COMPETITIVE RIVALRY

Ralph Lauren is the world's most successful fashion designer, selling clothing and luxury goods worth around $11bn a year. That's roughly twice as much as his closest rival, Giorgio Armani. Not bad for a working-class kid from the Bronx who started out designing ties. The secret of his success has been careful control of the Ralph Lauren and Polo trademarks, but above all an unrivalled understanding of the multiple strands that make up classic American style.