Ralph Lauren
ABOUT
Ralph Lauren is an iconic American luxury fashion and lifestyle brand rooted in heritage, craftsmanship, and timeless design - reflected not only in their physical stores and marketing, but across its digital experiences as well.
To better showcase the brand’s evolving mission and latest collaborations, I reorganized the website homepage architecture to elevate key narratives and bring important brand moments to the forefront. In parallel, we introduced a new mobile app experience where AI curates personalized wardrobes based on items users already own, creating a more thoughtful, tailored approach to shopping that blends brand storytelling with intelligent personalization.
MY ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
November 2023
TOOLS
Figma
Can a white-glove luxury experience exist online?
Luxury brands excel at creating personalized in-store experiences, where dedicated sales representatives guide customers, help them discover products tailored to their needs, and build deep personal connections.
But as shopping increasingly moves online, that same level of care often gets lost. By leveraging digital channels and smart technology, luxury brands have the opportunity to extend this white-glove experience online, drive customers to stores, and create a seamless omnichannel journey that delights at every touchpoint.
Keeping Luxury Feeling Luxurious
Ralph Lauren came to us with a nuanced challenge: how to preserve their reputation as a luxury brand in the digital world.
Founded in 1967, the brand has spent decades cultivating a timeless, classy image - one where every store, every product, every interaction communicates sophistication. Unlike newer brands that grow up alongside technology and can integrate it naturally into their identity,
Ralph Lauren’s long-standing heritage makes introducing modern digital experiences a delicate balancing act. On one hand, they need to keep up with competitors and meet the expectations of today’s online shoppers; on the other, any misstep in design or interaction risks making the brand feel “cheaper” or less aspirational.
The challenge was clear: how do you translate the warmth, exclusivity, and curated experience of a Ralph Lauren store into the digital space without compromising decades of carefully built prestige?
Mistaking Medium for Message
Initially, we assumed social commerce - shopping on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok - was the best opportunity. Our audit showed these channels were inconsistent and under-curated, and that Ralph Lauren’s core audience primarily shops via the website, app, or in-store.
Social commerce works for the many brands, but Ralph Lauren, it risked diluting their prestige. The real challenge wasn’t the channel. It was designing a digital experience that upheld the brand’s luxury identity.
Discovering the Heart of the Brand
Ralph Lauren’s strength lies in storytelling: high-quality editorial content, runway shows, and collaborations with celebrities worldwide convey the aspirational lifestyle at the heart of the brand.
Our insight was that the digital experience should do the same - immerse users in the world of Ralph Lauren, introducing them to products while preserving the sophistication, exclusivity, and global prestige that the brand takes pride in.
By focusing on experience and narrative rather than pushing channels like social commerce, we could ensure the brand’s luxury identity remained intact online.
The Solution
We focused on immersing users in the Ralph Lauren world rather than simply selling products. Leveraging editorial content, fashion shows, and global collaborations, the digital experiences guides users naturally toward discovery while preserving luxury and exclusivity. Throughout the process, every decision - layout, interaction, and personalization - was refined to honor decades of heritage while keeping the experience relevant for today’s digital-first shopper.
Key elements include:
Omnichannel storytelling to unify the brand narrative across website, app, and touchpoints.
Virtual lifestyle advisors offering a white-glove, personalized experience akin to visiting a store.
AI-based mobile stylist providing tailored recommendations and curated styling guidance.
*include how AI is everywhere, but how you use it and personalize(?) it to the brand/industry is important. maybe talk about getting inspiration from pinterest and being able to create a board or letting people be creative with it?
Discovering the Heart of the Brand
Ralph Lauren’s strength lies in storytelling: high-quality editorial content, runway shows, and collaborations with celebrities worldwide convey the aspirational lifestyle at the heart of the brand.
Our insight was that the digital experience should do the same - immerse users in the world of Ralph Lauren, introducing them to products while preserving the sophistication, exclusivity, and global prestige that the brand takes pride in.
By focusing on experience and narrative rather than pushing channels like social commerce, we could ensure the brand’s luxury identity remained intact online.
Design Iteration
Utilizing the newly added experiences derived from our research, we further gathered insights for each enhancement. Our focus extended to comparative analysis, juxtaposing Ralph Lauren's current experience with those of other luxury brands to discern superior practices. This approach allowed us to discern areas of improvement, leveraging competitor insights to refine and optimize Ralph Lauren's digital landscape for a more competitive and elevated luxury retail experience.
Omni-Channel Customer Experience
By collaborating with UX designers, our team was able to develop a versatile template that showcased the omni-channel experience. Our primary goal was to maintain consistency with Ralph Lauren's existing layout and interface patterns while infusing the template with the essence of the brand's identity. This collaboration ensured a seamless integration of omni-channel elements within the familiar framework, preserving brand integrity while enhancing the overall user experience.
Digital Commerce Excellence
In our pursuit of digital commerce excellence, our inquiry revealed Ralph Lauren hadn't incorporated AI into their platform. Recognizing this gap, we proposed developing an internal content generator for swift and efficient content creation, a pioneering move in the luxury sphere. This innovative step aimed to boost efficiency, setting Ralph Lauren apart in creating future enhancements not yet explored by other luxury platforms.
Generative AI & Personalization
Through generative AI, our team crafted an intuitive platform that customizes a user's Ralph Lauren closet. By allowing users to upload their wardrobe inventory, the AI-driven system intelligently curates a personalized collection, seamlessly integrating their existing clothes into a virtual Ralph Lauren closet tailored to their unique style and preferences. Users can experience virtual try-ons of their Ralph Lauren closet, providing an immersive and interactive way to visualize how the garments fit and complement their style before making a purchase.
Experience Innovation with Loyalty and Personalization
Ralph Lauren has the unique opportunity to elevate the shopping experience by introducing features like Facetime between clients and specialized staff to embrace a VIP virtual shopping feature. By enabling Facetime interactions between clients and staff, customers can explore and select potential outfits or products tailored for specific events, all without visiting a physical store. Additionally, the seamless integration of purchasing capabilities during these virtual sessions amplifies convenience, offering clients a real-time shopping experience from anywhere.
Conclusion
By creating these innovative experiences, we conveyed to our clients the unparalleled potential for Ralph Lauren to redefine luxury through digital innovation. This holistic presentation not only highlighted the brand's capacity to enhance digital experiences but also positioned Ralph Lauren at the forefront of luxury by showcasing how these advancements can elevate their status in the ever-evolving landscape of high-end retail.
