Week 3 EOC: Ralph Lauren

Discussion Questions

1.  1.  Ralph Lauren is not a traditional designer; he is a merchandiser. Lauren is the conceptual genius behind his brand, not the person who drafts patterns, sews strips of fabric, or sits behind the compute-aided design. As the king of merchandising he has total creative license to dream up ideas that influence his brand.

2.   2.Before Ralph Lauren worked for himself he worked for Brooks Brother in the late 1950s. In the 1960s he took a position with a Boston-based tie manufacturer. Working there gave him a chance to network in the New York garment industry. He learned early that building relationships was essential to creating his own brand.

3.     3.Ralph Lauren operates the following divisions under his name: Polo, Purple Label, Black Label, Blue Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Polo Denim, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, and Ralph Lauren Golf. Each label with its own target market from Purple and Black label being more for the wealthier and the Polo brands being more for the sporty. The labels are more homogenous even though each of the brands are slightly different Ralph Laurens target customer fits the different day to day activities the customer faces.

4.   4. My favorite division of Ralph Lauren is the Women’s Blue Label line. The style fits my lifestyle since it is casual yet refined with its rustic and toughness look.

5.    5.Ralph Lauren never changed his brand and stuck to what he wanted it to be and expanded it on popular movies and shows which carried interest into the style. Another famous designer that has done this is Coco Chanel like Ralph Lauren she picked a style that was different then anything else offered at the time and become a world wide sensation. 


exercise

Fashion designer Coco Chanel, born August 19, 1883, in Frnace, is famous for her timeless designs, trademark suits, and little black dresses. “Not only did she make “black” the black it is today, but she also created the wardrobe staple that none of us can live without- the little black dress!”Chanel was raised in an orphange which is where she was taught to sew.  She then moved on to tailoring clothes for military and society women.  With the help of some wealthy men in her life and good connections she started selling hats in 1910,. She later added stores in Deuville and Biarritz and begun making clothes. Her style was different from every other women she believed in comfort rather then the binding clothing most women wore.Her style was about simplicity and comfort and she told Harper's Bazaar in 1923 that "simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."She even decided that unlike most women she would make pants so she could ride a horse like a man. Which led to her first taste of success which was a dress made from old jersey to keep her warm on a chilly night. Coco was not afraid to be her self and to continue to do what she believed what was going to be the future for women. “A few years later she also introduced the now legendary Chanel suit with a collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of the then-popular fashions, she helped women say good-bye to the days of corsets and confining garments.” Her first clothing was very successful her sencond one did not do as well but she continued to do what she did best and it grew into the one of the worlds most known fashion houses. Her years of sewing and understanding how uncomfortable women’s clothing was is what gave her the experience to expand her into the future.