Ralph Lauren and Rick Owens is a north star to the business and the creativity of fashion.
Ralph Lauren's business is a master class on storytelling and building a world. It is a lifestyle. The same way Apple has built an ecosystem of products that relies on only their products. Ralph Lauren has created a coherent world of heritage, aspiration, and of course Americana. The consistency and the clarity in execution and vision is unwavering. Long term, it has paid off for Ralph Lauren. The discipline to remain authentic to his brand and not following the market trends over a span of six decades shows that you can have an outlet for creativity and a large scale business at the same time.
Rick Owens is a bit more experimental in design. His runway shows and collections are always representing this idea that you can't compromise anything for design, especially not for money. His ability to scale his business while pushing the boundaries of fashion and create a cult following behind his namesake brand has shown that authenticity and consistency makes people feel and believe something bigger than themselves. Not everyone is a Rick Owens fan, but that's exactly the point. His version of true creative vision is that it isn't supposed to appeal to everyone and it deeply resonates with the few who do understand.
Together they really represent two ends of the spectrum where Ralph creates an invitation into the World of Ralph Lauren with accessibility and dilution, Rick would rather filter out the ones who don't understand so that he can build with the people who do. It ultimately proves the same idea that clarity of vision and consistency of execution are what builds lasting impact.
BK