Our story / about us

Pleasant, we are Amy and Fred, the proud owners of Ecogents. The store for second-hand brand and vintage clothing for men.

How it started: the beginning of ecogents

After we started living together in 2018 and there was too little cupboard space (or Fred had too much clothing), Amy came up with the idea of ​​selling that extra clothing on Marktplaats. Soon something was regularly sold and so we slowly came up with the idea of ​​selling designer clothing and vintage clothing for men alone.

In the beginning only online via Marktplaats, but soon more demand came and wanted people to come and fit the clothing calmly. In this way we decided to look for a nice space that could be used as a storage as well as as a small showroom and fitting room.

2018: Showroom in Moergestel

After some searching, we came across a nice upper space in Moergestel on the Industrieweg in the former gallery 'De Floor' 'in August 2018. After a lot of renovation and especially a lot of lugging, we proudly opened ecogents in December 2018. 

There we started to sell more and more online and more and more people came by to fit and view the clothing. After a great year in Moergestel, there was more often and more often the suggestion to give it a try in a store. This since the building in Moergestel is located on an industrial estate and people could only visit by appointment.

2019: The store on the Westermarkt in Tilburg

In 2019 we decided to take the leap and focus entirely on ecogents by both working full -time for our sustainable men's fashion store. Because we live in Tilburg and also wanted to open our physical store here, we started looking for a suitable location. After much research and conversations with various real estate agents, we finally found a beautiful building in the covered shopping center Westermarkt in Tilburg.

The building was previously used by the men's clothing store Adam Brandstore and turned out to be perfect for our own store. The location was ideal because of the good accessibility and the fact that it is in a busy shopping center. Moreover, the building was already largely furnished as a clothing store, so that we could quickly transform the space into our own 'real' store.

We were very enthusiastic to share our passion for sustainable men's fashion with our customers. It was a big step to work both full -time for ecogents and to open a physical store, but we believed in our vision and were determined to offer our customers high -quality second -hand and vintage men's clothing, which is not only sustainable but also affordable.

In November 2019 we had our opening weekend there and, despite all the Corona setbacks, the store has turned out to be a great success so far. From all over the Netherlands and Belgium we now get many enthusiastic men (and women) in our cozy store.

2020: The construction of your own webshop: www.ecogents.com

Since the opening of our store on the Westermarkt, we have had to deal with the consequences of the Coronapandemie, including lockdowns and measures that negatively influenced our sales. To be less dependent on external platforms such as Marktplaats and Vinted, we decided in November 2020 to set up our own webshop. This not only gave us more control over our sales process, but also enabled us to generate income during the temporary closure of our physical store.

We are pleased to say that the launch of our webshop has been a great success. Every day we ship packages throughout the Netherlands, Belgium and the rest of Europe. We are very grateful for the support of our customers, both in the physical store and online.

2024: Winner of the fashion shoppingawards 2024

In June 2024 we were awarded the prestigious fashion store Awards, a prize that is awarded annually to the most innovative and customer -oriented fashion stores in the Netherlands. In the end we have this prize in the men's fashion category for both Tilburg and the province of Noord-Brabant and we finished third nationally! 

A recognition of our mission

This price feels like a confirmation of our mission to bring sustainability and style together in an accessible way, certainly because we were one of the few second -hand clothing stores that were nominated for this price.

Thanks to our customers

We could never have reached this milestone without the loyalty and support of our customers. They form the heart of ecogents and their enthusiasm inspires us every day. With this award in our pocket, we look at the future with confidence and we will continue to be committed to exceeding our customers' expectations.

2024: The large move to Westermarkt 35a

After five successful years at our first location on the Westermarkt in Tilburg, Ecogents will start a new chapter in its history in 2024. The growing interest in our second -hand and vintage men's clothing, combined with the desire to offer our customers an even better shopping experience, brought us to an important decision: moving to a much larger building. In October 2024 we made this exciting step and we settled at Westermarkt 35A, in the former Blokker building.

A larger space for larger ambitions

The new building offered us much more space, both on the shop floor and behind the scenes. This enabled us to expand our collection and to present the clothing in an even clearer and more attractive way. Moreover, the extra space gave us the opportunity to set up atmospheric corners, such as a Chesterfield lounge where customers could sit quietly, browse through books and a totally unique shopping experience.

A spectacular opening weekend

The highlight of our move was the opening weekend from 18 to 20 October 2024. The event became a festive occasion with live DJs, special promotions and an extra shopping Sunday. We were overloaded with compliments from our loyal customers and new visitors, all of whom were enthusiastic about the larger and atmospheric store. The best compliment we received was that people immediately felt at home in our new space.

Look at the future

The move to Westermarkt 35a not only marks a physical change, but also a step in the direction of further growth and innovation. We are grateful for the support of our customers who have made this possible and look forward to inspiring even more men (and women) with our special collection of vintage and second -hand men's clothing. This is just the start of what Ecogents will achieve at this new location.

We also have this trust mainly thanks to you: our fantastic, fun, cozy, funny, sweet, loyal and growing clientele. You are fantastic!

For the time being we are certainly not finished with our story and hope to see you all often in our new palace on the Westermarkt 35a or online in the webshop!

Greetings,

Fred & Amy