ALL TOGETHER
NOW

The year was 1971. Second-wave feminism swept across the United States, redefining the vision of the American dream. The Supreme Court had just legalized birth control and had begun banning gender discrimination across the country. Still, the fight for equal rights was far from over. At the time, women could not apply for a credit card, and employers could still legally fire a woman for being pregnant. The embattled Equal Rights Amendment drew both criticism and celebration from women around the world—as it still does today.

Amid this time of great change for American women, a rising brand—Ralph Lauren—celebrated the launch of its first womenswear collection. A simple array of button-downs emblazoned with a Polo Pony was soon followed by tweed power suits, trench coats, pleated wide-leg pants, and blazers—essentially, menswear tailor-made for powerful women.

Acclaimed for their progressive sensibility, Ralph Lauren’s designs reflected women’s changing roles in America and their rise into positions of power. Behind the scenes, the same sense of empowerment and equality set the tone for the company. At the helm was a team of strong women—among them Buffy Birrittella, Mary Randolph Carter, Sandy Carlson Tarlow, Cybil Powers, and Beth Lauren. “It was us and Ralph. Women and men, working side by side in the trenches together to build a common dream,” says Beth Lauren, vice president and creative director of luxury accessories. Adding, “It wasn’t about hiring men versus women; Ralph was always about the best person for the job.”

Nearly 50 years later, Ralph Lauren continues to support and empower women by applying the same egalitarian spirit to our hiring practices. In the first two weeks of his tenure, Ralph Lauren President and CEO Patrice Louvet committed to becoming a founding member of the ParityPledge—an initiative led by a nonprofit focused on bringing gender parity to the highest levels of business. The pledge commits the company to increasing representation of qualified women in leadership positions. In taking concrete steps to support gender parity, our commitment includes interviewing at least one qualified female candidate for every open role at the vice president level or above. “We are committed to creating a diverse environment where everyone can thrive and deliver their best, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or background,” says Roseann Lynch, chief people officer. “That commitment includes recruiting and retaining talented, qualified women at every level of our business. We are proud to share that we have achieved our gender parity goal, ahead of 2023, with equal representation in our leadership positions at the vice president level and above.”

To celebrate International Women’s Day—and encourage more gender parity in our own industry—we interviewed Ralph Lauren employees on how they are working together to create a more equitable future for everyone. See what they had to say below, and join us as we continue to champion gender parity by taking the ParityPledge at Parity.org.