a 10 million contribution to save america s treasures from polo ralph lauren in 1998 . the flag was then unveiled on wednesday november 19 2008 in a new gallery at the smithsonian national museum of american history in washington d.c. 33 2013 ralph lauren corporation announced in july of 2013 its commitment