What branch of the U.S. military did Ralph Lauren serve in?

Ralph Lauren served in the U.S. Army.

Lauren enlisted before completing his business studies at Baruch College in New York. He served from 1962 to 1964, making his military service an important bridge between his early education and his eventual fashion career.

After leaving the Army, Lauren worked briefly as a sales assistant at Brooks Brothers and then became a salesman for the necktie company Rivetz. His military experience did not lead to a conventional fashion-school path; instead, he developed his design ideas while working in the apparel trade.

People sometimes confuse the Army with the Air Force because Lauren’s older brother Jerry also changed the family surname after experiencing bullying in the Air Force. That detail belongs to his brother, not Ralph. Lauren’s own documented service was in the United States Army, not the Marines, Navy, or Air Force.