Ralph Lauren Corporation (Ralph Lauren) engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of luxury lifestyle products, including apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality.
Ralph Lauren has sought to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. The company's long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across a wide range of products, brands, distribution channels, and international markets.
The company diversifies...
Ralph Lauren Corporation (Ralph Lauren) engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of luxury lifestyle products, including apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality.
Ralph Lauren has sought to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. The company's long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across a wide range of products, brands, distribution channels, and international markets.
The company diversifies its business by geography (North America, Europe, and Asia, among other regions) and channel of distribution (retail, wholesale, and licensing). The company sells directly to consumers through its integrated retail channel, which includes its retail stores, concession-based shop-within-shops, and digital commerce operations around the world. The company's wholesale sales are made principally to major department stores, specialty stores, and third-party digital partners around the world, as well as to certain third-party-owned stores to which it has licensed the right to operate in defined geographic territories using its trademarks. In addition, the company licenses to third parties for specified periods the right to access its various trademarks in connection with the licensees' manufacture and sale of designated products, such as certain apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings.
The company organizes its business into the following three segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to these reportable segments, it also has other non-reportable segments.
The company's global reach is extensive, as it sells directly to customers throughout the world via its retail stores and 671 concession-based shop-within-shops, as well as through its own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. Merchandise is also available through its wholesale distribution channels at over 9,400 doors worldwide, the majority in specialty stores, as well as through the digital commerce sites of many of its wholesale customers. In addition to its directly-operated stores and shops, its international licensing partners operate 116 stores.
Next Generation Transformation Project
The company is in the early stages of executing a large-scale multi-year global project that is expected to significantly transform the way in which it operates its business and further enable its long-term strategic pivot toward a global direct-to-consumer-oriented model (the Next Generation Transformation project or NGT project). The NGT project will be completed in phases and involves the redesigning of certain end-to-end processes and the implementation of a suite of technology systems on a global scale. Such efforts are expected to result in significant process improvements and the creation of synergies across core areas of operations, including merchandise buying and planning, procurement, inventory management, retail and wholesale operations, and financial planning and reporting, better enabling the company to optimize inventory levels and increase the speed to which it can react to changes in consumer demand across markets, among other benefits.
Brands and Products
The company's products, which include apparel and footwear & accessories for men, women, and children, as well as its fragrance and home collections, together with its hospitality portfolio, comprise one of the most widely recognized families of consumer brands.
The company combines consumer insight with its design, marketing, and imaging skills to offer, along with its licensing alliances, broad lifestyle product collections with a unified vision:
Apparel - The company's apparel products include extensive collections of men's, women's, and children's clothing, which are sold under various brand names, including Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Double RL, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, RLX Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, and Chaps, among others.
Footwear & Accessories — The company’s range of footwear & accessories encompasses men's, women's, and children's, including casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, umbrellas, and leather goods, including handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts, which are sold under the company’s Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Double RL, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, RLX Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, and Chaps brands.
Fragrance — The company’s fragrance offerings capture the essence of Ralph Lauren's men's and women's brands with numerous labels, designed to appeal to a variety of audiences. Women's fragrance products are sold under the company’s Ralph Lauren Collection, Woman by Ralph Lauren, Romance Collection, and Ralph Collection. Men's fragrance products are sold under its Ralph's Club, Purple Label, Polo Blue, Polo Red, Polo Green, Polo Black, Polo 67, Safari, Polo Sport, and Big Pony Men's brands. The company’s fragrance offerings also include Polo Earth, a gender-neutral fragrance designed with sustainability in mind, made of 97% natural-origin ingredients.
Home — The company’s home collections, which are sold primarily under its Ralph Lauren, Polo, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, and Chaps brands, reflect the spirit of the Ralph Lauren lifestyle. The company’s range of home products includes bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wall coverings, lighting, dining, floor coverings, and giftware, among others.
Hospitality - Continuing to engage the company's consumers with experiential and unique expressions of the brand, its hospitality portfolio is a natural extension of the World of Ralph Lauren as expressed through the culinary arts. Ralph Lauren's global hospitality collection consist of its restaurants including The Polo Bar in New York City, RL Restaurant located in Chicago, Ralph's located in Paris, The Bar at Ralph Lauren located in Milan, Ralph's Bar located in Chengdu, China, and its Ralph's Coffee concept in various cities around the world.
The company's lifestyle brand image is reinforced by its distribution through its stores and concession-based shop-within-shops, its wholesale channels of distribution, its global digital commerce sites, and its Ralph Lauren restaurants and cafes. The company sells its products under the following key brand platforms:
Ralph Lauren Luxury — The company’s Luxury group includes:
Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Ralph Lauren Collection embodies the highest expression of chic, feminine glamour. Each piece is inspired by a vision of timeless luxury and modern elegance and is crafted with unparalleled passion and artistry. For men, Ralph Lauren Purple Label is the ultimate expression of luxury for the modern gentleman. Refined suitings are hand-tailored, including custom made-to-measure suits crafted in the time-honored traditions of Savile Row. Purple Label's sophisticated sportswear is designed with a meticulous attention to detail, capturing the elegance and ease of Ralph Lauren's signature, timeless style. Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label are made predominantly in Italy with the utmost attention to detail and quality and are available in select Ralph Lauren stores around the world, an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores, and online at the company’s Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Double RL: Named after Ralph Lauren's working cattle ranch in Colorado, Double RL is a tribute to America's pioneering spirit and tradition of rugged independence. The foundation of Double RL lies in timeless wardrobe staples for men and women, including authentic American made selvedge denim, military-grade chinos, tube-knit t-shirts, thermals, and flannels. Beyond these iconic styles are added seasonal vintage-inspired collections, along with a full collection of footwear & accessories, including quality belts, bags, and leather goods. Double RL is available at Double RL stores, at select Ralph Lauren stores, and an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores around the world, as well as online at the company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Ralph Lauren Home: Ralph Lauren Home represents a full expression of modern luxury - style is a life well-lived. Based on an immersive design ethos, the collection includes furniture, lighting, bed and bath linens, tabletop, decorative accessories and gifts, as well as fabric, wallcoverings, and floorcoverings. Each piece is crafted with the greatest attention to detail. Ralph Lauren Home offers exclusive luxury goods at select Ralph Lauren stores and select wholesale partners, home specialty stores, trade showrooms, and online at the company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce site, RalphLauren.com.
Ralph Lauren Watches and Jewelry: The company offers a premier collection of Swiss-made timepieces, which embody Ralph Lauren's passion for impeccable quality and exquisite design. The company also offers premium collections of jewelry, which capture the glamour and craftsmanship of Ralph Lauren's most luxurious designs, from everyday collections to the most refined and precious materials. Ralph Lauren watches and jewelry are available online at RalphLauren.com, at select Ralph Lauren stores, and a few of the finest watch and jewelry retailers around the world.
Polo Ralph Lauren — The Polo Ralph Lauren group includes:
Polo Ralph Lauren: Men's Polo combines Ivy League classics and time-honored English haberdashery with downtown styles and all-American sporting looks in sportswear and tailored clothing. Women's Polo represents the epitome of classic and iconic American style with a modern and cool twist. Polo's signature aesthetic includes the company's renowned polo player logo. Polo Sport reflects the active lifestyle and youthful energy of Polo's sporting roots through Men's and Women's activewear. Men's and Women's Polo apparel and footwear & accessories are available in Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department and specialty stores, and online at the company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Polo Ralph Lauren Children: Polo Ralph Lauren Children is designed to reflect the timeless heritage and modern spirit of Ralph Lauren's collections for men and women. Signature classics include iconic polo knit shirts and luxurious cashmere cable-knit sweaters. Polo Ralph Lauren Children is available in a full range of sizes, from baby to girls 2-16 and boys 2-20. Polo Ralph Lauren Children can be found in select Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department stores, and online at the company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com, as well as certain of its retail partners' digital commerce sites.
RLX Ralph Lauren: RLX is the leading edge of Ralph Lauren's performance and activewear. Comprises functional apparel that address the performance needs of a modern active lifestyle, RLX includes men's and women's apparel and accessories that represent Ralph Lauren's belief that things that are purposefully designed and made of the highest quality achieve a timeless elegance.
Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren Golf: Tested and worn by top-ranked professional golfers, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren Golf for men and women define excellence in the world of golf. With a sharpened focus on the needs of the modern player but rooted in the rich design tradition of Ralph Lauren, the Golf collections combine state-of-the-art performance wear with luxurious finishing touches. The company's Golf collections are available in select Ralph Lauren stores, exclusive private clubs and resorts, and online at RalphLauren.com.
Pink Pony: The Pink Pony campaign is the company's worldwide initiative in the fight against cancer. In the U.S., a percentage of sales from Pink Pony products benefit the Pink Pony Fund of The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation, which supports cancer-related programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment, and research, and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities. Internationally, a network of local cancer charities around the world benefit from the sale of Pink Pony products. Pink Pony consists of dual gender sportswear and accessories. Pink Pony items feature the company's iconic pink polo player - a symbol of its commitment to the fight against cancer. Pink Pony is available at select Ralph Lauren stores and online at the company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. Pink Pony is also available at select Macy's stores and online at Macys.com.
Lauren Ralph Lauren — The company’s Lauren group includes:
Lauren Ralph Lauren: Lauren for women combines aspirational timeless style with modern femininity in a lifestyle collection of sportswear, denim, and dresses, as well as footwear & accessories. Lauren for women is available in select department stores around the world and online at select digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Lauren Home: Lauren Home collection includes accessibly-priced, timeless bath and bedding collections, as well as fabric and wall coverings, lighting, dining, and floor coverings, among others. The collection is built upon an assortment of essentials that is designed to be mixed with seasonal updates, all rooted in the brand's classic style.
Chaps - Chaps celebrates real American style, delivering classic collections updated for modern lifestyles for men, women, children and home. The modern lifestyle collection offers versatile sportswear, workday essentials, tailored clothing, and occasion dresses that are wearable from season to season. Chaps is available in select department stores and retail partners' digital commerce sites across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Segments
The company operates through three segments: North America, Europe, and Asia.
North America - The company's North America segment, representing approximately 43% of its Fiscal 2025 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of its Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear & accessories, home, and related products made through its retail and wholesale businesses primarily in the U.S. and Canada. In North America, the company's retail business is primarily consists of its Ralph Lauren stores, its outlet stores, and its digital commerce sites, www.RalphLauren.com and www.RalphLauren.ca. The company's wholesale business in North America is comprised primarily of sales to department stores and, to a lesser extent, specialty stores.
Europe - The company's Europe segment, representing approximately 31% of its Fiscal 2025 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of its Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear & accessories, home, and related products made through its retail and wholesale businesses in Europe and emerging markets. In Europe, the company's retail business is primarily comprises its Ralph Lauren stores, its outlet stores, its concession-based shop-within-shops, and its various digital commerce sites. The company's wholesale business in Europe consists primarily of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country, as well as to various third-party digital and licensee partners.
Asia - The company's Asia segment, representing approximately 24% of its Fiscal 2025 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of its Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear & accessories, home, and related products made through its retail and wholesale businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The company's retail business in Asia is primarily consists of its Ralph Lauren stores, its outlet stores, its concession-based shop-within-shops, and its various digital commerce sites. In addition, the company sells its products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites. The company's wholesale business in Asia is comprised primarily of sales to department stores and various third-party digital and licensee partners.
Retail Business
The company's retail business sells directly to customers throughout the world via its retail stores and concession-based shop-within-shops, totaling approximately 4.1 million and 0.7 million square feet, respectively, as well as through its own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. The company operates its business using a global omni-channel retailing strategy that seeks to deliver an integrated shopping experience with a consistent message of its brands and products to its customers, regardless of whether they are shopping for its products in physical stores or online. The company also continues to scale and expand its Connected Retail capabilities to enhance the consumer experience, which include virtual selling appointments, Endless Aisle, Buy Online-Ship from Store, Buy Online-Pick Up in Store, and mobile checkout and contactless payments, among other capabilities.
Ralph Lauren Stores
The company's Ralph Lauren stores feature a broad range of apparel, footwear & accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments in an atmosphere reflecting the distinctive attitude and image of the Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Double RL brands, including exclusive merchandise that is not sold in department stores. The company's Ralph Lauren stores are primarily situated in major upscale street locations and upscale regional malls, generally in large urban markets.
In addition to generating sales of its products, the company's worldwide Ralph Lauren stores establish, reinforce, and capitalize on the image of its brands. The company's Ralph Lauren stores range in size from approximately 400 to 37,900 square feet.
Outlet Stores
The company extends its reach to additional consumer groups through its outlet stores worldwide, which are principally located in major outlet centers. The company's worldwide outlet stores offer selections of its apparel, footwear & accessories, and fragrances. In addition to these product offerings, certain of the company's worldwide outlet stores offer home product assortments.
The company's outlet stores range in size from approximately 1,1000 to 28,300 square feet. Outlet stores obtain products from the company's suppliers, its product licensing partners, and its other retail stores and digital commerce operations, and also serves as a secondary distribution channel for its excess and out-of-season products.
Concession-based Shop-within-Shops
The size of the company's concession-based shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 100 to 5,500 square feet.
Directly-Operated Digital Commerce Websites
In addition to its stores, the company's retail business sells products online in North America, Europe, and Asia through its various directly-operated digital commerce sites, which include www.RalphLauren.com, among others. The company continues to expand accessibility to its digital flagships globally while localizing language, currencies, payment methods, product assortments, and content. The company also sells its products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites, primarily in Asia, as well as through its Ralph Lauren app in the U.S.
The company's Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites offer its customers access to a broad array of Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Polo, and Lauren apparel, footwear & accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments, and reinforce the luxury image of its brands. While investing in digital commerce operations remains a primary focus, it is an extension of the company's investment in the integrated omni-channel strategy used to operate its overall retail business, in which its digital commerce operations are interdependent with its physical stores.
Wholesale Business
The company's wholesale business sells its products globally primarily to major department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops, as well as to various third-party digital partners. The company has continued to focus on elevating its brand by improving in-store product assortment and presentation, as well as full-price sell-throughs to consumers. As of the end of Fiscal 2025, the company's wholesale products were sold through over 9,400 doors worldwide, with the majority in specialty stores. The company's products are also increasingly being sold through the digital commerce sites of many of its traditional wholesale customers and its third-party digital partners.
The primary product offerings sold through the company's wholesale channels of distribution include apparel, footwear & accessories, and home product assortments. The company's luxury brands, including Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label, are distributed worldwide through a limited number of premier fashion retailers. In North America, the company's wholesale business comprises primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. In Europe, the company's wholesale business is comprised primarily of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country, as well as to various third-party digital partners. In Asia, the company's wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores and various third-party digital partners. The company also distributes its wholesale products to certain licensed stores operated by its partners in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and emerging markets.
The company sells most of its excess and out-of-season products through secondary distribution channels worldwide, including its retail outlet stores.
Worldwide Wholesale Distribution Channels
In addition to its conventional wholesale doors, the company's products are increasingly being sold through the websites of many of its traditional wholesale customers, as well as those of its third-party digital partners. As of March 29, 2025, the company's wholesale business served approximately 120 third-party digital partners, primarily in Europe.
The company has three key wholesale customers that generate significant sales volume. During Fiscal 2025, sales to the company's three largest wholesale customers accounted for approximately 12% of its total net revenues. Approximately 70% of sales to its three largest wholesale customers related to its North America segment and approximately 30% related to its Europe segment.
The company's products are sold primarily by its own sales forces. The company's wholesale business maintains its primary showrooms in New York City, as well as regional showrooms in London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, and Stockholm. In addition, the company utilizes virtual showrooms, allowing its customers to experience and discover its product assortments in a retail setting remotely.
Shop-within-Shops: As a critical element of its distribution to department stores, the company and its licensing partners utilize shop-within-shops to enhance brand recognition, to permit more complete merchandising of its lines by the department stores, and to differentiate the presentation of its products.
The size of the company's shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 80 to 9,200 square feet. Shop-within-shop fixed assets primarily include items such as customized freestanding fixtures, wall cases and components, decorative items, and flooring.
Replenishment Program: Core products such as knit shirts, chino pants, oxford cloth shirts, select footwear & accessories, and home products can be ordered by the company's wholesale customers at any time through its replenishment program. The company generally ships these products within two to five days of order receipt.
Licensing Business
Through licensing alliances, the company combines its consumer insight, design, and marketing skills with the specific product or geographic competencies of its licensing partners to create and build new businesses. The company generally seeks out licensing partners who are leaders in their respective markets, contribute the majority of product development costs, provide the operational infrastructure required to support the business, and own the inventory. The company's licensing business has been aggregated with other non-reportable segments.
Product Licensing
The company grants its product licensees the right to access its various trademarks in connection with the licensees' manufacture and sale of designated products, such as certain apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings. Each product licensing partner pays the company royalties based upon its sales of its products, generally subject to a minimum royalty requirement for the right to use its trademarks and design services. In addition, the company's licensing partners may be required to allocate a portion of their revenues to advertising its products and sharing in the creative costs associated with these products. Larger allocations typically are required in connection with launches of new products or in new territories.
The company works closely with all of its licensing partners to ensure that their products are developed, marketed, and distributed to reach the intended consumer and are presented consistently across product categories to convey the distinctive identity and lifestyle associated with its brands. Virtually all aspects of the design, production quality, packaging, merchandising, distribution, advertising, and promotion of Ralph Lauren products are subject to the company's prior approval and continuing oversight. The company performs a broader range of services for most of its Ralph Lauren Home licensing partners than it does for its other licensing partners, including design, operating showrooms, marketing, and advertising.
International Licensed Distribution
The company's international licensing partners acquire the right to sell, promote, market, and/or distribute various categories of its products in a given geographic area and source products from it, product licensing partners, and/or independent sources. International licensees' rights may include the right to own and operate retail stores. As of March 29, 2025, its international licensing partners operated various stores.
Digital Ecosystem
Investing in the company's digital ecosystem remains a primary focus and is a key component of its integrated global omni-channel strategy that spans across owned and partnered channels, both physical and digital. The company's digital ecosystem consists of directly-operated platforms, wholesale partner websites, third-party digital pure players, social commerce, and third-party gaming platforms.
The company's directly-operated digital commerce sites and mobile application represent its digital flagships, featuring the most elevated expression of its brands. The strategy for these digital flagships is to deliver distinct and immersive brand experiences, continuously enhance consumer experience, and develop digital content that drives deeper consumer engagement and conversion. The company continues to optimize its customer experience globally with the introduction of numerous features, including new payment methods and improved search capabilities, as well as greater personalization and enhanced content. In conjunction with introducing new features, the company has focused on foundational needs ranging from platform enhancements to technology solutions to operational efficiencies. Driving its long-term growth strategy, the company also continues to scale and expand its Connected Retail capabilities to enhance the consumer experience and leverage inventory across direct-to-consumer channels, which include Online Appointment Bookings, Digital Clienteling, Endless Aisle, Buy Online-Ship from Store, Buy Online-Pick up In Store, Same-Day Delivery, and Mobile Point of Sale and contactless payments, among other capabilities.
The company's products are also sold through the digital commerce sites of many of its wholesale customers across the globe. With all partners in the company's ecosystem, it seeks to showcase the brand consistently with its values. The company collaborates with its key wholesale customers to deliver the right content to the right audience, and leverage consumer insights to develop a holistic, channel-agnostic view of its consumer.
The company also sells its products online through various third-party digital pure-play sites to reach a broader audience of consumers, including younger consumers, and amplify its brand messages. On many of these sites, the company has created digital shop-in-shop environments with a consistent brand experience, tailored product stories, and an assortment that is carefully curated by its merchants. The company also partners closely with its pure-play customers on marketing content and events, as well as optimizing search and other data analyses to drive higher traffic and conversion for its brands.
In connection with its digital commerce operations, the company engages consumers through various digital and social media platforms, which are supported through its collaboration with influencers who have an authentic connection to its brand. Ralph Lauren brands are also represented in several mixed reality and gaming platforms, providing digital apparel offerings and virtual brand experiences that attract younger consumers.
Seasonality
The company's business is typically affected by seasonal trends, with higher levels of retail sales in its second and third fiscal quarters (year ended March 29, 2025) and higher wholesale sales in its second and fourth fiscal quarters. These trends result primarily from the timing of key vacation travel, back-to-school, and holiday shopping periods impacting the company's retail business and timing of seasonal wholesale shipments. As a result of changes in the company's business, consumer spending patterns, and the macroeconomic environment, including those resulting from pandemic diseases and other catastrophic events, historical quarterly operating trends and working capital requirements may not be indicative of its future performance.
Marketing and Advertising
The company's marketing and advertising programs communicate the themes and images of its brands and are integral to the success of its product offerings. The majority of the company's advertising programs are created and executed by its in-house creative and advertising agency to ensure consistency of presentation, which are complemented by its marketing experts in each region who help to execute its localized strategies.
The company creates distinctive image advertising for its brands, conveying the particular message of each one within the context of the overall Ralph Lauren portfolio. Advertisements often portray a lifestyle rather than a specific item and may include a variety of products offered by the company and, in some cases, its licensing partners. The company's communication campaigns are increasingly being executed through digital and social media platforms to drive further engagement with the younger consumer. The company also continues to advertise through print and outdoor media, and, to a lesser extent, through television and cinema.
The company's digital advertising programs focus on high impact and innovative digital media outlets, which allow it to convey its key brand messages and lifestyle positioning. The company also develops digital editorial initiatives that allow for deeper education and engagement around the Ralph Lauren lifestyle. The company deploys these marketing and advertising initiatives through online, mobile, video, email, and social media. The company's digital commerce sites present the Ralph Lauren lifestyle online, while offering a broad array of its apparel, footwear & accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality product lines.
Additionally, the company advertises in consumer and trade publications and participates in cooperative advertising on a shared cost basis with some of its wholesale and licensing partners. The company has outdoor advertising placements in key cities as well, focusing on impact and reach. It also provides point-of-sale fixtures and signage to its wholesale customers to enhance the presentation of its products at their retail locations. In addition, when its licensing partners are required to spend an amount equal to a percentage of their licensed product sales on advertising, in certain cases it coordinates the advertising placement on their behalf.
The company also conducts a variety of public relations activities, including fashion presentations in major cities such as New York City and Milan. Such fashion events, in addition to celebrity dressing occasions including those related to red carpet events, weddings, and major sporting events and events hosted in its stores and restaurants, including The Polo Bar in New York City, generate extensive domestic and international media and social coverage.
The company is the official outfitter for all on-court officials at the Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Australian Open tennis tournaments. These tournaments provide worldwide exposure for the company’s brand in a relevant lifestyle environment. The company continues to be an Official Outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, providing the Opening and Closing Ceremony uniform apparel and a collection of Villagewear apparel and accessories available to men, women, and children, with the right to manufacture, distribute, advertise, promote, and sell products in the U.S. Most recently, the company dressed Team USA for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, and it will be dressing the team for the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan in 2026, and the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. As part of its involvement with Team USA, the company has established a partnership with athletes serving as brand ambassadors and as the faces of its advertising, marketing, and public relations campaigns. The company is also an Official Partner for the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America and the Official Outfitter of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, as well as a partner of the American Junior Golf Association. The company sponsors a roster of professional golfers, including Andrea Lee, Billy Horschel, Davis Love III, Devon Bling, Doc Redman, Jonathan Byrd, Megha Ganne, Nick Watney, Sean Foley, Smylie Kaufman, Todd Anderson, Tom Watson, Trevor Werbylo, Troy Taylor II, Tyler Strafaci, and Zach Johnson.
Distribution
To facilitate global distribution, the company's products are shipped from manufacturers to a network of distribution centers around the world for inspection, sorting, packing, and delivery to its retail locations and digital commerce and wholesale customers.
Wholesale Credit Control
The company manages its own credit function. The company sells its merchandise principally to major department stores, specialty stores, and third-party digital partners, and extend credit based on an evaluation of the wholesale customer's financial capacity and condition, usually without requiring collateral. The company monitors credit levels and the financial condition of its wholesale customers on a continuing basis to minimize credit risk.
Trademarks
The company owns the RALPH LAUREN, POLO, POLO RALPH LAUREN, and the famous Polo Player Design trademarks in the U.S. and over 120 countries worldwide. Other trademarks that it owns include, but are not limited to: PURPLE LABEL; DOUBLE RL; RRL & DESIGN; RLX; RL; LAUREN RALPH LAUREN; PINK PONY; LAUREN; RALPH; POLO BEAR; and CHAPS.
Mr. Ralph Lauren has the royalty-free right to use as trademarks RALPH LAUREN, DOUBLE RL, and RRL in perpetuity in connection with, among other things, beef and living animals. The trademarks DOUBLE RL and RRL are used by the Double RL Company, an entity wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren. In addition, Mr. R. Lauren has the right to engage in personal projects involving film or theatrical productions (not including or relating to its business) through RRL Productions, Inc., a company wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren.
Government Regulations
The company is subject to other international trade agreements, such as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and other special trade preference programs. A portion of the company's imported products are eligible for certain of these duty-advantaged programs.
Apparel and other products sold by the company is the under the jurisdiction of multiple governmental agencies, including, in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Customs & Border Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The company's products are also subject to regulation in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which relate principally to product labeling, licensing requirements, and consumer product safety requirements and regulatory testing, particularly with respect to products used by children.
The company is also subject to disclosure and reporting requirements, established under existing or new federal or state laws, such as the requirements to identify the origin and existence of certain conflict minerals under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and disclosures of specific actions to eradicate abusive labor practices in its supply chain under the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.
History
Ralph Lauren Corporation was founded in 1967. The company was incorporated in 1997.
