Ask Ralph: Ralph Lauren’s AI personal shopper

Coinciding with its show at New York Fashion Week, the brand unveiled Ask Ralph, an AI assistant integrated into Ralph Lauren’s official app. This is not a generic service, but a virtual stylist capable of responding to immediate questions such as “What do I pair this jumper with?” or “What should I wear for a lunch?”.

The industry has been trying for years to take the shopping experience into the technological sphere. Luxottica, for example, had already introduced augmented reality for Ray-Ban, allowing users to try on glasses online before buying. Ralph Lauren, however, is pursuing something different: turning AI into an exclusive style guide, trained solely on the house’s own codes.

As with any beta technology, the limitations are evident. A Business Insider journalist asked the bot for an office look, and the response was indeed an impeccable outfit—but one hardly realistic for everyday life, including a blazer priced at nearly 900 dollars. The chatbot was able to suggest alternatives, though the prices remained far from what the average consumer could afford.

And this is where the doubts begin. Ask Ralph works as a natural extension of the brand experience, evoking that “American dream” imagery which for years was a status symbol. Yet it also risks remaining nothing more than a gadget for a small minority, rather than a tool that opens the Ralph Lauren universe to wider audiences.

The question is whether Ralph Lauren’s AI assistant, Ask Ralph, will end up consolidating itself as a visionary success—as Polo.com did back in 2000—or whether it will be relegated to the drawer of failed strategies no one remembers.