The World of Ralph Lauren
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of groups — three, four, or more men and women, girls and boys — dressed in
Ralph Lauren finery. The fragments are either close-ups of beautiful faces or snap
shots of accessories such as socks, shoes, ties.
From the obvious Polo logo to the “undercoded” tie or belt with no discemable
badge, the viewer and potential purchaser of virtually any product from the Ralph
Lauren universe is automatically a member of a manufactured-identity club. No
special signet ring, no embossed card, are necessary, for the wearing of Ralph
Lauren is entry and proof in itself that one is now part of a unique universe. One
has purchased the image of wealth, class and “the good life.” This is primarily
what is conveyed by the marketer’s imagination in the ads and in the created style
of Ralph Lauren. By purchasing the shirt, the scent, the shoes, one has entered the
exclusivity of the highest levels of society — at least symbolically and vicariously.
The world that Ralph Lauren creates is based on exclusivity yet, at the same
time, is meant to attract the masses. What most people who purchase the Lauren
lines of clothing and home decor want is, at the very least, the accouterments of
historically grounded symbols of class. Lauren’s advertising and imagery is di
rected towards this longing. Commodities of all kinds, from cars to watches, have
become vital in defining self-worth. Not possessing the right look can be detri
mental to one’s self-esteem, one’s career, and one’s love life (Luciano 9). Beyond
this very potent appeal, Lauren’s world is a form of fantasy fulfillment for many. It
harkens back to a mythologized sense of history, to an era when time stands still.
An advertisement that appeared in the New Yorker and in other magazines in 1998
solidifies this approach. Pictured in black and white is a stone mansion, a vintage
automobile, art deco furnishings, and walking sticks with silver handles. There is
an attempt within this and other ads to convey a sense of time-slowed down in an
effort to recapture the unhurried and leisured world of the country gentleman. The
images imply an individual who does not have to worry about rushing, but has the
power to slow down time, to stop it, to almost capture it. (See Figure 1)
In an ad campaign run in the mid 1980s, Ralph Lauren wrote in the text,
“There is a way of living that has a certain grace and beauty. It is not a constant
race for what is next, rather an appreciation of what has come before. There is a
depth and quality of experience of what is truly meaningful.... This is the quality
of life that I believe in” (Seabrook 51). This fragment says much about the ethos of
the Lauren ideal. “What has come before,” is a reference to history, to myth, to
tradition. This anachronistic approach to style allows the Lauren empire to capital
ize on diverse and deep associations with historical allusions. Designers, filmmak
ers and other purveyors of taste have often looked to the past for inspiration and,
more significantly, for authority. The power of the past to bestow influence is un
like any other force in lending legitimacy and status to something, especi