Creating a business that is timeless and has a positive impact on tomorrow means building relationships that stand the test of time and ensuring that everyone is included, respected and empowered. That’s why we’re committed to supporting our employees, our partners and those within our communities, working together to build a brighter future.
Our focus areas include Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Employee Well-Being, Community Engagement & Philanthropy and Rights & Empowerment in the Supply Chain.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our Purpose – to inspire the dream of a better life – drives us to create a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging inside our Company and throughout our communities. Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy is designed to create a culture of belonging, attract and retain diverse talent and offer opportunities that enable all people to thrive.
Employee Well-Being
Our people drive our success, and we are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial needs of our employees and their families to help them thrive. We focus on employee wellness, engagement, learning and development and compensation and benefits.
Community Engagement & Philanthropy
Through our Company and The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation), we seek to make the dream of a better life a reality in communities across the globe through contributions and actions that create positive social and environmental impact. We invest in communities via financial and product donations, partnerships and through our employees — empowering them to volunteer with nonprofits that align with causes they are passionate about.
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation) works to make the dream of a better life a reality by championing equity and empowering underserved communities around the world.
Rights and Empowerment in the Supply Chain
We are committed to conducting our global operations ethically with respect for the dignity of all people who make our products. Our approach aims to create a positive impact in the lives of factory workers and their families through risk assessment, monitoring, remediation, capability-building, stakeholder engagement, life skills programs and empowerment opportunities.
Case Study
$25 Million Commitment for Cancer Care
More than 30 years ago, Ralph Lauren made a personal commitment to do all that he could to contribute to the fight against cancer. His dedication serves as inspiration to the Company and The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation) in their respective efforts to support cancer care and prevention, including programs for research, screenings, early diagnosis, treatment, education and patient navigation.
More than 30 years ago, Ralph Lauren made a personal commitment to do all that he could to contribute to the fight against cancer. His dedication serves as inspiration to the Company and The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (the Foundation) in their respective efforts to support cancer care and prevention, including programs for research, screenings, early diagnosis, treatment, education and patient navigation.
In 2022, the Foundation announced a $25 million commitment in new grant funding to expand or establish five Ralph Lauren-named cancer centers aimed at reducing disparities in cancer care and access across underserved communities in the United States. The White House recognized the Foundation’s philanthropic pledge as a leading example of public and private sector partners coming together and answering its Cancer Moonshot call to action to accelerate progress against the disease.
The $25 million commitment, the largest single funding pledge in the Foundation’s history, will benefit institutions with a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, including the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Ralph Lauren Center. The Foundation is partnering with the American Society of Clinical Oncology for Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, to identify and select three additional grant recipients.
Case Study
Engaging Diverse Talent
We remain dedicated to supporting diverse early career talent at Ralph Lauren, increasing our internship and mentorship program capacities to ensure our shared ambition for their growth and development.
We remain dedicated to supporting diverse early career talent at Ralph Lauren, increasing our internship and mentorship program capacities to ensure our shared ambition for their growth and development.
To enhance diverse representation within our early talent pool, we leverage two distinct talent pipelines — undergraduate and MBA — to increase access and opportunities for development and mentorship from leaders across our organization.
In 2022, we expanded our relationships and recruitment efforts with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from two to 10 schools. Through HBCU partnerships, we invest in scholarships, mentorship and development opportunities and offer career acceleration programs for diverse and system-impacted talent.
In 2022, we also joined the New York Jobs CEO Council, a coalition of employers focused on providing access to high-potential jobs for low-income New Yorkers and those within Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Asian communities, including students from the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Through this coalition, we have deepened our relationship with CUNY schools and provided their students access to our early career opportunities.
In the UK in 2022, we increased our engagement with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation (SLDF), an organization that aims to inspire a more equal, inclusive society and to foster opportunities for marginalized young people. In our efforts to recruit and develop a diverse array of early talent, we participated in SLDF’s career day event in November 2022, offering ambitious UK-based young talent a venue to network with representatives from throughout Ralph Lauren, participate in follow-up mentoring sessions and be among the first to know about open roles at the Company relevant to their interests.
Case Study
Championing Diverse Stories
Stories are core to our brand. We are committed to expanding our portrayal of the American dream – leveraging the power of our platform to celebrate the communities that inspire us and elevate the diverse voices within them.
Stories are core to our brand. We are committed to expanding our portrayal of the American dream – leveraging the power of our platform to celebrate the communities that inspire us and elevate the diverse voices within them.
In 2022, we celebrated #RLPride through the perspectives of unique LGBTQIA+ luminaries in our “Authors of the American Dream” campaign. This campaign demonstrated that the American dream is as much an ideal as it is a responsibility, one that each of us carries, to create an equitable society where all are free to be their authentic selves and lead a fulfilling life with those they love. As a part of this effort, we elevated conversations with LGBTQIA+ thought leaders, spanning from freedom and love to Stonewall and liberation, grounding our reexamination of what the American dream represents to LGBTQIA+ communities.
The campaign highlighted Ralph Lauren’s more than 30-year history of support for these communities and our continued partnership with Stonewall Community Foundation, which makes strategic investments in communities through an international network of change-making organizations, touching many different LGBTQIA+ needs.
In February 2023, we also produced our first full-scale Black History Month campaign, titled “A Heritage Preserved.” The campaign invited four cultural leaders to the historical Akwaaba Mansion in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, for a conversation on the importance of preserving Black heritage.
As a Company and community, our belief in the power of dreams is at the core of who we are and how we appear in the world. We remain committed to showcasing that belief, keeping the people, cultures and lifestyles that inspire us — including Black experiences — at the forefront of our storytelling.
