[6] The company entered the European market and went international in 1981 with the opening of the first freestanding store in New Bond Street in the West End of London, England.

[22] Also in October, Ralph Lauren Corporation has appointed former Obama administration consultant Valerie Jarrett to the board of directors.

[23][24] In May 2021, Ralph Lauren Corporation announced it would sell its Club Monaco brand after first purchasing it in 1999, to private equity firm Regent LP.

[25] In December 2023, Ralph Lauren announced a partnership with Haworth Lifestyle Design to expand its Home brand starting April 2024.

[26] In December 2023, Ralph Lauren launched an artist in residence program for artisans to work with their design teams in a creative partnership.

Ralph Lauren operates its representative flagship stores in New York City on Madison Avenue – for menswear in the former Rhinelander Mansion, and for womenswear and home in another structure, across the street, which opened in 2010.

The company also manages flagships, for retailing Ralph Lauren collections, in Chicago, Manhasset, Greenwich (US), London, Milan, Tokyo, Moscow, Kyiv and Paris.

[60] In 2005, The United States Tennis Association selected Ralph Lauren Corporation as the official apparel sponsor for the U.S. Open.

[74] In 2000, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched its Volunteer Program, which energizes employees and creates meaningful connections with the communities in which they work.

[75] On September 15, 2000, Ralph Lauren Corporation launched the Pink Pony Campaign, a national initiative to reduce disparities in cancer care by raising awareness as well as enhancing prevention, screening, and treatment in poor and underserved communities.

The center is a collaboration between Ralph Lauren, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and North General Hospital in Harlem, New York City.

[80] In 2008, the Star-Spangled Banner, the original 1813 flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem, was preserved by a $10 million contribution to Save America's Treasures from Polo Ralph Lauren in 1998.

The flag was then unveiled on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, in a new gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, in Washington D.C.[81] In July 2013, Ralph Lauren Corporation announced its commitment to restore the elite École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, one of the most influential art schools in France.

[83] In March 2020, Ralph Lauren Corporation donated $10m and started making isolation gowns and medical masks to support the COVID-19 fight.

"[89][87] The lawsuit was settled out of court in 1984[88] with Mad Dog Productions agreeing to stop selling the parody shirt by the end of the year.

[97] In March 2022, Howard Smith, Ralph Lauren Corp.'s chief commercial officer, resigned after a board investigation found that his actions had breached the company's code of conduct.

The apparel said it "learned of concerns about Mr. Smith's personal behavior recently", and the board of directors' audit committee initiated an independent investigation with the help of outside counsel.

The firm didn't go into detail about the claims but said the inquiry found that Smith's actions broke the company's code of conduct and ethics and that his resignation was required.

[98] In August 2023, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise announced that it was investigating the company due to allegations of forced labor of Uyghurs.