Timeless by Design
Ralph Lauren’s sustainability campaign draws upon the heritage of a timeless world.
The Campaign Story
For more than fifty years, we’ve stood for values and things that last. Things that strike an inner chord, that are timeless and enduring, that never go out of style. What we do is not a constant race for what is next, but rather an appreciation for what has come before, so that we may work together to inspire our dream of a better life and create the heritage pieces of tomorrow.
The Approach
Recently, I read a book called Fashionopolis. In it, I was horrified to learn that fashion is one of the top three polluting industries in the world. Though I spend a great deal of time trying to minimize my personal impact on the planet, I knew I needed to help champion the same cause within my professional life.
Immediately, I reached out to the Sustainability Team at Ralph Lauren to understand just what our company was doing to minimize its own impact on the environment. I studied our various Sustainability certifications, claims, and product innovations, and with the support of leadership, I pitched a Sustainability campaign to marketing — in which we highlighted our company’s ongoing initiatives and new innovations.
Ultimately, the pitch was picked up and in the following year, we launched a new campaign called Timeless by Design in partnership with the Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Sustainability teams. Our strategy was simple: lead with timelessness. The idea was to position Ralph Lauren as a company that championed quality products that age well and never go out of style, so they’ll never end up in a landfill. We would then share our new product innovations and follow them with real-world, actionable commitments to reducing our environmental impact.
“I would love the legacy of this company to be not only the beautiful products we made but the way we thought about the world and tried to make it a better place.”
— Ralph Lauren
