Sew far, sew good

Pawing through the racks for a sweet find, I couldn’t help but notice a squirrel on the Dean & Trent label. It wasn’t there before — as far as I knew, at least — but I welcomed it. I thought: Whoever put this here doesn’t sweat the small stuff. For a seasoned and extremely detail-oriented consumer such as myself, those are the things that I home in on.

“I’m trying to capture a little bit of Americana with Dean & Trent,” Timmy Ang says of the woodland creature. Having lived in Chicago and Washington, DC for a significant part of his life, the 29-year-old entrepreneur had seen a lot of those animals running about. A tribute was definitely in order.

A Helicopter View

Timmy had “all the hidden blessings in play” when he decided to set up Dean & Trent in 2006. A family in the fabric business gave him the head start he needed, while a couple of years of part-time retail in the States — including after-school stints at a record store and Abercrombie & Fitch — afforded him a helicopter view of the industry. “After coming back from my finance studies, I wanted clothes that weren’t that prevalent on the market,” he continues. “I tried to meet a need that wasn’t there and hopefully have fun while I was at it.”

Humming between Maine fisherman and Malibu Ken, the fledgling brand is tailored, preppy and outdoorsy. Timmy adds that “regardless of whether it’s East or West coast,” there’s a certain lifestyle that Dean & Trent stands for. “Steve McQueen definitely fits the persona of the brand. Any character that brings out a certain timeless cool and effortless style — like a young Marlon Brando — also fits the picture.”

Vampire Weekend Vibe

When we finally meet up for coffee, it doesn’t take long for me to spot the “only douche Chinese guy with a beard — in blue checks, khaki pants, and a navy blue cardigan,” his helpful text message read. As it turns out, the last article of clothing, with its toggles and serious Vampire Weekend vibe, is a strong favorite out of everything he has designed.

From flat-front trousers and striped henleys to buffalo check hoodies and nylon cagoules, the beauty of the upstart menswear line lies in this fact: The items are quirky enough to let others know that you’re clued in but also substantial enough — like stuff by A.P.C., Rogues Gallery, or Obedient Sons — to qualify as sartorial building blocks. It’s all in the styling.

The Best Testimonial

For work, for instance, I’ve pimped up a Dean & Trent pinstripe shirt with Raf by Raf Simons trousers and Vans Sk8-Hi’s. Solid-colored v-neck tees are often called for weekend duty, either out in the open with shorts or under my trusty Anglomania cardigan.

But my best testimonial like, ever, comes from the street. A few weeks ago, several boutique managers in Singapore’s Haji Lane neighborhood stopped to ask me about the Dean & Trent shirt I was sweating buckets in. They said the contrasting collar and barrel cuffs, reminiscent of the color-blocking in Jil Sander’s Spring 2009 men’s collection, caught their eye. Not too shabby for something all-Filipino.

Creativity And Commerce

With price points that won’t really threaten your savings — the most expensive item I saw on the rack was a P1,300 bomber jacket — Dean & Trent juggles both creativity and commerce. According to Timmy, “We try to keep in mind value for product and we want anyone who appreciates style and dresses well to have the opportunity to do so.”

See, at its core, men’s fashion is conservative. Our style tends to change in a slow morph of details over years, not in weekly hairpin turns as is common in womenswear. When it comes down to it, too much fashion is simply not masculine enough for most men. 

Before our mochaccinos threatened to morph into beers, Timmy shows me a Tweet on his phone. It’s a quote from Jack Kerouac: “Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.” Given the terribly enlightening conversation we just had, I thought it was rather fitting. 

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Dean & Trent is available at The Ramp at Crossings, Glorietta 3; Crossings TriNoma; Crossings Shangri-La Plaza; Robinsons Place Manila; Anthology, Power Plant Mall; and Backstage, Serendra.

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Timmy Ang blogs at agreigematter.wordpress.com.