Ralph Lauren was once a clerk at Brooks Brothers
Net worth: $7.7 billion (as of Sept. 2013)
Ralph Lauren is known to be one of the successful and influential designers of his time. He was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx, New York, in 1939, the fourth and last child of Frank and Frieda Lifshitz, both Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe. Lauren graduated high school in the Bronx, N.Y., but later dropped out of college to join the Army. He later became a furnishings buyer for Allied Stores, and then a tie salesman at Brooks Brothers. He spent the 1960s pounding the New York pavement selling gloves, men's fragrance, and ties. He, however, was refining his personal style, designing his own custom-made suits.
