Doug Bihlmaier - Head of Vintage & Consultant: Ralph Lauren

Today I’m in East Hampton, New York to sit down with arguably one of the greatest collectors of all time. In fact, his career has revolved around collecting as the Head of Vintage, now consultant, for Ralph Lauren and we can attribute our love for western and layered looks to him. Doug Bihlmaier is my guest today, and for his first ever video interview and podcast, I was more than thrilled to sit down with him in his home and spend the day together with him and his wife. Growing up in Kansas, Doug fell in love with denim and began collecting early on. But it’s not that simple. Doug noticed Levis’ started to change their fit, so as one collector does, he starts hunting for the old stuff. But that’s what has made Doug the person we all look up to today.

He’s always had the foresight as to what’s next, which is exactly what happened when he was introduced to the Ralph Lauren brand early on. Doug has spent his career traveling the world hunting for vintage goods for the stores and had anyone looked behind the curtain of the early days at the RRL store, you would have seen Doug curating one of the most impressive collections around. He recalls going to warehouses in the UK and finding old equestrian and oil paintings in gilt frames that no one wanted, and riding boots, and wool blankets from the 20’s and 30’s, and just about everything else that makes up the Ralph Lauren brand today.

However, it’s not just searching the world for objects that makes Doug, well Doug. His design, architecture, and merchandising prowess have all played a big role in why we all admire Doug, and you can feel, touch, and breathe that when you walk into any Ralph Lauren and RRL store. As for Doug, well, his home is filled and layered with wool blankets, vintage denim and flannels, Native American jewelry and objects, books, you name it. And he can tell you everything you need to know about each of them.

I truly feel honored to share this interview with you all, but even more grateful to call Doug a friend. So without great honor, this is Doug Bihlmaier, for Collectors Gene Radio.

YouTube Video - https://youtu.be/O-dEkHd01gQ?si=ys_nbCdiXy9vvgy-