“So tell me whatever happened to the American Dream?”

The American Dream is an almost forgotten idea. So many people wish to achieve this goal, but even less do. The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. The American Dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that “all men are created equal” with the right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In many ways Lauren represents The American Dream in many ways, including his clothing line called The American Dream.

Ralph Lauren was born a poor child. In school he tried very hard, but he just wasn’t ”smart” enough to get into some high end colleges. So a year after he graduated he enlisted in the army, but two years later he discharged. Then he later on decided he wanted to go into the clothing business,he was always interested but just never had the motivation to do it. So he started working in sales for Brooks Brothers. Then further on decided to start working on his own line, which he branded as, “Polo”, due to the excessive Ralph Lauren, that was mainly just ties in major department stores like Barney’s, Bloomingdales, and etc. But about a decade later his clothes skyrocketed in popularity. Then about a year later Anna Wintour herself called Lauren and asked him if he’d like an exclusive front page interview, and of course he accepted. And then that’s when his clothes took of in more places other than New York.

“People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams.”

Ever since Lauren was a child he was always interested in clothes, from selling neckties to his classmates as a young boy to owning a multi million dollar clothing company. Very few people can and have achieved this feat. Ralph literally went from rags to riches, from having to live in the projects of Bronx, New York. To living in a multi-million dollar penthouse in the middle of Manhattan, New York. I think that Lauren represents The American Dream better than anyone else, because I feel like if you make it far you should give back, and he does. Lauren currently has over 10 charities ranging from breast cancer research to helping underprivileged children read. Lauren co-founded the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University in 1989 and was a driving force behind the annual Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign which launched in 1994. In 2001, the Ralph Lauren Corporation launched the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation to support various charitable initiatives around the world, including the New York-based Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention. Lauren also launched the “Pink Pony Fund”, a worldwide initiative in the fight against cancer. In 2014, Lauren partnered with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to fund a new, state-of-the-art breast cancer research facility.

“Ralph Lauren, a kid from the Bronx to a fashion mogul worth $8 Billion.”

When Ralph give interviews now about his childhood he always mentions how he never thought he get as popular as he did. He’d always thought he be a house painter like his father. Another reason why he became so popular was due to im changing his last name from Lifshitz to Lauren. No offense, but I would never buy clothing made by Lifshitz, because it’s just not an appealing name.

Ralph just believes in dreams, all of the things he sells have an idea behind it he doesn’t’ design clothes just for the fun of it. He designs clothes with a purpose, dreams. In 1967 when Lauren first started designing ties he just did it for fun, he didn’t imagine to be making trillions of dollars in a matter if just a few years. That is The American Dream, to make money doing what you truly love. In my heart I believe that Ralph loves what he does.

The American Dream for people back in the western frontier was just to survive. For Ralph, it’s to make dreams. And I believe he’s done that. I remember when I was younger I used to think that if I gotten something with the little polo horse, I thought I was Joe Cool. His brand just makes people happy.

“We don’t sell an item, we sell a way of life”

“I don’t design clothes, I design dreams”

Works Cited

Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

“Ralph Lauren.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

“Ralph Lauren.” Vogue UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

“Ralph Lauren.” Bornrich.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

“Ralph Lauren | Biography – American Fashion Designer.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.