By Lawrence Casiraya
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA - Timmy Ang is on a mission to help the Filipino male dress better one piece of clothing at a time, without spending a ton of money or simply following what’s trendy.
“Just think of this. A guy can own a dozen pairs of sneakers but only has a few decent shirts in his closet. And those kicks aren’t cheap,” he says, looking at my Generic Surplus-clad feet. He was wearing cordovan tassel loafers along with a crisp brown shirt and a well-fitting pair of jeans. I’m wearing what I remember was my usual t-shirt to work so naturally, I pay attention.
Timmy is the guy behind Dean and Trent, a two-year old label you may have heard of but can’t place quite well since you don’t see ubiquitous billboards in EDSA – yet. He started out making a few pieces of clothing – hooded jackets, polos, henleys – which, like most young, independent-minded entrepreneurs, he sold in bazaars.
For a local menswear label, Dean and Trent proved surprisingly successful, earning Timmy a spot at Crossings department store, which has built a reputation in the retail industry for championing local brands.
The company’s website states Dean and Trent is about clothes “that translate classical silhouettes into contemporary yet relevant pieces”. I am no fashion hound so I cannot translate that into simple guy-speak. But looking at their clothes feels like browsing through a GQ article on Basic Male Clothing 101.
Timmy likes to see it as giving us guys an option to dress better. (For what more noble purpose than be more aesthethically pleasing to women, I suppose.). Start with a decent shirt that you can match with a good-fitting pair of jeans – not something you’d wear skateboarding with. Or a pair of shorts (turquoise!) so crisp you stay looking cool under the sun. Stop me from describing further and just check out their “lookbook”. (Or check out this behind-the-scenes video of their lookbook shoot.)
The idea is to wear basic pieces of clothing that you can mix-and-match ALL year long, not something that you shove deeper in your closet because it’s not trendy anymore. Speaking of trends, Timmy has “very kind” words to describe how the average Filipino male dresses today.
“It’s more about following the trend than experimentation,” he points out.
“For example, everyone in Rockwell wears flannel. Or when somebody starts wearing a vest and everybody follows.There’s that individuality that I’m still looking for, which I guess is more visible in women than men.”
But Timmy quickly counters that now is a good time for ALL men to dress better, not just style-minded people or artistas, but even the average guy-slash-urban commuter.
“There’s so much flexibility in terms of what we can wear here. There are many local brands like Folded and Hung or Bench, down to independent retailers. You just have to mix it up, how you wear it yourself. Find out what fits your personality, stick to that and maybe you can find who you really are and how to express yourself better through clothes.”
Timmy also points out to Dean and Trent being part of a thriving retail industry in the country.
“Operationally speaking, we have a lot more sources of fabrics from China now. Creatively speaking, there are a bunch of schools. We Filipinos have always been more creative but we have become more adventurous now as entrepreneurs. So those things sort of get connected in a good way.”
As a piece of advice to young entrepreneurs, Timmy again puts emphasis on the importance of deviating from trends and knowing exactly what kind of clothes to produce.
“If you just come in and follow whatever is the current trend, you may get tired of it quickly or lose focus. Or end up doing things that is not necessarily what you want. I guess that’s one of the grave dangers for people going into fashion.”
But before inspiring college kids to pick up their sketchbooks, Timmy advises them to be ready to tackle paperwork and inventory.
“Making clothes is one thing but figuring out how to deal with housekeeping – designing your store, getting the necessary permits. These things seem very tedious but they’re all necessary and part of the process. If you’re selling simultaneously in three bazaars, for example, how do you handle logistics for it?”
“These are the things that you don’t read in magazines. You only read about our new designs, our latest endorser. But what does it really take to do these things? You have to be really hands-on to do this type of business,” he continues.
But aspiring entrepreneurs can derive inspiration from the fact that Timmy did not set out to create his own brand. It all just fell into place as he created more clothes.
“I’d never imagine myself doing this on a regular basis. It’s a great time to be in the retail industry right now when it comes to clothes. There’s a lot of ideas from so many people.”
Dean and Trent has stores at Crossings in SM Trinoma, Shangri-la Mall, Glorieta, Backstage at Serendra (The Fort) and at Anthology in Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. Check out their Facebook page.
(This story also appears on Yahoo! Fit To Post)
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