Born Ralph Lifshitz in 1939 in Bronx, NY, Ralph Lauren built a design empire on the idea that Americans crave old world style and sophistication. He started his clothing line in 1967, and by 1996 had expanded his products to include fragrances, sheets, leather sofas, dinner plates, and even paint. That year, Forbes magazine estimated global sales of his lifestyle products at $5 billion, and his personal wealth at over $1 billion. His youth-oriented style became extremely popular in the mid-80’s with the development of his Polo line, finding a customer base with status-obsessed B-Boys, including Brooklyn’s “Lo-Life” gang. Always on to the next big thing, this demographic moved their loyalties over to Tommy Hilfiger in the mid-90’s.