After his 12th CFDA award, what makes Ralph Lauren such an icon of American fashion?

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0:40Glossy Podcast Host: Hello, and welcome back to the Glossy Podcast. I am your host, senior fashion reporter, Danny Parisi, and I'm here with our international reporter, Zofia Zviglinska. Hello, Zofia.

0:50Ralph Lauren: Hi, everyone. How is everyone doing?

0:52Glossy Podcast Host: I'm good. Thank you for being here. And we also, of course, have our editor-in-chief, Jill Manoff. Hello, Jill.

0:58Ralph Lauren: Good morning.

0:59Glossy Podcast Host: How are you this morning?

1:01Ralph Lauren: Good. Apparently I have the giggles. We've had a couple of false starts this morning.

1:06Glossy Podcast Host: To redo the intro a couple of times. It's contagious. But today we are discussing the man, the myth, the legend, Ralph Lauren, who at the CFDA Awards this week won his 12th overall CFDA Award. and I believe his third menswear designer of the year award, making him the most decorated American designer at the ceremony. Actually, I have a quote from the New York Times that kind of lays it out. It was Lauren's 12th CFDA award, including two other menswear awards, two womenswear awards. One was just last year, a Lifetime Achievement Award, a Fashion Legend Award, and the CFDA Members Salute. And those last two were basically created for him because he'd won all the other ones.

1:48Glossy Podcast Host: So he is easily the most decorated American designer in CFDA's history. They also had the company, Ralph Lauren, had their earnings Thursday morning. We're recording this right after, so they're fresh, and showed continued and significant growth internationally, nationally, like everywhere you would like to see growth. So Ralph the man is killing it. Ralph the company is killing it. And we thought we would discuss why Ralph Lauren has been so dominant for so long and so kind of inimitable. And also we will probably touch on all sorts of other things, but the state of like American fashion and who his competition is and why it seems a little skimpy, all sorts of other things.

2:32Glossy Podcast Host: So where do you guys want to start? What do you think it is that makes Ralph Lauren so vital even after many years? The company has been around since the 60s. Ralph Lauren himself is still there designing. He's stepped back from some other roles. He's not CEO anymore, but he's still creatively involved at 87 years old. Jill, do you want to start? What do you think it is about Ralph Lauren, the man, and Ralph Lauren, the company?

2:57Ralph Lauren: Well, I gave it some thought. I do think so much of what every brand is going for today, it's just that comes naturally. Obviously, you've got the authenticity after decades of doing it, and at the same time, making it feel fresh. I would owe it recent success, last 10 years. A lot has been driven by the CEO, Patrice Louvet.

3:22Glossy Podcast Host: Patrice Louvet, yep.

3:23Ralph Lauren: My gosh. So we can talk about his kind of transformation plan. It's really working. There was a lot of talk about it on this morning's earnings, which I know we're going to get to it. But I listened to an old podcast with Oprah. She used the word integrity. I definitely think the word authenticity that I already said. and really this kind of, you want to say like American dream story. Like everybody, if you kind of dig in a little bit, you know that he was a kid from the Bronx who, a Jewish kid from the Bronx, he kind of just started in ties. And this world that he has built, again, speaking of very like buzzword or timely trends, lifestyle from the cafes and the restaurants to the many brands under one house.

4:08Ralph Lauren: He wrote a new playbook. And recently I was talking to the guys at Huckberry and they were talking about the Aritzia model of building a house of brands. And in my head, I was like, Ralph Lauren model. But I really just think a lot of successful companies that are doing that are really like he did it first. It reads as authentic. When he came out with a double RL brand that's very popular and resonating. I think that's especially kind of cool right now. There was a quote out there that he said, like, this is my closet. This is what I wear. And I we can go I'm talking too much. We can go on. But I always think about that quote, which I mentioned to you guys where he was doing an interview back in the day, wearing like a flannel that he got from Kmart.

4:52Ralph Lauren: And he was like, so like, he's just so cool. Anyway, and it's authentic. It's authentic.

4:58Glossy Podcast Host: Well, I'll say my like kind of big overarching piece because it kind of overlaps with yours. And then I want to hear Zofia's and then we can go into some more details. But it really is interesting to me. Like I have talked on this podcast about how a lot of like menswear fashion advice, especially if you're kind of new to getting into fashion and you want to dress better, it's like go on eBay, search vintage Ralph Lauren and just buy whatever's there. And if you do, it's interesting to see that like vintage Ralph Lauren stuff from the 70s kind of looks very similar to stuff that's coming out from Ralph ralph lauren now but not in a bad way like the the fit gets updated a little bit to be more modern but the core is so consistent and it's kind of like i think one thing i think the company and the man ralph lauren both do very well is like they do so much different they do so many different things they do so many different categories and i've never once seen anything with the ralph lauren logo on it that I felt didn't fit, like didn't fit in with their, their vibe and their aesthetic.

6:00Glossy Podcast Host: Like even when they're trying new things, I feel like they always kind of nail this like very classic, like they make everything feel classic. Um, and I'm trying not to just like blow smoke here, but I do feel like that's something that even the best other brands like make missteps. And I'm sure Ralph Lauren has made missteps that I'm not thinking of, but I feel like I've never seen something and been like, what the hell are they thinking? That does not like match the vibe. I feel like they have such a clear vibe. It's very strong. It's very consistent over decades, even as they're trying new things and changing it up.

6:32Glossy Podcast Host: So that's one of the things I think is a strength.

6:34Ralph Lauren: Yeah, and they use the word timeless a lot. And I would agree. And they talk vocally about they vocalize that they don't play in trends. That's not what they do. Anyway, go ahead, Sophia. Yeah, no, I mean, I'm always looking at it, obviously, from that international perspective. and Ralph Lauren is kind of, I guess it's like he's gone from also being the brand that I've seen the most in outlets to, you know, the Ralph Lauren store where every single kind of surface, as you said, is almost like branded with this like English sporting life, like Ivy League dress. It's like Hollywood glamour with like some of the more tailoring bits and the tuxedos and then like the American West.

7:20Ralph Lauren: And it's almost like going from room to room, you get a little different part of the Ralph Lauren aesthetic. And I think the stores in general, both like kind of globally, but also I guess like the way they're presented as such a key part of why Ralph has endured for so long. Like I don't know many other stores that are doing such intense kind of storytelling and merchandising like within the store itself. And it's so consistent. It's the same as the stores, as the clothes, like the ideas for Ralph are basically the same, like year on year. I think people like that consistency. Yes. And somebody was comparing their stores to like a movie set.

8:01Ralph Lauren: And if you look, listen to old interviews with Ralph Lauren, he talks about how much he loves the movies, which is so interesting. And they also owe their access recently in recent interviews to, like you said, Zofia, not only the storytelling, but they talk a lot about their styling, styling of clothing and how that inspires people to shop now. And maybe they can see it where themselves wearing it in many different ways and in the future. And they really take care. And I wasn't going to mention this, but it comes to mind right now. It's interesting because that's probably, it seems to be seeped into the company and their workers.

8:36Ralph Lauren: I am sure you guys have mentioned or talked to a lot of alums from the company that they take the same care in their own, their work now or their brand. I think of Todd Snyder. You see how everything is meticulous, really thought out in terms of what is the brand, what's not the brand. Even like, I mean, it's a candle company that's moved into housewares that actually, anyway, I'm thinking of Preston Conrad who started the Preston Lane company. He's a Ralph Lauren alum. He really helped to, we can talk about Ralph Lauren Christmas. He really helped to make that a moment last year or the year before.

9:13Ralph Lauren: And anyway, it's how they dress. It's how they present their own brand. It sticks with you. But I think that like if you worked at Ralph Lauren, this is a little off topic. You probably went to the best kind of schooling in terms of building a brand. Like you got the school. You got the education. Yeah.

9:34Glossy Podcast Host: I'm glad also, Zofia, that you mentioned the stores because I love going into the big Ralph Lauren star downtown in Manhattan. And I like every time I'm in there, I'm like, I want to live in this store. Like, it's so it just feels so and you're and what you're saying about one section is like more like American Southwest and other sections more New England. And it's like it kind of all fits though. Like it doesn't feel disjointed or or like contradictory. And Jill, to your point about recent success, I'm just going to mention a couple of quick like figures from their earnings this morning, Thursday morning, which is when we're recording this.

10:09Glossy Podcast Host: But revenue as a whole up 10 % year on year. North America revenue up 6%. Europe revenue up 3%, which I think Europe has been sort of weak for a lot of luxury brands. Asia revenue, 28 % growth. And I think particularly China has been super strong. And then one number that I thought was super interesting, because we're talking about how they've got this great legacy and been around for such a long time they said 1.7 million new consumers in the direct-to-consumer business like new people who have never bought Ralph Lauren before or at least not through the direct channels I thought that was interesting because it is it's not just like the same people who have been wearing Ralph Lauren for a long time it's like new people are they're bringing in new customers and new business all the time too yes I thought that was a really interesting figure actually I

10:54Ralph Lauren: think that I want to kind of negate that point I don't think it's new customers I think Ralph Lauren is one of the few brands that really does have a very strong like resale secondhand like people know the brand from outlets and things and like I think that a lot of those people who'd be coming into Ralph Lauren like as a new customer will probably know it before and I think it's also interesting how this is also one of the few brands that really kind of pushes into their own archive but also like their resale I know that we were talking about it before but like what they've been doing in Tokyo, like over the last couple of weeks with the vintage fair, I think that that's something that, you know, brings in customers who are such loyalists and they may never have bought from, you know, the brand right now, maybe even haven't touched the DTC website, you know, over the last couple of years, but they are keen, keen Ralph Laurenites, if that's the right way to say it.

11:52Ralph Lauren: Yeah, I like that. And I think if they are new, they did relate it to in the earnings to the opening of stores. They mentioned that they opened 22 stores and it speaks to the power of the store that we were just talking about. So if people hadn't been in one before, you're just inspired to, again, buy a teddy bear sweater or buy whatever it is. I mean, they probably have a lot of opportunity to attract new customers if they're counting people who are going to buy a coffee at their cafe.

12:23Glossy Podcast Host: Yes. Which I have been in Manhattan and looking for a coffee shop and seen like on my GPS, like, oh, there's a place called Ralph's around the corner and get there. And it's Ralph Lauren. I did not realize it, but the coffee shop is nice.

12:36Ralph Lauren: And everyone's doing that now too. So definitely it makes sense to get people into the store.

12:43Glossy Podcast Host: On that note, I wanted to talk about the like portfolio of brands of Ralph Lauren, because I think that's interesting. And we talk a lot on this podcast about an American counterpart to like LVMH or Caring, which I think has been like Tapestry or Capri have all like kind of tried to be that and those those groups are like a group with a bunch of brands and they're but each brand is kind of their own distinct thing and ralph lauren has a bunch of brands but they're all sort of spin-offs of or variations of the same ralph lauren concept there's rrl there's polo ralph lauren there's lauren ralph lauren there's ralph lauren like purple label there's all these different things the only one that doesn't have polo or ralph or Lauren in the name is Chaps, I think.

13:27Glossy Podcast Host: Or there's also Pink Pony. But even that is like still kind of clear, like the pony connection there. It's all, it is sort of a portfolio and they do have different brands and there's different people working on them, but they're all like held very closely. And then thematically, they're all sort of just different versions of the same thing in a way that seems to be working for them. Like you said, Joe, people love RRL. And I have heard from people within the company that that's the one that Rolf himself is like super personally invested in. And I believe is like pretty heavily involved with the design.

14:00Glossy Podcast Host: I don't think he's designing every single skew that's coming out in every one of these sub-brands, but he's definitely heavily involved in that brand and probably others.

14:09Ralph Lauren: Yeah, it's interesting. Like you think of maybe like an aspirational purchase or maybe like an entry to the brand. And I think of maybe 1990s. Anyway, it's always timeless. It's timeless, but you think of a polo shirt with a little polo guy. Like that's a safe bet for young guys. I feel like when I was young, that's what all the, I don't know, eighth grade to sophomore to junior year, that's what you wore. And then as time goes on, people wear it differently. Like there was a time in the nineties where you're wearing two, like with the two different colors kind of stacked on top of each other, which is anyway, it was on trend and it's still resonating.

14:47Ralph Lauren: So I think that it's weird. When you say they all, they do live in the same world. But then when you think of like a bright, bright polo shirt, then you think of double RL. Like what's the connectivity? Yeah.

15:00Glossy Podcast Host: I mean, I'm saying like it's literally has Ralph Lauren's name and, you know, like that's the connection. And I mean, they do kind of have, I feel like they sort of have similar design DNA. But you're right that they're sort of like positioned differently. And we were talking before the recording about how Ralph Lauren, the company, has like you could buy a four pack of white T-shirts at Macy's. And then also they have like a Milan fashion runway show. Then they do both. And it both all of it feels kind of like it all works, which I think is interesting.

15:31Ralph Lauren: Something else like that everyone's trying to do, which is kind of interweave themselves with pop culture. Like you think of, even if you just look at the timeline on their website, all of these moments that are really like definitive of American pop culture over the years, Ralph Lauren's been a part of it. And there are some, I didn't even know all of them. And like, maybe that's something like maybe we should, if that, if I'm speaking to the impact of the brand, but there's like Robert Redford and the great Gatsby and Diane Keaton and Annie Hall. I didn't know that was Ralph Lauren. And then there's like an out of Africa moment, Gwyneth Paltrow's pink dress at the Oscars.

16:08Ralph Lauren: I didn't know that either, actually. So anyway, I just think interweaving with pop culture is something that they talk about today with sports in particular. I think on the earnings call, they talked about US Open, Wimbledon. Obviously, they're a sponsor of the Olympics and other sports. And interesting and recent interviews where they were talking about their marketing spend and how they've increased that and how they're reaching different audiences by spending thoughtfully in terms of, this was in a Vogue business story, but they, with the CEO, to reach the 80 year old, they're spending with the New York Times to reach the teenager, they're spending, what is it?

16:53Ralph Lauren: League of Legends, a YouTube, they're the official sponsor on YouTube of League of Legends. So anyway, things like they've, they're smart and focused. And anyway, it's not just like an overarching spend on influencers like you might hear from others yeah on this earnings call today like they literally said the marketing spend has no ceiling

17:14Glossy Podcast Host: so they're like really gunning on it yeah and there's also lots of indirect uh ralph lauren influence all over the world sophia you mentioned earlier polo fest in tokyo which is is not an official ralph lauren event i don't think but it is just a celebration oh it is official okay it's it's like yeah it's so it's a celebration of vintage ralph lauren in tokyo and i know for a fact from being deep into like japanese menswear magazines and world that like ralph lauren has a massive influence on the japanese menswear uh tradition which is extremely strong and there's tons of japanese brands like beams or like barnstormer all of these workwear and and kind of Americana-inspired brands that take a huge amount of influence from Ralph Lauren.

18:00Glossy Podcast Host: So I think there's a lot, I think it's an interesting case study about how being deeply entwined with like a sort of specific cultural context does not prevent you from being accepted and influential outside of that context.

18:14Ralph Lauren: Yeah, I think that's actually really important because I think that the reason why Ralph Lauren works so well globally is because like there's a lot of history of that Americana in different places and just like a couple of notes from the Tokyo event because it just wrapped and there was some fashion people there so there was like 17 collectors from Japan and overseas basically exhibiting all of their works there was an exhibition there was talks there was exclusive merchandise and the Ralph's coffee of course I spoke to Ida Peterson who was actually there in Tokyo on the ground and she basically said it was almost like overwhelming in terms of the Ralph Lauren polo-ness of the whole thing.

18:54Ralph Lauren: She was like the Japanese attendees arrived basically head to toe in all of their best stuff. She said that the 90s polo sport and the women's Western wear pieces from the 1970s and 80s were really cool. So they went quite far back in terms of their own history. And it was very eclectic. I think they do stuff which kind of calls to a lot of different kinds of communities. And I think going back to its history, obviously you have the tuxedo and red carpet side of things. But you also have the Brooklyn lowlives crews, which were associated with polos in the 1980s. Raekwon wearing the snow beach jacket and Wutang clans.

19:38Ralph Lauren: Can it be also simple? like all of these like really cultural elements that basically call back to music and culture and film and all of these things and it all feels genuine i mean even the stuff recently that they've been doing with um indigenous indian communities like i feel like that still gives americano and even more kind of respectfully than maybe some of the other brands that are doing it if you run a health and beauty brand do you know where your ad dollars work hardest right now

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21:04Glossy Podcast Host: I think we should talk a little bit about the CFDA Award specifically, the Men's Wear Designer of the Year. So the other nominees for this year were the guys from public school, Willie Chavaria, Tom Brown, Todd Snyder, and Ralph Lauren, all great designers. If you look back at the last five years of nominees for the specific award, a little bit depressing because it's basically those guys every year. Willie Chavaria and Tom Brown were both nominated every year for the last five years. Todd Snyder has been nominated multiple times in the last five years. Mike Amiri has been nominated multiple times in the last five years.

21:40Glossy Podcast Host: Kind of feels like it's a pretty small pool of American menswear designers that are being picked from. And I do think the CFDA awards tend to have more repeat nominations than maybe some other industry awards might. But I thought it was notable how uh few names it's like it was like 10 total names across 50 nominee or no 25 nominees over the last five years like five nominees per year over five years should be 25 it was like it was surprising to me how it was the same names over and over and actually this was the first year that ralph lauren was nominated for menswear in the last five years um and he won so i don't know What do you guys think of the fact that, from my opinion, it seemed like a little bit of slim pickings for options here?

22:29Ralph Lauren: Do you think that anybody was left out? Because I do feel like there's a lack of known menswear designers in the States. Yeah.

22:40Glossy Podcast Host: Well, no, that's the thing is I don't. I mean, I could probably come up with a couple other names. But I'm like, I think that's my point is like, are there? Is that is that it? Like, is that the best ones? I don't know. Do you agree? Like, we were talking before. Is there a drought of, like, good, notable, current American designers? If you expand to women's wear, I think there's plenty more. But if you limit it to men's wear, I feel like it's a little bit limited. I don't know. The Buck Mason guys, maybe? I'm not sure. Like, what do you guys think?

23:14Ralph Lauren: I know. Personally, and I'd love to get your take, Sophia. I think that, yeah, what the brands that are making it and serving men are people that, again, borrow from the Ralph Lauren playbook. And we've seen like there's maybe it's in how they style. Maybe it's in their pieces. Maybe it's in creating a lifestyle. But you mentioned like maybe a Buck Mason, maybe an Amelie on door, maybe a.

23:45Ralph Lauren: It's just like, where's the innovation? And I feel like that's what these voters are looking for. And I don't know that we've seen a lot of newness, but then we, again, a lot of men don't want newness. And we talk a lot about like the J.Crew style guide and they want the only t-shirt you need this year or ever. And men don't often shop that way. So I feel like, yeah, it's a weird area. It's a lot different than women's wear and nobody's coming to mind for me. How about you, Zofia? for the american side i think that the ones that are kind of missed off but i do believe they were listed in other categories is emily adams bode and mike amiri i think like both of those would have made pretty good like menswear candidates but i do think it's kind of it's something that happens with all of these awards is that you within categories that are so limited you do get repeats like i was just looking because the the fashion awards are coming up at the end of the month and the kind of British menswear designer of the year.

24:44Ralph Lauren: We've got Fodey Dunbar for Labrum, Kiko Kostandinov, Nick Wakeman for Studio Nicholson, and Simon Holloway for Dunhill, and then Simone Rocha. Some of those names are already kind of pretty well known, and they are, again, repeats. So maybe it's not really that there's a drought. It's just that because of the fact that it's such a limited category and you're only thinking about American designers. Like there's only so many to go around. Like maybe if it was like an international category, then we would see something wider. Yeah. And there is a separate category for emerging designers where we do see the newness.

25:17Ralph Lauren: And I did have to kind of study up on some of those guys or refresh my mind about like who they are, what they did this year. And that is where you do see the newness. But to me, it made kind of, well, especially when you look at the options, thinking back about it, it made sense to me why Ralph Lauren won. And not just because he's consistent and timeless and good and all the things that we're talking about, but he had a major moment in January where they did the first menswear show they've done in over 20 years, I think. The first time that they combined the purple label and polo on the same runway.

25:55It was, oh, it was in Milan.

25:58Ralph Lauren: It was rave reviews. Like, um, I mean, a couple of people are like, you know, there was some snarkiness, but for the most part, I saw a lot of, um, saying it was smart. They're really showing the breadth of their brand, what they can do, how people are actually dressing. And maybe they're wearing this for day, this for night, or mixing the two. Um, anyway, it was a big moment that got a lot of buzz. And if people are thinking about big menswear this year it makes sense that that would have come to mind

26:28Glossy Podcast Host: yeah for sure and i think you're right zofia that like it is an inherently limited pool uh to limit to menswear and american and also like you said joe not emerging designers but even still i did think it was a little bit notable how how many times the same names like you said uh bodhi and um and amiri both of them have been nominated in the last five years too one more point just on

26:52Ralph Lauren: the like business side of things like obviously a lot of these businesses are quite a bit smaller than Ralph Lauren's and I think that some of that success and the reason why those nominations keep coming isn't just the creative side but you know these are very successful businesses as well and I think some of the nominations that maybe would have been picked would also have to achieve the scale that Ralph Lauren has I'm wondering you know maybe this is a question for another episode But, you know, is that environment really still going nowadays? Like, is it possible to grow a brand to the level of a Ralph Lauren?

27:29Ralph Lauren: You know, considering that he got funding in the 80s, he, you know, went public, like had massive support from, I think it was McKinsey. I'd have to double check that. But like all of those things are tantalizing why his success is so big right now. whereas I feel like a lot of these younger designers and you know obviously this is a European example but the fact that brands like Caperni for example which are very big scale like had done massive shows like had a pretty recognizable identity of shutting down because of their ownership like maybe that's something also to to think about when it comes to American designers like is there you know a level of financial support that exists to actually create the next great american brand because otherwise i all i can think of is yeah like amiri like that that would be like the bigger scale thing with big stores and a recognizable kind of visual identity and i'll just add that um you think of how they've dodged the luxury downfall um it's they're kind of the exception to the rule they talk a lot about why like they basically um in terms of like integrity and respect.

28:40Ralph Lauren: It's like, they don't think that how I read it is they don't think that the luxury shopper is stupid. Anyway, like they're, they're baking value into their price increases. They talk about, they are sticking to full price. They're not discounting. Um, and their prices are higher than ever. And yet they're more so than ever, um, showcasing the, the value they're providing. So they've improved, improved the quality of the product. Um, they've been thoughtful about price increases. So price is still kind of in the lower tier in comparison to maybe competitors. I mentioned the styling. We mentioned the shopping experience.

29:17Ralph Lauren: And then also the consistency where you know what you're going to get. So I feel like there are various strategies that make sense in terms of why they can kind of stay afloat and the shopper's not going to turn on them because, yeah, the respect is there. Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

29:36Glossy Podcast Host: I want to close out the conversation talking about the future of Ralph Lauren. It's a little bit morbid, but Ralph Lauren himself is 87 years old. And I wanted to talk about, is there a clear plan in place here for what the company is going to look like without him and who might step into a Ralph type role at the company? Because we mentioned Patrice Louvet, who took over as CEO. and like you said, Jill has come in with like a strong business vision and has been implementing it and it seems like it's been working really well. He's on the business side. There's also David Lauren, who is Ralph Lauren's son, who is the chief branding and innovation officer.

30:13Glossy Podcast Host: And he's often in the press talking about some of their big moves and he's involved, but he's also kind of on a business-y or advertising side more and less in design. They have lots of wonderful designers working at Ralph Lauren, but I don't know if there's as clear a like single person who's going to oversee things. They do have James Jeter, who is a creative director doing design and brand stuff for Polo Ralph Lauren Men's, but they also have a bunch of other great designers working at all the different divisions. Like we mentioned, Ralph himself is still involved with the design. Yeah. Do you feel like there's, what do you think the company will look like without him?

30:53Glossy Podcast Host: And do you feel like there's a clear plan in place here?

30:57Ralph Lauren: I have a thought, but they were mentioned, the CEO mentioned in the same sentence or breadth as Ralph Lauren recently, their creative director, John Rezeg. I have no idea. W-R-A-Z-E-G-E-J. You know him, John. I don't know how to say it. Anyway, the fact of the matter is, senior brand creative director of Men's Polo, RLX, Purple Label, and Children's Polo. So the CEO was just talking about him in terms of like how we don't think of ourselves as preppy and how we do think of it. But the fact that he's overseeing Purple Label and Men's Polo, a huge portion of the business as the senior brand creative director, I don't know that he'd be the face of the brand.

31:44Ralph Lauren: But I feel like we're not going to have to worry about where design's going because there's somebody that's really working hand in hand with Ralph across all these brands. What would you say, Sophia? Yeah, I was just going to say that I just checked it up and it's Polish surname. So it would be Rajay in terms of pronunciation.

32:06Glossy Podcast Host: Thankful to have a Polish person on this podcast who can help us with the pronunciation.

32:10Ralph Lauren: I mean, it's an Americanization because like usually you would pronounce the W. But yeah, obviously it's someone who has some kind of Polish origin. In terms of the succession planning, from what I understand and kind of what I've like researched on Ralph Lauren, the 2026 proxy said that board reviews succession for the CEO, executive chairman and the specified employees annually. So they are kind of constantly, I guess, talking about it. And, you know, as a lot of these luxury businesses are aging out, I mean, LVMH has the same problem. I don't think they've announced a creative successor. Patrice still runs the business.

32:49Ralph Lauren: David is kind of the brand steward. I don't think they've actually specified that he's going to be the creative successor. He does the branding. He does innovation. I think he does marketing, advertising, digital content, and communications. So nothing on the clothing designs. The name that does keep kind of coming up as well is Michael Ryder, who's the former creative director of Women's Polo. You know, obviously he's had a history with the brand. So someone who's already been, I guess, like inside the Ralph Lauren machine and understands how it works. I think that that's really important when it comes to that next stage.

33:29Ralph Lauren: But yeah, also, you know, Todd Snyder has been described as kind of the heir to the design tradition. but I don't know if he'd be interested in running the whole business or if they'd go for something someone completely new I mean a lot of these old brands you know Hermes and Rachel Scott like there has been some change in terms of how they're thinking about the next stage of the brand so I'm wondering if Ralph would do the same but I feel like their consistency is where their strength is so having someone who understands that would be useful yeah good points all good names

34:05Glossy Podcast Host: All good names. And just like we were saying, when I say no clear plan, I mean, externally, I'm sure they have lots of conversations about this. But yeah, they have a lot of really talented designers. I think Ralph himself has already kind of set up this whole web of talented designers who are managing different parts of the business. I don't think there's any like danger of them being directionless. They very clearly have a strong direction. But yeah, it is interesting how it's there. whenever that day comes, there won't be like that single kind of design or creative face, it seems like at the moment.

34:42Glossy Podcast Host: Anything else you guys want to say about Ralph Lauren? I feel like we've thoroughly explored why this guy and this company has been very enduring, but anything else we missed? I want to say something as everything goes to facelifts and plastic surgery and boobs

35:00Ralph Lauren: and butts and fake, fake, fake. It's interesting that like, that's the trend. And when you do listen to like Ralph Lauren's interviews and you can see it in their imagery, he talks about like, he likes the natural woman and the woman like his wife and like the woman in the ad blow with her hair blowing in the breeze. And, and it's really, it's counter to this trend that's happening. It's not glam, even though it's glamorous, it's not like, um, cool girl. I don't know. It's, really counter. It's refreshing and yet oh so at the center of fashion right now. It's interesting to me. Yeah. That's a good point.

35:37Glossy Podcast Host: I'm going to I want to end on a small anecdote, which I told you guys before, but there's a very fun subreddit called male fashion advice. I like going to this sometimes to see what the kind of questions people are asking about menswear and stuff. But I remember someone years ago posted a photo of Ralph Lauren wearing a tuxedo with a black bow tie and white shirt up top and then like faded like light blue denim on the bottom and the post was like i don't understand i thought i was told that you should never like mix these two things how come how come he can get away with it and the top comment was just like because he's ralph lauren and you're not so you can't wear this yeah it was like you you cannot wear this and you should not but he can he can do he can do whatever he wants so anyway yeah yeah um all All right.

36:24Glossy Podcast Host: Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Thank you guys for your thoughts and we'll be back next week. Thank you all for listening.

36:34Glossy Podcast Host: And thank you for listening to the Glossy Podcast. Don't forget to give us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, wherever you listen to this, because that helps us out so much. And don't forget to subscribe to the Glossy Podcast to hear interviews with industry insiders and we can review segments where we break down the news. The new episodes come out every Friday. Until the next time, thanks for listening. Thank you.