--- description: Find out why Ralph Lauren is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. title: Ralph Lauren: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1841314c0e34968/69dfb4bb063f5d6f93cafe8b/T100-2026-Web-Ralph-Lauren1.jpg?branch=production --- Apr 15, 2026 # Ralph Lauren by [Oprah Winfrey](/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## Oprah Winfrey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Ting Shen—Bloomberg/Getty Images [Ralph Lauren](https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-special-mentions/7320831/ralph-lauren-ask-ralph/ "undefined") has defined a way of living. What makes him extraordinary isn’t only his eye for design, but his instinct—his deep understanding that style is storytelling. For decades, he has invited us into worlds shaped by elegance, aspiration, and the American Dream. While many think it began with the polo shirt, I believe it started the moment Ralph trusted himself—trusted he had something meaningful to say. And he’s been saying it ever since. Through every collection, every detail, every dream brought to life. His recent return to Milan Fashion Week was a reminder that true vision doesn’t fade; it evolves. And now a new generation is discovering what so many of us have always known: authenticity, when rooted in purpose, never goes out of style. _Winfrey is the CEO of_ _Harpo Entertainment_ Ralph Lauren Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/ralph-lauren/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/ralph-lauren/"},"headline":"Ralph Lauren","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:52.998Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/ralph-lauren/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1841314c0e34968/69dfb4bb063f5d6f93cafe8b/T100-2026-Web-Ralph-Lauren1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Oprah Winfrey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/oprah-winfrey/"}],"creator":"Oprah Winfrey","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1841314c0e34968/69dfb4bb063f5d6f93cafe8b/T100-2026-Web-Ralph-Lauren1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/ralph-lauren/","name":"Ralph Lauren"}}]}] ```