Few brands have been as successful as Ralph Lauren at maintaining a consistent philosophy and image over decades. Some legacy brands that have been around for a long time become risk-averse, fearing that anything new could dilute or endanger the brand, but Ralph Lauren has always embraced the latest technology: At the dawn of the ecommerce age, it was the first luxury fashion brand to sell on the internet. Now, its “Ask Ralph” AI agent has moved the brand into the agentic AI era — without losing its signature ethos.
“What my father started 60 years ago was a brand based on his philosophy of designing with timelessness, integrity and quality, to create products that get better with age and can be handed down from generation to generation,” said David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer, Ralph Lauren. “We’re always trying to tell the story of the person who wears our clothes: What movie are they living in? What has been their philosophy of life? These technologies have been incredible tools to take this philosophy to a new generation, putting this idea of passing things along into their language.”
Lauren spoke at the NRF Big Show session, The Future of an Icon: Ralph Lauren’s Journey of Heritage, Innovation and Partnership with Microsoft. He was joined by Shelley Bransten, Corporate VP, Worldwide Industry Solutions at Microsoft, with the conversation moderated by NRF President Matthew Shay, who shared his own experience using the “Ask Ralph” agent for advice on his onstage outfit: “The experience felt unmistakably Ralph.”
Currently, Ask Ralph is live only on the Ralph Lauren app and only for its Polo brand, but the company plans to expand globally, across additional sites and stores.
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Microsoft’s Long History with Ralph Lauren
The brand’s tech partnership with Microsoft, which dates back to Ralph Lauren appearing on a tech trade show stage with Bill Gates to talk about the then-novel idea of ecommerce some 25 years ago, has been central to creating those “unmistakably Ralph” experiences.
“We want to make sure a customer is enveloped in our philosophy and feels confident in their purchases,” said Lauren. “Showing the customer how to put an outfit together, with the styling and attitude about the life you can live, is part of the magic of Ralph Lauren. This tech helps us fulfill that to create something that’s even more personal for you.” He cited the Ask Ralph agent’s ability to look at real-time inventory when making recommendations as another level of personalization that also becomes part of an ongoing conversation.
“We always start with the vision and purpose, and then ask, ‘What’s the best tech to accomplish that?’,” said Lauren. “In this instance, we knew exactly what we wanted to create, and Microsoft helped us do it.”
Learning from the Experts: Ralph Lauren Associates
The development of Ask Ralph, built with Microsoft Azure AI and Copilot Studio, was informed by that Ralph Lauren “magic” from the start, according to Microsoft’s Bransten: “What I love about this partnership is that our team prepped by looking at LLMs, but the apparel retailer insisted we spend the first three hours of the meeting in the Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue, so we could listen to the sales associates and learn how they personalize interactions.
“You wanted to bring us into your movie,” she added, addressing Lauren. “We wanted to design technology that would meet your standards. Tech for tech’s sake is a fool’s errand; it needs to start with this vision and principle of human creativity.”
Bransten also shared a personal anecdote illustrating the power of Ask Ralph. She described her husband as someone who is not savvy about women’s fashion, and who struggles each holiday to buy something she will like. “He went on Ask Ralph and bought me a great jacket, and it was the first apparel item he bought me that I haven’t returned,” said Bransten, noting that the agent has mastered “all the brilliant basics of retail — research, recommendations and deals.”
