Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in The Bronx to Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from Belarus[1]: Fraydl (Kotlar) and Frank Lifshitz, a house painter.[2]

From a young age he started working after school to earn money to buy suits. A four-year younger Calvin Klein, lived in the same Bronx neighborhood but it is not known if they ever met while living there.

Lauren attended the Salanter Academy Jewish 日 School followed 由 MTA (now known as the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy), before eventually graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1957.[3] In MTA Lauren was known 由 his classmates for...