December 4, 2018
Ralph Lauren's pop-up at Fred Segal. Image credit: Ralph Lauren
U.S. fashion label Ralph Lauren is seeing the pitfalls of a tumultuous political climate in France, as a ceremony for its founder is bring pushed back.
The label’s eponymous founder, Ralph Lauren, was to be decorated as an Officer of the Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 6. But according to Women's Wear Daily, antigovernment protests in France have caused the event to be moved to 2019.
Politics and fashion
France has seen a swelling number of violent protests over the declining living standards, causing citizens to rally against its government for three weekends in a row. As Mr. Lauren was set to receive the honor from the French president, protests began to form around the event.
Protests have included an increasing amount of violence and vandalism, known as some of the worst in France’s history.
The ceremony will be pushed back until next year.
This honor for Mr. Lauren is in tandem with his line’s 50th anniversary and comes after he became the first U.S. designer to become an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Ralph Lauren's spring/summer 2019 runway show. Image credit: Ralph Lauren
Prior to these honors for Mr. Lauren and the brand, the lifestyle company increased its spend on marketing in the second quarter by 30 percent as it made a push for its 50th anniversary celebrations.
The brand says that its efforts help drive record engagement on digital and social media, as well as earning it almost a third of all impressions during New York Fashion Week. Marketing is a key pillar of the company’s strategic plan, which led to a 2 percent revenue growth for the quarter, which ended on Sept. 29 (see story).
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