A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the first, largest, fastest, most heavily armed, or, in terms of media coverage, best known.

Over the years the term "flagship" has been borrowed in metaphoric form by industries such as broadcasting, automobiles, education, and retailing to refer to their highest profile or most expensive products and outlets.

Naval use

In common naval use the term "flagship" is fundamentally a temporary designation; the flagship is wherever the admiral's flag is being flown. However, admirals have always needed additional facilities; a meeting room large enough to hold all the captains of the fleet, and a place for the admiral's staff to make plans and draw up orders.

In the age of sailing ships, the flagship was typically a first-rate; the aft of one of the three decks would become the admiral's quarters and staff offices. This can be seen today on HMS ''Victory'', the flagship of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, now at Portsmouth, England. HMS ''Victory'' still serves the Royal Navy today as the ceremonial flagship of the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command making her the oldest commissioned warship in service.

In the 20th century, ships became large enough that most types could accommodate a commander and staff, and during World War II admirals would often prefer a faster ship over the largest one. Some larger ships may have a separate flag bridge for use by the admiral and his staff while the captain commanded from the main navigation bridge. Because its primary function is to coordinate a fleet, flagships are not necessarily more heavily armed or fortified than other ships. Increasing communications and computing requirements have resulted in the design of specialized command and control ships to serve as flagship.

A private ship is a warship which has no flag officer on board, and thus is not a flagship.

Flagship as metaphor

As with so many other naval terms, flagship has crossed over into common parlance, where it means the most important or leading member of a group. It has also come to be an adjective describing the most prominent or highly touted product, brand, location, or service among those offered by a company. It now has common derivations such as the "flagship brand" or "flagship product" of a manufacturing company or "flagship store" of a retail chain. Auto companies usually have a flagship in the form of their most important and highest-priced car.

Retailing

Flagship stores are core stores for brand name retailers, larger than their standard outlets and stocking greater inventory, often found in prominent shopping districts such as Madison Avenue in New York and Tokyo's Ginza.

Flagships are prevalent among upscale retailers, including such familiar names as Polo Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Prada.

Broadcasting

A flagship station is the principal station of a (radio or TV) broadcast network. It can be the station that produces the largest amount of material for the network, or the station in the parent company's home city, or both. The term dates back to the mid twentieth century years of broadcasting when headquarters stations produced programs for their networks.

For example, the flagship stations of the ABC, NBC and CBS television and radio networks are their owned and operated outlets in New York City. Likewise, public television's WNET served as primary member station for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) predecessor, National Educational Television (NET).

In sports broadcasting, the "flagship" is a team's primary station in their home market, which produces game broadcasts and feeds them to affiliates. For example, WGN is the flagship station of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which has an extensive Cubs radio network spanning several states.

Automobiles

The term flagship is also used to describe the top or main vehicle manufactured by automotive marque. These vehicles are usually, but not always, the most expensive, prestigious and largest vehicles in the line-up. The term is most often applied to sedans and usually only those manufactured by luxury automobile marques. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is one example, and the Jaguar XJ is another.

The term "halo car" is often used in automotive marketing and journalism to refer to the flagship vehicle. The term is derived from the halo effect, the tendency for a favorable trait to influence the perception of subsequent traits in a sequence of interpretations; it appears to have been used as early as 1938.

Education

The phrase flagship institution or flagship university is often used with reference to state university systems in the United States, which often comprise numerous separate and distinct degree-granting institutions. In this context, ''flagship'' means the original institutions from which the system grew, often schools dating from the wave of state university foundings that occurred in the three decades from 1850 to 1880. As in the naval analogy, it is often, though not always, the site of the administrative headquarters for the system.

According to Robert M. Berdahl, former Berkeley chancellor, the phrase "flagship" came into existence in the 1950s when the Morrill Act schools were joined by newer institutions built in a wave of post-war expansion of state university system.

Berdahl contends that because of their age, the flagship institutions of a university system are often the largest and best financed and are perceived as elite relative to non-flagship state schools. He comments that "Those of us in "systems" of higher education are frequently actively discouraged from using the term "flagship" to refer to our campuses because it is seen as hurtful to the self-esteem of colleagues at other institutions in our systems. The use of the term is seen by some as elitist and boastful. It is viewed by many, in the context of the politics of higher education, as 'politically incorrect.' ... Only in the safe company of alumni is one permitted to use the term."

Nevertheless, some state universities and their officials still use the term "flagship" in official contexts. For example, "As the system's flagship campus, [UMass-]Amherst draws from throughout the Commonwealth, the nation and the world;" and "It is a pleasure to report to the General Assembly on the accomplishments and initiatives of the State [of Maryland]'s Flagship University."

Conservation

Within conservation biology, the term flagship species refers to a species or taxon that is a symbol or rallying point to catalyze conservation actions. The metaphoric use of the term is inherently linked to ideas about representation.

References

;Notes

Category:Ship types

ar:سفينة القائد ca:Vaixell insígnia ceb:Barkong insignya cs:Vlajková loď da:Flagskib de:Flaggschiff es:Buque insignia eo:Admiralŝipo fr:Navire amiral it:Nave ammiraglia he:אוניית דגל nl:Vlaggenschip ja:旗艦 no:Flaggskip nn:Flaggskip pl:Okręt flagowy pt:Navio-almirante ru:Флагманский корабль simple:Flagship fi:Lippulaiva sv:Flaggskepp vi:Soái hạm zh:旗艦

name	Brittany Snow
birthname	Brittany Anne Snow
birth date	March 09, 1986
birth place	Tampa, Florida, United States
occupation	Actress, Singer
yearsactive	1995–present

Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American television and film actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Meg Pryor in ''American Dreams'', Daisy Lemay in ''Guiding Light'', Kate Spencer in ''John Tucker Must Die'', Naminé in the video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Amber Von Tussle in ''Hairspray'', Donna Keppel in ''Prom Night'' and Jenna Backstrom in the NBC legal drama ''Harry's Law''.

Personal life

Snow was born and grew up in Tampa, Florida. Her mother, Cindy Johannah (née Archer), works for Prentice Hall, and her father, John Thomas Snow, Sr., ran an insurance agency until retiring to organize Brittany's schedule. She has one half-brother, John Jr., and a half-sister, Holly; both of them live in Ohio. Snow has spoken openly about her battles with eating disorders. It has been reported by media outlets that she is currently dating Matthew Mayfield, a musician from Birmingham, AL.

Career

Snow began modeling at the age of three and a half in a print ad for Burdines. She was on CBS' ''Guiding Light'' for three years as troubled teen Susan/Daisy Lemay. She played Meg Pryor on NBC's ''American Dreams'' and neo-Nazi high school student Ariel Alderman on the third season of ''Nip/Tuck''. In 2005, she appeared in ''The Pacifier'' with action star Vin Diesel.

In 2006, she was in the film ''John Tucker Must Die'' and voiced Naminé in the video game ''Kingdom Hearts II'' as well as Shizuku Tsukishima in the Studio Ghibli film ''Whisper of the Heart'', along with Ashley Tisdale. She also portrayed a young woman afflicted with bipolar disorder in the season seven finale of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.

She appeared in ''Hairspray'', a film adaptation of the Broadway musical, playing Amber Von Tussle, the daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer's character. She had already worked with the director of ''Hairspray'' (Adam Shankman) on the Disney film ''The Pacifier.'' With her role in ''Hairspray'', her musical side is shown in several numbers, including a solo entitled "The New Girl In Town", a song previously cut from the Broadway musical version. She played the lead role in ''Prom Night'', which was released in April 2008. Snow appeared on the music video for "The Phrase That Pays" by The Academy Is... which was released July 2007.

Snow is set to play the lead, Alyssa, in the film adaptation of ''Clock Tower'', to be released in 2012. She stars alongside Evan Ross in the cautionary thriller ''96 Minutes''.

In 2011, Snow appeared in the short lived CBS' romantic comedy ''Mad Love''.

Snow recently appeared as a series regular in the first season of the legal drama ''Harry's Law'' as Jenna, which premiered on January 17, 2011, created by David E. Kelley. Snow returned as a recurring character in the series for season two.

Filmography

''The Pacifier'' ''Whisper of the Heart (film) ''John Tucker Must Die'' ''Kingdom Hearts II'' ''Hairspray (2007 film) ''Prom Night (2008 film) ''The Vicious Kind'' ''Janie Jones (film) ''96 Minutes'' ''Would You Rather (film) ''Clock Tower (series)#Film adaptation

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
		! Film	! Role	! Notes
rowspan="1"	2001	''Murphy's Dozen''
rowspan="1"	2005	|	Zoey Plummer	Supporting role
rowspan="1"	2006	Whisper of the Heart'' ||	Shizuku Tsukishima	Lead role (voice)
rowspan="1"	2006	|	Kate Spencer	Lead role
rowspan="1"	2006	|	Naminé	Supporting role (voice)
rowspan="2"	2007	Hairspray'' ||	Amber Von Tussle	Supporting role
''On the Doll''	Balery
rowspan="3"	2008	Prom Night'' ||	Donna Keppel	Lead role
''Finding Amanda''	Amanda Tangerman
''Streak (film)	Streak''	Baylin
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Emma Gainsborough	Lead role
''Black Water Transit''	Sardoonah
rowspan="2"	2010	Janie Jones'' ||	Iris	Lead role
''Walks''	TBA
rowspan="1"	2011	|	Carley	Lead role
rowspan="1"	2012	Would You Rather'' ||	Iris	Lead role
rowspan="1"	TBA	Clock Tower'' ||
colspan=4 style="background:#b0c4de;">Television
Year	Show	Role	Notes
1998–2002	''Guiding Light''	Susan Lemay	9 episodes
2002–2005	''American Dreams''	Margaret "Meg" Pryor	Main cast; 61 episodes
2005	''Nip/Tuck''	Ariel Alderman	5 episodes
	''Law & Order: SVU''	Jamie Hoskins
	''Family Guy''	Candy	Episode: "Quagmire's Baby"
''Gossip Girl''	Young Lily Rhodes
	''Harry's Law''	Jenna Backstrom	Main cast (season 1), 12 episodes - Recurring (season 2)
	Julia Swanson	Episode: "Little Sister, Big City"
Music videos
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	''The Phrase That Pays''	Naughty Nurse	The Academy Is... video
	''Otep The Ascension''		Crooked Spoons video
	Girlfriend	Cary Brothers video
''Just Impolite''	Girlfriend	Plushgun video
2011	''Fire Escape''		Matthew Mayfield video

Discography

Soundtracks

2007: ''Hairspray'' Soundtrack - July 10

References

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Actors from Florida Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Gaither High School alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Young Artist Award winners

da:Brittany Snow de:Brittany Snow es:Brittany Snow fa:بریتنی اسنو fr:Brittany Snow id:Brittany Snow it:Brittany Snow he:בריטני סנואו lv:Britānija Snova nl:Brittany Snow ja:ブリタニー・スノウ no:Brittany Snow pl:Brittany Snow pt:Brittany Snow ru:Сноу, Бриттани simple:Brittany Snow sl:Brittany Snow fi:Brittany Snow sv:Brittany Snow

birth date	October 19, 1976
birth place
occupation	Actress
years active	2001–present
spouse	}}

Joy Bryant (born October 19, 1976) is an American actress and former fashion model. Joy currently stars as Jasmine Trussell in ''Parenthood''

Early life

Bryant was born in the Bronx, New York. While living in the Bronx, she graduated from CJHS 145x and was a member of the Fieldston Enrichment Program, an elite high school preparatory program. Bryant is a graduate of Westminster School a boarding school in Connecticut. She received a full academic scholarship to Yale University, but did not graduate. While enrolled at Yale, Bryant was discovered by a modeling scout from ''Next Models Management'' and subsequently pursued a career as a fashion model in Paris.

Career

Early on, Bryant played a small role in Ill Al Skratch's video "I'll Take Her". Bryant's beauty earned her contracts with several brands, including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and RocaWear. She has also appeared in advertising for Gap and Victoria's Secret. She is currently signed to Next Model Management in New York City.

Her acting debut came in 2001 in Robert Townsend's ''Carmen: A Hip Hopera''. After a small role in the action comedy ''Showtime'', she made her big breakthrough in Denzel Washington's directorial debut, ''Antwone Fisher''. In 2005 she appeared in several high-profile films, including "Baadasssss!", ''The Skeleton Key'', ''London'' and ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'''. She also played the role of Tunde Adebimpe's love interest in "Will Do" a 2011 TV on the Radio music video. Joy is now starring as Jasmine Trussell in ''Parenthood''

Personal life

In October 2007 ''OK!'' reported that Bryant was engaged to Dave Pope. They married in 2008.

Filmography

''How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass'' ''Parenthood (2010 TV series) ''Love Bites (TV series)

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
		! Film	! Role	! Notes
2001	''Carmen: A Hip Hopera''	Nikki
rowspan="3"	2002	''Kite''
''Showtime (film)	Showtime''	Lexi
''Antwone Fisher (film)	Antwone Fisher''	PO2 Cheryl Smolley, US Navy
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Priscilla	Alternative title: ''Baadasssss!''
''Honey (2003 film)	Honey''	Gina
rowspan="3"	2004	Three Way
''Spider-Man 2''	Woman at Web
''Haven (film)	Haven''	Sheila
rowspan="3"	2005	''The Skeleton Key''
''London (2005 film)	London''	Mallory
''Get Rich or Die Tryin' (film)	Get Rich or Die Tryin'''	Charlene
2006	Bobby (2006 film)>Bobby''
2007	The Hunting Party (2007 film)>The Hunting Party''
2008	''Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins''
2011	''The Chicken Shack''
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;">Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2003–2004	ER (TV series)>ER''	Valerie Gallant
2010-present	Parenthood''||	Jasmine	Main role
2011	Love Bites''||	Angie	Guest Star

Awards and nominations

Black Reel Awards

*2005, Best Supporting Actress: ''Baadasssss!'' (Nominated)

*2003, Best Supporting Actress: ''Antwone Fisher'' (Nominated)

Screen Actors Guild

*2007, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: ''Bobby'' (Nominated)

References

External links

TheLoop21.com interview with Joy Bryant

Category:1976 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American actors Category:American expatriates in France Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Yale University alumni

cs:Joy Bryant de:Joy Bryant fr:Joy Bryant it:Joy Bryant nl:Joy Bryant pl:Joy Bryant ru:Брайант, Джой sv:Joy Bryant

name	Joe Rogan
birth name	Joseph Rogan
birth date	August 11, 1967
birth place	Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, television, podcast, books
nationality	American
active	1988–present
genre	Satire/political satire, blue comedy, observational comedy
subject	Recreational drug use, self-deprecation, race relations, marriage, everyday life, parenting, pseudoscience, current events, politics, religion
spouse	Jessica Rogan (2009–present; 2 children)
notable work	Joe Garrelli in NewsRadioCo-Host of The Man ShowHost of Fear FactorCommentator for the UFCAuthor of the Book Space Monkey }}

style	10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Taekwondo
team	10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu
rank	''brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu'' ''brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu'' ''green belt in Judo'' ''black belt in Taekwondo''
kickbox win	2
kickbox loss	1
kickbox draw	0
kickbox nc	}}

Joseph "Joe" Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, martial artist, activist and color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Career

Acting

In 1994, Rogan co-starred on the Fox comedy Hardball as Frank Valente, the young, ego-centric star player on a fictional professional baseball team. The show was cancelled after nine episodes.

From 1995-1999, Rogan co-starred on the critically acclaimed comedy NewsRadio. He portrayed Joe Garrelli, the electrician at WNYX, a news radio station in New York City.

In 2002, he appeared on the episode "A Beautiful Mind" of Just Shoot Me as Chris, Maya Gallo's boyfriend.

In 2010 Joe Rogan released his stand up DVD Talking Monkeys In Space. It was 68 minutes of unedited and uncensored material.

In 2011, Rogan played his first major character in a movie in the Kevin James movie ''Zookeeper''.

He is slated to play himself in an upcoming action-comedy starring Kevin James called Here Comes the Boom, set to be released in the summer of 2012.

Martial arts

During high school, Rogan was a practitioner of Taekwondo and gained a black belt at age 15. He went on to become a four-time state champion in Massachusetts, and a U.S. Open Taekwondo champion. His record as a kickboxer is 2-1.

In 1996, Rogan began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlson Gracie at his school in Hollywood, California. After Gracie relocated to Chicago, Rogan later began training under Jean Jacques Machado, (a cousin of the Gracie family), eventually earning his brown belt under Machado. In addition, Rogan holds a brown belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo.

Commentating

Rogan began working for the UFC in 1997, making his debut interviewing fighters at UFC 12: Judgement Day in Dothan, Alabama, before eventually becoming a color commentator for the promotion.

Hosting

Rogan worked on the TV series ''Fear Factor'', as a host of the United States version of the show. He hosted from June 11, 2001 through September 12, 2006 before the show was canceled by NBC. Rogan will return as the host of ''Fear Factor'' in an upcoming rebooted edition of the show, which will air fall 2011 on NBC.

In December 2009, Rogan began hosting a regular podcast with concurrent live Ustream availability. Frequently co-hosted by his friend and the show's producer Brian "Redban" Reichle, the podcast features an array of guests from the pursuits of comedy, acting and Mixed Martial Arts. Now known as ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', the show is regularly found in the Apple iTunes top 10 most downloaded comedy, and was named one of iTunes "Best of 2010" audio podcasts in its first year. He refers to himself as a werewolf commonly on the podcast, admittedly after the Twilight series.

Personal life

Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey. His paternal grandfather was Irish, and the remainder of his ancestry is Italian.

Family

On May 21, 2008, Rogan announced on the Kevin and Bean radio show in Los Angeles that his girlfriend Jessica had a baby girl, and confirmed the news on his fan forum. The couple married in 2009. On episode 22 of ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' (recorded May 25, 2010), Rogan announced that "baby Rogan number two was just born the other day".

Religion

Although raised Roman Catholic, Rogan stated in September 2010, during a guest appearance on the Alex Jones radio show, that he does not follow any organized religions because he feels it is all the work of man. Rogan also said that he is not completely opposed to the concept of a "higher power" such as a God, however views the concept of God as part of nature that exists in everything.

Psychedelics

One of the recurring themes in his stand-up comedy and life is the use and support of cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, and DMT. Rogan supports the medical and recreational use of cannabis. He has also starred in the marijuana documentary ''The Union: The Business Behind Getting High''. He has an isolation tank in his basement. Rogan was featured in the 2010 History Channel documentary, ''Marijuana: A Chronic History'', as an advocate of legalized medical use of marijuana. He is also the presenter of the 2010 documentary, ''DMT: The Spirit Molecule'', released in October 2010.

Accusations against Carlos Mencia

On February 10, 2007, Rogan confronted comedian Carlos Mencia on stage at the Comedy Store on Sunset, accusing him of plagiarism. Rogan posted a video of the altercation with audio and video clips from other comedians, including George Lopez, Reverend Bob Levy, Bobby Lee and Ari Shaffir, among others.

Comedy recordings

''I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday'' (CD) (August 22, 2000)

''Live from the Belly of the Beast'' (DVD) (May 4–5, 2001)

''Joe Rogan: Live'' (DVD) (September 1, 2006)

''Shiny Happy Jihad'' (CD) (April 10, 2007)

''Talking Monkeys In Space'' (CD & DVD) (2010) Comedy Central Records

Awards and Accomplishments

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards

* Best Television Announcer (2010)

See also

List of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners

References

External links

Joe Rogan on Youtube

''Fear Factor''

Interview from August 2008

Joe Rogan on his UFC career

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:American cannabis activists Category:American color commentators Category:American comedians Category:American game show hosts Category:American social commentators Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:American agnostics Category:Mixed martial arts broadcasters Category:People from Essex County, New Jersey Category:Psychedelic drug advocates Category:Religious skeptics Category:American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:American judoka Category:American kickboxers Category:American Muay Thai practitioners Category:American taekwondo practitioners Category:Mixed martial arts people Category:Boston University alumni

cs:Joe Rogan es:Joe Rogan is:Joe Rogan nl:Joe Rogan simple:Joe Rogan fi:Joe Rogan sv:Joe Rogan tr:Joe Rogan

Name	Ralph Lauren
Nationality	American
Birth date	October 14, 1939
Birth place	The Bronx, New York
Education	Baruch College, City University of New York
Networth	US$5.8 billion (2011)
Label name	Polo Ralph Lauren Rugby Ralph Lauren Club Monaco
Awards	Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur }}

Ralph Lauren pronounced LAU-ren (born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer and business executive; best-known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.

Early life

Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in The Bronx, New York, to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants, from Pinsk, Belarus: Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.

Ralph attended the Salanter Academy Jewish Day School followed by MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957. In MTA Lauren was known by his classmates for selling ties to his fellow students. In a moment of spontaneity, when asked what he wanted to do in his Clinton yearbook he stated under his picture that he wanted to be a millionaire. During the summer, Ralph attended Camp Roosevelt (Monticello).

At the age of 16, Ralph's brother Terry (who was his guardian) changed their last name to Lauren to avoid the unfortunate obscenity reference Lifshitz has in English (although Ralph's brother Lenny retained the name). Apparently Ralph was teased about it in school. “My given name has the word shit in it,” he told Oprah Winfrey. “When I was a kid, the other kids would make a lot of fun of me. It was a tough name. That's why I decided to change it. Then people said, "Did you change your name because you don't want to be Jewish?" I said, "Absolutely not. That's not what it's about. My cousins who lived in California had changed their last name to Lawrence. So I just thought, "I'm going to pick a nice last name"—it wasn't particularly connected to anything or anyone."

He went to Baruch College 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 Manhattan clothing manufacturer 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.

Personal life

On December 20, 1964, he married Ricky Anne Low-Beer in New York City. The two met six months earlier, in an eye doctor's office where Ricky was working as a receptionist. They have three children - Dylan, David and Andrew.

Polo Ralph Lauren

In 1970, Ralph Lauren won the COTY Award for his menswear line. Around that same time he released a line of women's suits that were tailored in a classic men's style, which was when the first Polo emblem was seen. It was on the cuff of the women's suit. Ralph Lauren released Polo's famous short sleeve mesh shirt with the Polo logo in 1972. It came out in 24 colors and soon became a classic. He also gained recognition for his design after he was contracted to provide clothing styles for the movie ''The Great Gatsby''.

In 1984, he transformed the Rhinelander Mansion, former home of the photographer Edgar de Evia and Robert Denning, into the flagship store for Polo Ralph Lauren. This same year de Evia photographed the cover feature story for ''House & Garden'' on the Lauren home Round Hill in Jamaica, which had formerly been the home of Babe and Bill Paley. On June 11, 1997, Polo Ralph Lauren became a public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RL.

By 2007 Ralph Lauren had over 35 boutiques in the United States. There were 23 locations that carried Ralph Lauren Purple Label, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Boston, Charlotte, Washington, DC, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Manhasset, New York, Palm Beach, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Short Hills, and Troy. The Financial Times reported in its edition of January 2–3, 2010 that the firm had revenues of $5 billion for the fiscal year 2009. The article addresses succession plans and the future of the overall business.

In 2010, Ralph Lauren was decorated Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in Paris.

Surgery

Sometime in early 1987, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. In April 1987 he underwent surgery to remove the tumor and made a full recovery.

Automobile collection

Ralph Lauren is also well known as a collector of automobiles, some of which are extremely rare. A large portion of his over 70 automobiles are held in his estate in Katonah, New York. He owns a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, two Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas, three 1996 McLaren F1s (one of them an ultra-rare F1 LM), a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, a 1929 Blower Bentley, one Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, a Porsche 997 GT3 RS, a Bugatti Veyron, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz CountTrossi SSK (aka "The Black Prince") a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Mille Miglia., a Lamborghini Reventón and the rare Reventón Roadster. His cars have won "best in show" at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance multiple times. In 2005 his collection was displayed at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. In 2011 17 prime members of his collection were exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. .

Net worth

As of 2011, ''Forbes'' estimates his wealth at $5.8 billion dollars which would make Ralph Lauren the 173rd richest person in the world.

See also

List of swimwear brands

Notes

References

Gross, Michael. ''Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren''.

External links

Ralph Lauren Web Site

Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention

''Men's Vogue'' profile of Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Auto Collection

WIRED Magazine celebrates the Ralph Lauren Classic Automobile Collection

Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:American fashion designers Category:American billionaires Category:Businesspeople from New York City Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:Car collectors Category:Baruch College alumni Category:DeWitt Clinton High School alumni Category:American Jews Category:Ashkenazi Jews Category:People from New York City Category:United States Army soldiers Category:Jewish fashion designers Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent cs:Ralph Lauren da:Ralph Lauren de:Ralph Lauren es:Ralph Lauren fr:Ralph Lauren gl:Ralph Lauren it:Ralph Lauren he:ראלף לורן la:Radulphus Lauren mk:Ралф Лорен nl:Ralph Lauren (modeontwerper) ja:ラルフ・ローレン no:Ralph Lauren pl:Ralph Lauren pt:Ralph Lauren ru:Лорен, Ральф fi:Ralph Lauren sv:Ralph Lauren tr:Ralph Lauren zh:拉爾夫·洛朗