Ralph Lauren reported better than expected second quarter 2022 results

Ralph Lauren reported better than expected second quarter 2022 results. From the press release:

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL), a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of luxury lifestyle products, today reported earnings per diluted share of $2.18 on a reported basis and $2.23 on an adjusted basis, excluding restructuring-related and other net charges for the second quarter of Fiscal 2023. This compared to earnings per diluted share of $2.57 on a reported basis and $2.62 on an adjusted basis, excluding restructuring-related and other net charges for the second quarter of Fiscal 2022.

Read more at Business Wire.

Ralph Lauren Teams Up With Fortnite

Esquire has all the details on Ralph Lauren’s team-up with Fortnite that includes real world Fortnite branded Ralph Lauren polo shirts and an in-game tournament:

To the delight of Epic Games (and whoever they bank with), Fortnite is still a thing. A huge thing. And its enduring appeal has got much to do with the video game’s myriad collaborations with high-profile hitters in every field, fashion included. Right now, it’s Fortnite x Polo Ralph Lauren keeping the fire ablaze.

On Wednesday 2 November, the collaboration launched with a drop of IRL pieces, namely a polo shirt and a cap – both unisex, both available in white and ‘newport navy’, both distinguishable by a reworked Polo Pony logo (here a Polo Supply Llama).

You can see all the details of the collection at the Ralph Lauren Fortnite page.

Stock Analysts Project Growth For Ralph Lauren Corporation

According to Director’s Talks Interviews, the consensus view is for increased growth for Ralph Lauren Corporation:

[Ralph Lauren] ticker code (RL) now have 16 analysts in total covering the stock. The consensus rating is ‘Buy’. The target price ranges between 145 and 92 with a mean TP of 125.34. Now with the previous closing price of 123.64 this would imply there is a potential upside of 1.4%.

Read more at Director’s Talk.

The Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt

Polo by Ralph LaurenAlthough I’m a Lacoste fanatic, I’m still interested in other brands of Polo Shirts. In particular, I’ve always had a weakness for Ralph Lauren polo shirts. In my mind, they are the only real rival to original Lacoste polo shirts. So, I’ve written this post on the history of Ralph Lauren polo shirts.

As the Ralph Lauren site puts it:

An American style standard since 1972, the Polo shirt has been imitated but never matched. Over the decades, Ralph Lauren has reimagined his signature style in a wide array of colors and fits, yet all retain the quality and attention to detail of the iconic original.

The then twenty-eight year old, Ralph Lauren founded his fashion line, in 1967. Reportedly, he named the brand “Polo Ralph Lauren” because it sounded more English. In 1969, the brand had its first major success when Bloomingdale’s gave Polo Ralph Lauren its own shop within the store. This was the first designer shop within a Bloomingdales. Three years later, in 1972, Ralph Lauren launched the iconic polo shirt in twenty-four colors.

Although it is available in synthetic fabrics now, at the time of the polo shirt’s launch, Ralph Lauren was reportedly adamant about the superiority of cotton polo shirts and “open about his love for the patina of a well-loved garment, something that polyester couldn’t really offer.” This focus was reiterated in the Polo Ralph Lauren’s launch tagline “it gets better with age.”(1)

By the 1980s the brand was going head-to-head with Lacoste. As one observer put it, “The 1980’s became the decade of the polo-shirt as Lacoste and Ralph Lauren battled for the cash of Americans coast to coast.”(2). By the middle of the decade, in the United States, the Ralph Lauren polo shirt had equal status with Lacoste, although it had much less success in Europe.

Emblazoned with the iconic polo-player embroidered motif, the polo shirt has remained Polo Ralph Lauren’s most popular product for nearly fifty years. It’s truly a worthy competitor to Lacoste’s original polo shirt.