Question about ralph lauren lines

wow interesting thread. in any case, rlpl is gorgeous stuff. case closed

The regular blue label polo pants and polos are extremely overrated and pure crap basically. I have tons of the crap as my mom loves buying it but the pants I won't wear. The polos are barely worn and the sweaters are about the only thing in the line that are worth wearing.

Whether or not Purple Label is profitable, the halo effect has managed to compromise my mind at least. I remember Al Gore, at the Oscars, standing out among the movie stars as a man to be taken seriously, and the passing mention, between gowns by Versace and Prada, that Gore was wearing Ralph Lauren.

But the best advertisement is at the end of the Charlie Rose show. The names of a few sponsors appear on a dated background graphic, one of which says that Charlie's wardrobe is provided by Ralph Lauren Purple Label, written in an elaborate script that might not even be readable if you are not already familiar with the brand.

Originally Posted by TheFusilliJerry

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I had it at

Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Ralph Lauren Black Label
Polo Ralph Lauren
Rugby
RRL
Lauren by Ralph Lauren
Chaps

Club Monaco is also owned, but not advertised under the Ralph Lauren Label

That's pretty close to how I see it. Purple Label is top of the line, both in terms of quality and prestige, and Black Label is only a step below. Suits from both lines are fully canvassed, but Black Label offers a trimmer, more modern fit. There's also the "Signature" line, possibly defunct, that was top notch as well. Below that is Polo Blue Label, which is a mixed bag. The made in Italy stuff is nice -- some of it extremely nice -- while the stuff made elsewhere, and sold at a lower pricepoint, is less so. (Try comparing the Italian-made Polo trousers with what passes for Blue Label at a lower to mid-range department store.)

Rugby is a more youthful line that is more about style than quality, though it comes up with some interesting stuff, if you're into that type of thing. Lauren is a diffusion line -- fused suits made in China -- while Chaps, last I heard, was spun off as a standalone entity. You no longer see "Ralph Lauren Chaps" -- just "Chaps."

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

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There's also the "Signature" line, possibly defunct, that was top notch as well. Below that is Polo Blue Label, which is a mixed bag. The made in Italy stuff is nice -- some of it extremely nice -- while the stuff made elsewhere, and sold at a lower pricepoint, is less so. (Try comparing the Italian-made Polo trousers with what passes for Blue Label at a lower to mid-range department store.) [
I agree with the Doc. I have two RL Polo Blue Label suits and a Signature Blue Label suit, all made by Corneliani and they are terrific garments - well made with quality fabrics and stylish; generally, the Polo tailored clothing is very well done. The other, more casual Polo merchandise that is made for department stores and RL Polo's own outlets is of much, much lesser quality or at least a relatively low value for the money (e.g. cotton sweaters, polos, khakis).

TheFusilliJerry and DocHolliday are on target. It is definitely important to note the wide gap in quality within the Polo Ralph Lauren line. As has already been mentioned, the items made in Italy or England are of fine quality while much of the sportswear bearing the same label is mediocre to average quality. For example, the "made in Italy" and "made in England" products include Corneliani made suits (half canvassed) and Crockett and Jones shoes, just to cite a few examples of well-respected brands here on the forum. I'll add just a little more info regarding the Ralph Lauren Signature label, which was designed several years ago and is now defunct. It was created to address a problem RL was having regarding selling tailored clothing to large luxury department stores, Nieman Marcus in particular. The Polo Ralph Lauren suits were offered at a pricepoint that NM was not interested in ordering large quantities of for several reasons. So, RL created Ralph Lauren Signature to meet a need at a slightly higher pricepoint (between Polo Ralph Lauren and RLPL). Black Label occupies a similar pricepoint but is very fit-specific and more directional in style. The signature label offered a fully-canvassed garment with a more exclusive label and higher (but not too high) price to meet NM's need. From what I understand, the line was only ever offered at NM and Ralph Lauren stores which sold RLPL and Black Label. On a side note, I think this line may be my personal favorite. Sadly, it seems to have been scrapped.

I think Chaps and Lauren should be scrapped.

Originally Posted by neyus

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I think Chaps and Lauren should be scrapped.

Ever notice on the PRL website that there are FAR more outlet than retail stores? Way back in this thread it states the PRL makes most of its profits from its outlets. Add in the Marshall's, TJMaxx group and you get an idea why the crappy Polo/Lauren/Chaps items will not go away.

Originally Posted by neyus

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I think Chaps and Lauren should be scrapped.

Chaps was sold off years ago and Lauren is a licensed brand not made by Ralph Lauren.

Also, the Ralph Lauren retail stores do not lose money. The push throughout this decade has been to make them the largest source of revenue and the percentage of income has jumped from single digits to at least one-third of total. All of this is in the SEC filings.

Originally Posted by TheFusilliJerry

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I had it at

Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Ralph Lauren Black Label
Polo Ralph Lauren
Rugby
RRL
Lauren by Ralph Lauren
Chaps

Club Monaco is also owned, but not advertised under the Ralph Lauren Label

I would modify this list slightly:

Ralph Lauren Purple Label (classic tailored and casual clothes)
Ralph Lauren Black Label (modern, urbane, thin lapels, low rise pants)
Polo Ralph Lauren -- Tailored clothes (aka Blue label)
RRL (called "Double RL," western inspired, high quality casual clothes)
RLX (hi tech fabrics, fashionable alternative to sports clothes like The North Face)
Polo Ralph Lauren -- Casual clothes
Rugby (prep school looks, for high schoolers to 20's, lower quality and lower price)
Lauren by Ralph Lauren (aka Green label, licensed crap, at RL outlets and Macys)

Does anyone else here see Rugby as the new Chaps? It strikes me as a way to introduce younger buyers to the RL lines of clothes at a lower price point, just as CHaps did when it was rolled out in the 80s. Also, Rugby competes with J Crew for the disposable dollars of the 15-30 years who might otherwise see Ralph Lauren as stodgy. It seems like a good business move to me, but I'll leave that up to the previous posters who cover the business end of RL.

For other posters who mentioned "Sea Captain" etc, I think Sea Captain was a "collection" of the Polo Ralph Lauren (Blue label), in which a group of items with a similar theme and color grouping are sold.

Originally Posted by BABuckeye

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I would modify this list slightly:

Ralph Lauren Purple Label (classic tailored and casual clothes)
Ralph Lauren Black Label (modern, urbane, thin lapels, low rise pants)
Polo Ralph Lauren -- Tailored clothes (aka Blue label)
RRL (called "Double RL," western inspired, high quality casual clothes)
RLX (hi tech fabrics, fashionable alternative to sports clothes like The North Face)
Polo Ralph Lauren -- Casual clothes
Rugby (prep school looks, for high schoolers to 20's, lower quality and lower price)
Lauren by Ralph Lauren (aka Green label, licensed crap, at RL outlets and Macys)

I believe this is the correct order, moreso than TheFusilliJerry's list which put RRL under RLX and Rugby. RRL is named after Ralph's own pet project, a ranch. It primarily features vintage/western-inspired casual clothing, while RLX focuses on technical sportswear and Rugby caters to the preppy crowd. RRL , however, has higher quality across the board; many items (outerwear in particular) are made in USA, jeans are made in Japan of Japanese denim. MSRPs are, thus, generally higher as well, jackets go as high as $1,000, jeans $400 or so.

From what I read on the forums, Purple Label suits are made by St. Andrew and Blue Label/Polo suits are made by Corneliani? And who makes Black Label suits?

Originally Posted by vitaminc

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From what I read on the forums, Purple Label suits are made by St. Andrew and Blue Label/Polo suits are made by Corneliani? And who makes Black Label suits?

I think Black Label suits are made by Caruso. I also have a Purple Label odd jacket made by Caruso.

Originally Posted by whacked

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I believe this is the correct order, moreso than TheFusilliJerry's list which put RRL under RLX and Rugby. RRL is named after Ralph's own pet project, a ranch. It primarily features vintage/western-inspired casual clothing, while RLX focuses on technical sportswear and Rugby caters to the preppy crowd. RRL , however, has higher quality across the board; many items (outerwear in particular) are made in USA, jeans are made in Japan of Japanese denim. MSRPs are, thus, generally higher as well, jackets go as high as $1,000, jeans $400 or so.

I agree with this list moreso that mine, too. I was just having trouble placing RLX because its not really a matter of quality, as most of the things in RLX I would not wear unless I was actively participating in golf or tennis(poly/spandex polos, very loud rain wear, etc). Its not really casual wear or tailored menswear.

If that was too confusing, then just read this: On the RLX miniwebsite, they sell a water bottle.