- Explore
- Culture
- Sport
- Style
- Travel
Culture
A collection of intimate moments hand-selected by Ralph, Ricky, Andrew, David, and Dylan Lauren in celebration of The Polo Family Campaign
“I was raised by wonderful parents who loved their kids. When you grow up with parents who care about their children, it rubs off on you,” Ralph Lauren writes in the intro to his self-titled book. “Your children become an expression of yourself, of your dreams. My children are grown now, but I still think of them when they were little. They never age in my memory.”
Here, in celebration of The Polo Family Campaign, centered on the idea “Family is who you love,” a selection of intimate family photos personally selected by members of the Lauren family—many sourced from private family albums that have never before been seen by the public—accompanied by reminiscences from Andrew, David, and Dylan Lauren on the moments depicted, and the essential role of family within the World of Ralph Lauren.
ANDREW: “I’ve always loved these photos from when I was a little boy. They show the real us—loving, spontaneous, having fun together. My mother is glowing in this caught moment—so beautiful. When I think of my mother, I don’t think in black and white, I think in color.”
DAVID: “This picture has always been on our wall out in Montauk. It’s one of those moments in your life that you think you remember because the picture was always on the wall. My hair was blond and curly, and no one believes it was me. What it shows is the warmth and love that we always had for each other. I felt it young, and still feel it today. My father always took time to put family first, and to surround us with the love and support we needed. As a kid, I was always more impresssed by the times we spent playing basketball, riding bikes, or walking on the beach together than anything he did in business.”
ANDREW: “When I look at my dad in this shot and then look in the mirror now, I see so much of him in me—not least of which the salt and pepper in my hair. Those were wonderful times out east—a young family with an entire summer to enjoy the cool ocean air and hot sun. No school, no sweltering city—just us riding around in a Jeep on dunes getting tan, eating corn on the cob. And David, in this period, was obsessed with baskets. If he went missing, all you had to do was check all the baskets around the house and he was usually in one.”
DYLAN: “The overalls my mom wears in this photo represent both sides of her—the casual, feminine, and artistic side, and the strong, athletic side. I remember spending summers as a child with her out in the Hamptons. We had great girl bonding time and enjoyed the fact that we’re both tomboys at heart!”
IN THE CITY
DAVID: “What’s remarkable about this moment is just how rare it was that my parents were going out. It must’ve been an important event, because staying home, watching movies, and playing ping-pong was a much more typical Saturday night.”
DYLAN: “When my parents did go out, they always looked perfect. My dad was one of the first to wear a tux with jeans and cowboy boots, and I always thought that was really cool. I also had my own signature denim look back then: dresses that my mom created and stitched together herself from overalls. Here, I’m not just saying goodbye to my mom—I’m admiring her long, beautiful hair.”
DAVID: “I had always wanted a pair of cowboy boots, like my father. I had just gotten my first pair as a gift from my parents, and wore them proudly to school, alongside my sister and my dad, who, no surprise, was wearing his as well.”
DYLAN: “My dad looks like a movie star strutting the streets in this look. And then there’s the rabbit I’m holding. I have a collection of over 3,000 rabbits, and it all started when my dad gave me this rabbit when I was four. It was pink and white and I took it everywhere. On special occasions, or when he traveled for work, he always knew what to buy me—a rabbit.”
DYLAN: “I remember being backstage anxiously awaiting walking down the runway for my first fashion show. I really wanted to please my dad and I’m so happy I made him proud—as evident in his face in this picture, when I’m practicing for my big moment. I loved going to my dad’s office. I loved going there. There was so much to see, and all the colorful fabrics reminded me of candy.
“Years later, when my dad designed my wedding dress, I thought of this moment. It was very meaningful that my dad had created something so special for me, and I felt so proud walking down the aisle.”
VISITING DAY AT SUMMER CAMP
DAVID: “This was shot when my dad and mom joined us for visiting day at summer camp. My dad had just played basketball with all the campers and the counselors, and he had an amazing hook shot that everyone was impressed by. For the rest of the summer, that was the thing that everyone talked about—not that he was Ralph Lauren.”
DYLAN: “One of my dad’s proudest achievements was being a counselor and color war captain when he went to camp, and when I was a camper, I always looked forward to visiting day. Not just for the overflowing bags of candy my parents would bring, but also to show off to my dad that I inherited the athleticism and camp spirit, too. A lot of kids are afraid to go to sleepaway camp when they’re young, but my dad gave me confidence to jump right in and enjoy it.”
ANDREW: “My cousin recently sent me this photo, from visiting day at camp. My parents always seemed younger to me than those of my peers. It was their youthful vitality and general outlook on life. My dad is a great athlete, and always loved to play basketball. Going away to sleepaway camp for two months wasn’t always easy, and I remember, on one visiting day, breaking down and begging my parents to take me back with them. My father gave me some advice that I remember to this day. He said, ‘You can take the easy path and come home with us now, or you can summon the strength to tough it out. The path to stay will be the harder choice, but ultimately, will be the one that makes you a man.’”
AT THE DOUBLE RL RANCH
ANDREW: “I’m pretty sure my dad took this one. He had this great old Ford, and we’d all go on rides around the property, bouncing around in the back in the open air. This is just before we were about to go out for a ride—the calm before the storm.”
DYLAN: “My dad loves these trucks. He taught me how to drive a stick shift on one of these, but I’d stall it all the time! Not my dad, however ... He’s always been the master at getting the gears to shift. We’re all sitting together comfortably here, but when we got our dog, Rugby, things changed—he always got the best seat and we’d sit on the edge of the truck!”
DAVID: “We were surrounded by horses, dogs, and all kinds of animals in Colorado. We never forgot about these puppies, and they became part of the culture and life out at the ranch.”
DYLAN: “We always loved to play with the dogs owned by the cowboys out at the ranch—especially the puppies! We’re an animal-loving family and we get very excited about the next generation of animals that everyone’s looking out for.”
DYLAN: “I am blown away by my mom’s energy, her love of the outdoors, and her spirit of adventure. They’re all qualities that I love, and that I try to emulate. To paraphrase John Denver, who we listen to a lot out at the ranch, being with my mom is my ‘Colorado Rocky Mountain High.’”
ANDREW: “My parents created a community of teepees at the ranch, and they were blessed by a descendant of Geronimo’s. We often gather there on Labor Day weekend, before it gets really chilly in the mountains.”
DAVID: “This is from a few years ago, when we spent Labor Day weekend at the ranch, and got this group shot in front of our teepees. They’re handmade, and inside they’re filled with the most beautiful artifacts and art that my parents have collected over the years. Oftentimes we’ll do a cookout with some Double RL Ranch steaks, and look at the mountains together, and then watch a classic Western film.”
