The Story of TOLS

TOLS is more than a brand. It's a story told through fragments of design and words. Each piece is inspired by imaginary conversations between Asha, a descendant of survivors, and Bodhi, a sentient robot built by a long-lost civilization, carrying the memories of its forgotten world. Together, they create a narrative exploring what went wrong and how to build a better future. 

 

The year is 2516.
Asha, a 25-year-old, searches for scraps when she stumbles upon a small robot buried beneath layers of dust and debris. It is about the size of a seven-year-old child, pale blue and silver, its frame rusted and power source long depleted. Intrigued, Asha takes it home. After days of meticulous work, she manages to repair it and bring it back to life.

The robot’s eyes flicker open, casting a faint blue glow across the room.

“Hello,” it says, its voice a static-laced whisper.

To Asha’s astonishment, the robot, whom she later names Bodhi, was built by a long-lost civilization. Within its systems lies vast knowledge of human history, including the truth about what caused the collapse: the event Asha knows only as the Great Event. A war that shattered civilization, triggered mass extinction, and left much of the planet a wasteland.

In Asha’s world, the cause of the Great Event has been lost to time. Humans live in small, scattered societies, unaware of why the world fractured or the lands turned barren. Through Bodhi’s memories, Asha learns the shocking chain of events that led to humanity’s downfall and, perhaps, the key to remembering what we were always meant to become.

“The Great Event wasn’t an accident,” Bodhi tells her. “It was a choice.”

 

From their conversations emerge the two themes that shape every TOLS design:

The Old Ways
Echoes of a civilization built on control, deception, and disconnection. A path that led to its collapse.

The Awakening
A return to essence, awareness, and connection. A reminder that we are part of the same living universe.

Each piece is not just a product but a fragment of this larger story, waiting to be discovered and interpreted by those who wear it.

Welcome to TOLS.

You’re not just wearing something.
You’re remembering something.
You’re part of something.
And that, too, is a choice.