Ralph Lauren to Hold First West Coast Runway Show
Ralph Lauren is coming to the West Coast.
The designer will present his spring 2023 men’s and women’s collections on Oct. 13 in Southern California.
More from WWD
Ivana Trump Celebrating the Fashion Community Through the Years
Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Thom Browne, Ralph Lauren, Moschino and Gucci Reigned at the 2022 Met Gala
This is the first time the New Yorker has gone West for a runway show, though he famously has a 16,000-square-foot ranch in Colorado, and the West has influenced the iconography of his brand over the years almost as much as East Coast prep.
No further details were revealed at this stage except that the show will be “a special fashion experience that will be uniquely Ralph Lauren.”
The last runway show Lauren presented was in March, when he transformed a gallery at the Museum of Modern Art into a sleek replica of his Fifth Avenue apartment, and welcomed guests for cocktails and a show that felt like a turning point for the brand in terms of runway cool, with Gigi and Bella Hadid, Shalom Harlow, Tyson Beckford and a slew of other all-ages model personalities leading the charge.
That came after a nearly three-year runway hiatus. Lauren chose to stage an intimate presentation, hosting just under 100 people, including Jessica Chastain, “Euphoria” star Angus Cloud (the face of Polo fragrance), “Succession” scion Jeremy Strong and songstress Janelle Monáe.
It marked the return for Lauren to the conventional seasonal fashion calendar; rather than a see now, buy now collection landing in stores right away, he was back in line with the greater industry showing a season ahead. The October show will be the same.
“See now, buy now was actually good, but it was bad for production and bad for European press,” Lauren said at the time.
Ralph Lauren follows a number of luxury brands that have staged runway shows in Southern California in recent years, capitalizing on the rich natural landscape and proximity to Hollywood stars, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Saint Laurent.
Lauren has dressed his fair share of Hollywood heavyweights, including Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Ryan Reynolds, J Balvin and Jon Batiste for this year’s Met Gala, and he is rumored to be making Jennifer Lopez’s wedding gown.
On the business side, Ralph Lauren Corp. chief executive officer and president Patrice Louvet has been executing a strategy of elevating the brand, exiting mid-tier department stores, and focusing on brick-and-mortar, wholesale digital and digital experiences, including selling on Roblox.
Revenues for the three months ended July 2 rose 8.3 percent to $1.5 billion from $1.4 billion. And on a constant currency basis, revenues increased a stronger 13 percent, ahead of the 8 percent rise the company had penciled in. But net income declined 25 percent to $123.4 million, or $1.73 a diluted share, from $164.7 million, or $2.18, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings per share slipped to $1.88.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
