Ralph
Lauren Makes Fashion History With Top Civilian Honor
After
decades of being nearly synonymous with American fashion, the 85-year-old
became the first fashion designer to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jacob
Gallagher
By Jacob
Gallagher
Jan. 4, 2025
On Saturday,
the United States of America’s clothier in chief met its commander in chief, as
Ralph Lauren became the first fashion designer to receive the Presidential
Medal of Freedom.
Dressed in a
tweed blazer, a knit necktie and squishy dark sneakers, Mr. Lauren, 85, was
described in an introduction as “classic yet creative, timeless yet
innovative.” He was praised for reminding “us of our distinct style as a nation
of dreamers and doers.”
Established
by John F. Kennedy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest
civilian honor. It has been bestowed upon a host of cultural, corporate and
political figures, including Babe Ruth, Mother Teresa, Julia Child, Warren
Buffett, John McCain and Rush Limbaugh.
If ever
there was a fashion designer worthy of this award, it is Mr. Lauren. A son of
the Bronx, Mr. Lauren marketed a preppy image to the upwardly mobile masses,
building his eponymous company into a multimillion dollar corporation — one he
remains executive chairman and chief creative officer of nearly a half-century
after he founded it.
The fashion
world, which had been largely absent from the event in the past, was well
represented at the White House on Saturday. Joining Mr. Lauren in receiving the
gilded medallion from President Biden was Anna Wintour, a steely Brit (and
longtime supporter of Democratic causes) who has been Vogue’s editor in chief
since 1988.
The fashion
world was also represented at Saturday’s event by Anna Wintour, the longtime
editor in chief of Vogue, who was one of the 18 people honored by President
Biden.Credit...Valerie Plesch for The New York Times
In her
introduction, Ms. Wintour, who was dressed in a shin-length plaid coat and
forwent her ever-present oversized sunglasses for the occasion, was hailed for
using “fashion as a mirror to reflect our culture.”
Other
recipients on Saturday included Hillary Clinton, Bono, José Andrés, Lionel
Messi and George Soros.
Mr. Lauren,
was joined at the ceremony by his wife of 60 years, Ricky Lauren, dressed in a
sleek black suit, and his elder brother Jerry Lauren. Also in attendance were
Mr. Lauren’s three children: Andrew, David and Dylan.
Born in New
York to immigrant parents in 1939, Mr. Lauren nosed into the apparel market in
the late 1960s by introducing a line of men’s neckties, which he sold out of a
drawer in a showroom in the Empire State Building. Soon, Mr. Lauren was
marketing a holistic shoes-to-suits brand of aspirational prepwear.
The rest is
well-trod fashion history, as Mr. Lauren rode his brand’s pony logo to the
celestial heights of American fashion. In a sense, he found success by
perfecting the building blocks of the all-American look: bluejeans, polo
shirts, white T-shirts, flannels and work boots. As Mr. Lauren told the luxury
magazine Robb Report in 2023, “I loved things that were American.” His brand’s
brisk-selling American flag sweaters put an exclamation point on that.
Mr. Lauren
expanded the brand into winsome home goods and personally came to embody the
aspirational image pushed through his label’s cinematic ad campaigns. Mr.
Lauren’s holdings include a garage full of automobiles and a sprawling ranch in
the Colorado mountains. Rife with leather furniture, saddle blankets and
polished wood accents, Mr. Lauren’s oft-photographed homes are lived-in
tableaus of his well-honed all-American look.
Through his
brand, the designer has been a patriotic cheerleader, and if not a friend, at
least an acquaintance, to many political figures. For decades, his company has
outfitted the United States Olympic team, dressing athletes in all forms of
spangled and striped sportswear. In 2022, during a period of national
soul-searching about racial inequity, Ralph Lauren collaborated with Morehouse
College and Spelman College, two historically Black colleges in Atlanta on a
collection including silk wrap dresses and a schoolboy blazer — dressy pieces
defying the look of today’s sweatpants-loving undergrads.
There is
bipartisan appeal to Mr. Lauren’s clothes. Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama both
wore the brand’s designs during their time in the White House. In 2017, Melania
Trump wore a cashmere dress from the brand at her husband’s swearing in. Mr.
Lauren’s son, David, married George H.W. Bush’s granddaughter Lauren, in 2011.
Mr. Lauren’s
company seems to hold a special significance for the Bidens. Mr. Biden wore a
Ralph Lauren overcoat and suit at his inauguration in 2021 while Jill Biden,
who has often been photographed in the brand’s designs (including on the cover
of Ms. Wintour’s Vogue last year), was the marquee guest at Ralph Lauren’s most
recent runway show, held in the Hamptons in September.
Jacob
Gallagher is a Times reporter covering fashion and style. More about Jacob
Gallagher
No comments:
Post a Comment