From school project to cult clothing brand
Bram Ascan has always loved clothes, but he never thought he’d end up making them.
But during the pandemic, he started selling vintage T-shirts, which then led to him selling all kinds of vintage clothing—from collegiate tees and denim to military pieces and workwear.
“I had to do my own research to learn how to identify and date pieces, which led me to absorb tons of information about how clothes were made in the past and what they were originally used for,” he told Lifestyle.
Eventually, he was inspired to create his own brand of vintage-inspired clothes which he launched in 2023. “It was initially created as part of my college course at the University of Asia and the Pacific,” said Ascan, who was studying Entrepreneurial Management.
With the deadline approaching, pressed to come up with a name for his brand, Ascan started playing around with Tagalog words. “I stumbled upon ‘Tous,’ which is just suot spelled backward. Coincidentally, tous is also the French word for ‘all,’ which aligns with the brand’s ethos—clothing that can be worn with all of your wardrobe, all days of the week, and by all kinds of people.”
And so Tous was born. “If I had to describe Tous in five words, I’d say timeless, effortless, versatile, thoughtful, and contemporary,” Ascan said.
What started as a university project has continued to be a passion for him and his team.
“Tous wouldn’t be where it is today without the local mananahi I work with, Clemente Real—who goes by Mang Boy—as well as my friend and design collaborator, Jacob Faeldon.”
Mang Boy was a tailor Ascan would go to for alterations. “I approached him when I started making clothes. It turns out he had prior experience in the garments industry and was well-versed in patternmaking and sewing.”
Faeldon, meanwhile, was a high school friend who had experience sketching designs. “It made our collaboration a natural fit.”
Ascan said, “I had no prior experience in designing, but I knew I wanted the brand to feel vintage-inspired yet relevant to today’s fashion scene. At first, I simply showed Mang Boy reference pictures of details I liked, but over time, I started working with Jacob to create sketches that better captured my ideas.”
Timeless but fresh
Tous offers clothing that’s timeless but fresh. “Since our designs are inspired by vintage clothing, we believe they will never feel outdated. Our pieces are effortless to style, making them versatile and easy to pair with the rest of your wardrobe. We carefully pull functional details from vintage pieces, ensuring that every element has a purpose. And while our inspiration is rooted in the past, we make sure our designs remain contemporary and relevant to today’s fashion scene.”
Ascan added, “Recently, we’ve been moving away from loud details and instead focusing on fit—something we believe makes our pieces unique.”
Designing for the typical Asian body type is a priority for the Tous team. “This ensures our clothes fit well straight off the rack. As someone who personally struggles to find well-fitting clothes, I put a lot of effort into creating sizes that require little to no alterations.”
Ascan’s favorite designs include their gardening jacket and camp shorts. “The gardening jacket takes cues from a military jacket I own, featuring multiple pockets, while the camp shorts are based on a vintage pair of Patagonia shorts that I still wear to this day.”
Recently, they released their first pair of pants—gurkha pants in raw denim and natural canvas. “We sold out within the first few hours at Lots of Local Market.”
They brought back the pants and made them available for preorder, with slots also quickly selling out.
Ascan is grateful for the support from their customers. “The feedback we’ve received has been amazing, especially for a brand that I still consider relatively new. We’re constantly learning more about designing and production. One of my favorite compliments came from a conversation with my friend Argie, who told me that everything fits perfectly—something I’ve learned from years of buying clothes for friends and understanding what works for different body types.”
He has more plans for Tous. “We will expand production—investing in new machines for Mang Boy and growing our production team—to keep up with the incredible support we’ve been receiving.”
Find Tous on Instagram @tous.ph or visit tousph.com
