Walk into a Ralph Lauren store and you are rarely made to feel that you have simply come in to buy a shirt. The brand has spent decades building an entire universe around its clothes: the country house, the dining table, the leather chair, the old car, the horse, the American bar.
In New York, The Polo Bar takes that idea further. It is a restaurant, not a clothing store, yet everything about it feels unmistakably Ralph Lauren.
READ: Why playing up the ‘newstalgia’ factor works
Ralph Lauren is not only selling clothes. It is selling a particular way of life—one that extends beyond what you wear to how you live, dine, and entertain. You may leave with a shirt, but you have also been invited to imagine the life around it.
Building a culture of hospitality
I understood the appeal of this kind of brand world quite early. In the mid-1980s, I remember looking forward to visiting the Esprit headquarters in San Francisco, partly because of Café Esprit. I was fascinated that a clothing brand could have a café as part of its universe. The café made Esprit feel like somewhere you could enter, rather than simply something you could buy.
That memory has stayed with me.This is what happens when a brand has a strong point of view. Its philosophy eventually finds its way beyond the product—into spaces, food, design, and hospitality.
Here in the Philippines, we have embraced this concept. Silverlens Gallery has extended its art world into Silverlens Den, bringing food, coffee, and cocktails into its Pasong Tamo Extension space. Signet has similarly extended its retail world with Signet Café, a Japanese-inspired specialty coffee and dining space inside The Signet Store at Opus Mall.
A well-appointed life meets a well-made brew
Different businesses but a similar idea: the product does not have to be the end of the experience. It can be the beginning. Which brings me to Café Salcedo.
Salcedo Auctions, founded in 2010 by Richie Lerma and Karen Kua-Lerma, has spent years curating what people collect. Café Salcedo, in a quieter and more everyday way, is curating how people gather, thanks to brothers Diego and Joaquin Lerma.
The brand’s “The Well-Appointed Life” philosophy is reflected in the café. Dark wood shelves, a customized La Marzocco espresso machine, Chinese stools, a Persian carpet, and Philippine flora come together without feeling overly decorated. The pieces may come from different cultures and periods, but in the right setting, they feel harmonious.
READ: Manila is a hotbed for chef collaborations and luxe Sunday brunches
Coffee receives the same attention. The process begins with the beans and continues through measuring, equipment, and extraction. Diego is particularly proud of the espresso because, as he puts it, “there is nowhere to hide.”
The stories in each cup
Served on its own, every aroma, flavor, and characteristic of the bean is exposed. But the drinks are not simply technical exercises. They also tell stories.
The Salted Caramel Flight was inspired by José Joya’s “Flight,” which appeared in Salcedo Auctions’ 2025 Finer Pursuits sale. More recently, Café Salcedo collaborated with Uniqlo to mark 70 years of friendship between Japan and the Philippines. Its Ube Kome Cloud brings together locally sourced ube kinampay from Bohol, prized for its distinctive aroma and flavor, with Japanese kome, burnt rice milk, and coconut.
These connections do not feel forced. You can enjoy a drink without knowing its story. But once you do, the experience becomes richer.
I understood that connection between art and food in my own life, too. I remember having sampaguita ice cream at Met Café when the Metropolitan Museum was still at the BSP Complex along Roxas Boulevard. I may not remember every artwork I saw, but I remember the ritual of ending a museum visit with something to eat and talk about.
READ: Chef Dominique Crenn urges Michelin to recognize more women
Diego has a similar memory of food and place. He recalls having fish and chips with his family in Iceland—not an extraordinary meal in itself, but one that stayed with him because of the experience of sharing it and talking about it afterwards.
Perhaps that is why food became such a natural part of his relationship with art and culture. Like art, food gives us a reason to sit down, pay attention, and talk.
The intersection of culture, food, and design
Diego’s interest in coffee was shaped in Australia, where he completed a barista course and immersed himself in the coffee cultures of Melbourne and Sydney. Today, he studies economics and human-centred design at Dartmouth College, continuing to explore the intersection of culture, food, and design.
At Café Salcedo, these interests come together. Coffee becomes a medium for storytelling. Design becomes part of the setting. Art becomes something you can encounter while doing something as ordinary as meeting a friend for coffee.
In contrast, you don’t have to be a collector either; you can simply come for coffee.
But while you are there, you might notice something on the wall. You might ask a question. You might find yourself talking about a painting, a drink, a place you have traveled to, or somewhere you would like to go.
And suddenly, the coffee becomes more than coffee.
Perhaps that is the deeper appeal of this new hospitality culture. A product is something we can buy and take home. A place gives us something different: time.
Because sometimes, the most memorable brands do not simply ask us to buy something. They invite us into a world. And all it takes to enter is a cup of coffee.
Coffee culture around the world
Coffee is more than a drink. It is part of how people live, and every place has its own way of enjoying it.
1. Italy: Espresso and cappuccino are part of everyday life.
2. France: Café au lait is enjoyed slowly, often over conversation.
3. Australia: The flat white is a favourite, alongside a strong specialty-coffee culture.
4. Vietnam: Coffee is brewed slowly through a small metal phin filter and served with sweetened condensed milk.
5. Japan: Kissaten cafés are known for their quiet atmosphere and carefully brewed coffee.
6. Ethiopia: Considered the birthplace of coffee, it has a deeply rooted coffee ceremony.
7. Philippines: Coffee has long been part of our daily rituals, with a growing appreciation for local beans.
