RALPH LAUREN was born Ralph Rueben Lifshitz in The Bronx to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from Belarus: Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter

From a young age he started working after school to earn money to buy suits.

The four-year younger Calvin Klein, lived in the same Bronx neighborhood but it is not known if they ever met while living there.

He went to Baruch College (of the City University of New York) where he studied business, although he dropped out after two years. From 1962 to 1964 he served in the United States Army.

He did not attend fashion school, but worked for Brooks Brothers as a salesman. In 1967, with the financial backing of Norman Hilton, Lauren opened a necktie store where he also sold ties of his own design, under the label "Polo". He later purchased the name from Hilton. Lauren's fashion empire has since grown into a billion-dollar business with his stylish children's collection being a more recent addition.

Ralph Lauren