Ralph Lauren was photographed exclusively for Asia Tatler by Mark Seliger at the company’s headquarters in New York City

As you can imagine, Ralph Lauren, founder of the global lifestyle empire known for its craftsmanship and quality design, isn't allergic to beautiful things. "I have a lot of toys," the designer says when I visit him at the Ralph Lauren headquarters on Madison Avenue in New York City. We're sitting at a large cocktail table of his design covered with books and photographs. It’s teatime and Lauren graciously offers something to drink. We agree not to talk about the protests in Hong Kong, the Umbrella Revolution. The new boutique at Lee Gardens opened right in the midst of it. 

John Fairchild, for many years the publisher of his family-owned newspaper, Women’s Wear Daily, is a great fan of Lauren’s work. Early on, he attributed Lauren’s success to the designer’s ability to ennoble new fashion with the security and aspiration that are inherent in the great styles from the past, the American cowboy, for example, the British country squire, or a glamorous Hollywood star like Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo. But don’t confuse the designer’s aesthetic for nostalgia. “I don’t call it nostalgia,” Lauren explains. “I call it appreciation—an appreciation for beauty, for charm, for craftsmanship. Fashion is over quickly. Style is forever.” Ralph Lauren’s name represented “a certain quality and style,” Fairchild said. He noted that it was this quality that made designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino, “have something of Ralph Lauren” in their wardrobes. Everyone in fashion, male or female, wears Ralph Lauren.

The designer with his 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK “Count Trossi” at The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection exhibition in Paris (2011)

I ask what is the easiest part of being Ralph Lauren, and the hardest? “The easiest part is coming to work every day and loving it. My life has been so good. The hardest part? Well, it’s losing your life. Sickness. Those are the things I worry about.” Looking back, what does he wish he knew then that he knows now? “That the appreciation of your life is really something not to postpone or waste. When you’re young, you just don’t know how fast life passes.” What is he proudest of? “My family. My children. And how I’ve always been able to stick to my guns and succeed in a tough world.”

PHILIPPINE TATLER: What is the profile of the Ralph Lauren Asian market?

Ralph Laren: I think the sensibility of the Ralph Lauren customer is the same everywhere. They are men and women who care about quality, craftsmanship, and a kind of luxury that is timeless. When a customer walks into one of my stores, whether in the Philippines or on Madison Avenue in New York City, I want the experience to be the same. I want them to feel as if they are guests in my home.

PT: The look of your new store in the Philippines takes its inspiration from the Filipino-Spanish culture. What is the reasoning behind this concept?

RL: The store is the essence of everything. When I build a store, I incorporate the vision I have for the store with the heritage and culture of the space, building an environment I want to invite people into. The Spanish Renaissance-style façade of the luxury store in Manila is inspired by the architectural concepts at the World Heritage Site in Vigan, Philippines. It is one of the few towns that remain where important design structures remain almost intact. The area features a unique architectural aesthetic which combines Philippine and Oriental design and construction with colonial European architecture. This style is so beautiful and worth preserving and something I’m proud to be able to include in the design of the store I build.

Photo by Carter Berg | Courtesy of Ralph Lauren

PT: What is your message to the Philippine market especially to those who patronise your brand?

RL: My vision for what I do has never changed. I am always thinking of the life around me, my family, my friends and, of course, you—my customers. I have always committed myself to creating collections inspired by the way we live and what we need and my hope is they will add not only quality and comfort to your life, but a sense of adventure, romance and a way to express your own unique style and personality. Thank you for your tremendous loyalty.

Read more about Ralph Lauren in the Philippine Tatler April 2015 Men's Issue. Available in any leading newsstands and bookstores. Download it on your digital device via Magzter and Zinio.