Who Is Ralph Lauren's Wife? All About Ricky Lauren (2024)

Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky Lauren, have been married for nearly 60 years.

The pair met in 1964 and married around six months later. Ricky, who often serves as Ralph's muse, has been by the designer's side as he built his fashion empire, and she has established an impressive career of her own as an author, artist and photographer. The couple also raised three children together and now have several grandchildren.

Though Ralph and Ricky are relatively private about their relationship, they have spoken about their love for each other on rare occasions. In a 2011 interview with Oprah.com, Ricky shared that friendship is the secret to their marriage.

“Ralph is my best friend, and I’m just so comfortable with him, and he is with me as well — we could be ourselves,” she said. “We see the world as a team.”

She continued: “[He] was something that completed me, and he was also very thoughtful and kind to my parents."

So, who is Ralph Lauren’s wife? Here's everything to know about Ricky Lauren and her relationship with the designer.

She grew up in New York City

Ricky (born Ricky Ann Loew-Beer) grew up in New York City, where she majored in English at Hunter College, according to theLos Angeles Times. Later, Ricky taught fifth grade in the Bronx neighborhood.

After she married Ralph, she went on to study photography.

She and Ralph met in 1964

Ralph and Ricky met at an eye doctor’s office in N.Y.C. in 1964, Ricky was working as a receptionist while she was attending Hunter College, and Ralph came in for an appointment. As soon as he saw her, he asked her out on a date.

During a 2012 Harper’s Bazaar interview, Ricky described their first date, saying Ralph picked her up in a green Morgan sports car and took her to a pancake house in upstate New York. She told him about how she was studying Shakespeare and Chaucer.

Ricky recalled: “Then I started reciting The Canterbury Tales and he said, ‘This is a very strange girl, very odd. She’s beautiful, but she’s strange.’ ”

She and Ralph got married in December 1964

Ralph and Ricky married on Dec. 20, 1964, about six months after they got engaged. Reportedly, Ralph proposed to her on their first date.

“You have to do what you think is important and sometimes two people think the same things are important," Ricky told the L.A. Times in 1990, of how they make their marriage work. "You ride the waves— both the crest and the trough. Just to exist is the thing. Marriage is not about the good parts or the bad parts. It’s just participation."

In 2014, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family at an estate in Mexico. Their son, David Lauren, posted a photo of them to celebrate the milestone.

"Today is the 50th anniversary of my parents wedding!" David wrote on Instagram. "Their love and kindness inspire me every day!”

She is a mother of three

Since getting married, Ralph and Ricky have built a family together. They welcomed their first son, Andrew, in 1969; their second son, David, in 1971; and their daughter, Dylan, in 1974.

Andrew is a successful movie producer who has produced films like The Spectacular Now and The Squid and the Whale.

Meanwhile, David followed in his father’s footsteps and works as the chief innovation officer, strategic advisor to the CEO and head of the Ralph Lauren Foundation. He married Lauren Bush (niece of former President George W. Bush) in 2011, and the two have had three children together.

Dylan started a successful sweets business Dylan’s Candy Bar, which offers the "largest selection of candies and candy-related gifts from around the world." In 2011, she married hedge fund manager Paul Arrouetin (her dad designed her wedding dress). The couple welcomed twins in 2020.

She is Ralph’s muse

It's no secret that Ricky has served as Ralph’s muse in designing his brand. He once created an expensive leather handbag and named it “The Ricky” after her.

In his 2017 memoir, Ralph Lauren, Ralph wrote about his wife as his source of inspiration.

“I didn’t like the girl with all the makeup and high heels,” he wrote. “I liked the girl in jeans and a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, wearing her boyfriend’s jacket. That’s the girl I’m attracted to. That’s the girl I married – Ricky.”

In her 1990 interview with the L.A. Times, Ricky shared how she felt about being her husband’s muse.

“Gesundheit!” she said. “That means healthy, and that’s how I feel about it. You have to take the opportunity. There’s the, ‘What came first — the chicken or the egg?’ question. I’d been around a while before the other was here. But sometimes I don’t know if I’m the chicken or the egg.”

She’s an author

Ricky is an accomplished author and has published four books. In 1989, she published her first book, Safari, which was inspired by a 1983 trip she took to Africa with friends and is full of photographs from the trip. The book was self-published, and proceeds went to the World Wildlife Fund.

In 1994, she published the book, My Island, which contains her reflections on nature and life alongside color photographs and watercolors of a tropical island. In 2006, she wrote Cuisine, Lifestyle and Legend of the Double RL Ranch, which was a tribute to the Lauren family's home in Telluride, Colorado. It includes some of Ricky’s recipes, stories, facts and photographs.

Her fourth book is titled The Hamptons: Food, Family and History, which was published in 2012 and is probably her most well-known title. It consists of a collection of family recipes, personal photos she took and her lifestyle tips.

“I like to write and I like to take photos,” Ricky told the L.A. Times in 1990. “There are so many things I get to see because I’m lucky, I wanted to share it with others.”

She added that while she knows she’s “not a professional photographer or a writer,” she felt “it would be fun to do something on my own.”

She’s an artist and a photographer

Ricky studied photography after marrying Ralph and went on to use her skills for her books.

She's also an artist. In an interview for RalphLauren.com, she said she loves watercolor painting, adding: “The colors to me are clear and bright against the pure white paper, like stained glass or candy!"

Fans can see some of her watercolor work in her book, The Hamptons: Food, Family and History, which contains painted images of children playing, the Montauk lighthouse and more.

She previously worked as a psychotherapist

Although psychology is less a part of her life today than her creative side, Ricky has a graduate degree from Columbia University’s Teacher College and has worked as a psychotherapist. According to an interview with Port Magazine, she waited until her kids were in school before she finished college and worked in the field.

The Hamptons holds a special place in her heart

The couple have multiple homes, including a place in Montauk, New York, which they have owned since the mid-'80s. The entire Hamptons area is particularly meaningful to Ricky, as well as the rest of her family.

“The Hamptons have always been a special place for us, starting when our children were very young," Ralph said in the interview with Harper’s Bazaar. "Ricky’s food and the creative way she sets our tables or fills a basket for a picnic on the beach have always been a personal gift to each of us.”

He added: “Montauk is more remote, more private, more of a fishing village, an artists’ retreat. It has its own magic.”