This Is How You Should Actually Pronounce Ralph Lauren

[Photo: Getty]

It’s one of those never-ending arguments, a bit like how to pronounce Primark (’PREE-mark’ or ‘PRY-mark’?) - how are we actually meant to pronounce Ralph Lauren?

The multibillion-dollar fashion enterprise and name of its leading man himself, many of us stick to one way of pronouncing it or flit between the two.

Because on the one hand, saying Ralph ‘LAU-ren’ makes us fear we’re making it sound all British and common, but going for the kind-of-French-sounding Ralph ‘Lau-REN’ risks making us sound poncy.

But thanks to one woman called Tovah Silbermann, a New York-based comedy booking agent, all of those sleepless nights thinking about it can be a thing of the past.

When she was 14 she wrote to Ralph Lauren to get the answer - and got an official response back.

Tovah pronounced it ‘LAUren’ (like the girl’s name) while others pronounced it ‘Lau-REN’ - and it turns out she was right.

She shared the letter this weekend on Twitter, saying: “Sometimes I wonder why I wasn’t popular in school but then I remembered this was how I settled arguments.”

The letter from general manager Benjamin Lisi opens with an apology for the delayed response, then a confirmation that he had been working for Ralph Lauren for 13 years spending “a lot of time with Ralph Lauren [the man himself] during the summer months”.

He then answered the big question:

“I would like to assure you that the way you are pronouncing his name is correct. As you put it, ‘LAUren,’ like a girl’s name.

“This is the way he pronounces it along with everyone in his company and throughout the fashion world. It is a common mistake that a lot of people make, even on the East Coast. Hopefully this letter will clear up any mistakes your friends have been making.”

Voila.

How did you think it was pronounced? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.

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