When you think of the CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren, your brain probably jumps straight to the man whose name is on the building. It makes sense. Ralph Lauren isn't just a designer; he's a personification of the American Dream, the guy who sold us a specific brand of upper-class nostalgia. But here is the reality: Ralph hasn't been the CEO since 2015.
The man actually running the show is Patrice Louvet.
He took over in 2017 after a fairly chaotic, short-lived stint by Stefan Larsson. Louvet didn't come from the world of high fashion or "old money" tailoring. He came from Procter & Gamble. He spent decades selling Pantene shampoo and Gillette razors. Honestly, when he was first hired, people in the fashion world whispered that he was too "corporate" for a brand built on vibes and equestrian fantasies. They were wrong.
Louvet has turned the company into a financial juggernaut by doing the boring stuff exceptionally well.
The Strategy Behind the Rebrand
Ralph Lauren (the man) still serves as the Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. He dreams up the Gatsby-esque campaigns. He decides which shade of navy blue feels "correct." But the CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren, Patrice Louvet, is the one deciding to pull the clothes out of low-end department stores like Kohl's.
It was a bold move.
Basically, the brand had become too available. You could find a polo shirt on a dusty clearance rack for thirty bucks, which kills the "luxury" allure. Louvet realized that to save the brand, they had to sell fewer items at higher prices. He called it "brand elevation." It sounds like corporate speak, but it worked. He focused on "the Next Generation" of consumers—Gen Z and Millennials who care about heritage but shop on TikTok.
He didn't just stop at clothing. Louvet pushed the company hard into the digital space. While other legacy brands were scoffing at the Metaverse, Ralph Lauren was selling digital sweaters on Roblox and Zepeto. It sounds silly until you realize they sold millions of units. He saw that the 16-year-old wearing a digital polo today is the 25-year-old buying a real one tomorrow.
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Navigating the Ralph-Patrice Dynamic
Working for a founder who is still in the building is notoriously difficult. Ask anyone who tried to run Disney while Walt was around or Microsoft after Bill Gates. It’s a minefield. You have to respect the legacy without being paralyzed by it.
Louvet seems to have cracked the code.
He manages the business side—supply chains, digital transformation, China expansion—while giving Ralph the space to be the creative North Star. It’s a partnership based on a very specific division of labor. Louvet handles the "how," and Ralph handles the "why."
During the global pandemic, this relationship was tested. Most retail CEOs panicked. Louvet and Lauren doubled down on the "Way of Life" messaging. They didn't just sell sweatpants; they sold the idea of a beautiful home life. They leaned into Ralph Lauren Home. They expanded Ralph’s Coffee. They turned a clothing brand into a hospitality ecosystem.
Real Growth in a Shifting Market
If you look at the numbers, the CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren has been remarkably consistent. Under Louvet, the company has seen significant margin expansion. They aren't just making money; they are making better money.
They’ve aggressively targeted the Chinese market. For years, Ralph Lauren lagged behind brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci in Asia. Louvet changed that by opening flagship "Emblem" stores in Shanghai and Beijing. He realized that the American "preppy" look has massive appeal in China if it’s marketed as a prestige lifestyle rather than just a casual weekend outfit.
But it hasn't all been easy.
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The fashion industry is currently under immense pressure regarding sustainability. Cotton farming, water usage, and "fast fashion" cycles are under the microscope. Louvet has had to navigate this by implementing the "Design the Change" strategy. It’s a commitment to using 100% sustainably sourced key materials by 2025. Is it perfect? No. Critics argue that no massive global corporation can be truly "sustainable," but Louvet is at least putting real metrics behind the promises.
What Most People Miss About the Role
People think being the CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren is about attending the Met Gala and hanging out with celebrities. Sure, that's part of it. But Louvet’s day-to-day is much more about data than denim.
He spends a lot of time looking at "Average Unit Retail" (AUR). This is the average price a customer pays for an item. Since he took over, the AUR has grown for something like 25 consecutive quarters. That is almost unheard of in retail. It means people are willing to pay more for the pony logo today than they were five years ago.
He’s also leaned into "fortress markets." Instead of having 5,000 mediocre points of distribution, he wants 500 incredible ones. He’s focused on key cities: New York, London, Paris, Tokyo. If the brand looks elite in those cities, the rest of the world follows.
The Future of the Pony
What happens when Ralph, who is now in his 80s, eventually steps away entirely? That is the billion-dollar question.
Louvet is essentially building a framework that can survive the founder. By professionalizing the management and diversifying the product lines (into perfumes, furniture, and even restaurants), he's ensuring that the company isn't just a "designer label." He’s turning it into a permanent cultural institution.
He’s also obsessed with the "Core." In the fashion world, everyone wants to chase the newest trend. Louvet does the opposite. He wants to sell you the same navy blazer or cable-knit sweater he sold your father. He knows that trends die, but "style" (the Ralph Lauren version of it) is a recurring revenue stream.
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Actionable Insights for Business Leaders
Watching how the CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren operates offers a few genuine lessons for anyone running a business, whether it’s a corner shop or a tech startup.
First, protect your price point. Once you start discounting your product to chase quick sales, you destroy your brand's long-term value. Louvet proved that pulling back from sales actually increases profit over time.
Second, respect the "Vibe" but manage the "Math." You need a creative soul (like Ralph), but you need a disciplined operator (like Patrice) to scale it. One cannot survive without the other.
Third, meet your customers where they are. If your future customers are playing video games, you need to be in those video games. Don't be too "prestigious" to innovate.
Finally, focus on the ecosystem. Don't just sell a product; sell a lifestyle. When you buy a Ralph Lauren shirt, you’re buying into a dream of the American Hamptons. Louvet has expanded that dream into coffee, dining, and home decor, creating more "surface area" for the customer to interact with the brand.
To stay updated on Louvet’s movements, monitor the company’s quarterly earnings calls. They are surprisingly candid about where the luxury market is heading. You can also follow the Ralph Lauren "Design the Change" annual reports for a transparent look at their supply chain hurdles. Understanding this balance of heritage and hard-nosed business logic is the only way to truly understand the modern Ralph Lauren machine.