The Men Who Rule

FITFLOP, a footwear brand that started in London in 2007, introduced to the Philippine market its Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection during a cocktail party at the posh Skye Lounge at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on October 11.

The launch event, hosted by FitFlop and Rogue Magazine, where guests were treated to a night of cocktails and tapas, with beauty queen and entertainment reporter Ginger Conejero as the event host.

Making the event very special was the official launch of FitFlop Men's Line. It was then that FitFlop also introduced "The Men Who Rule," honoring five young men from various fields who embody the FitFlop philosophy: Wear the shoes. Rule the world.

The FitFlop Men's Core Contemporary collection includes an all-occasion offer loaded with the patent-pending comfort technology, in key trend colors: inky blue and basic black and browns with accents of mimosa and warm red.

Lewis, the first formal-meets-Microwobbleboard men's work shoe, delivers the classic styling of a smooth leather Oxford with the patent-pending, ergonomic, foot pressure diffusing midsole. It's the shoe that works and plays hard. New silhouettes include the ‘boater’ inspired Monty, and the new unbeatable-and-slightly-bohemian sneaker; Flex, which also comes with a hi-top version. For casual, everyday wear, FF Supertone is the best choice.

Staying true to their London roots, FitFlop has anchored their newly-launched Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection to the city's architecture while still employing their biomechanically optimized triple-density midsole technology.

The FitFlop Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection is inspired by the rise of mixed-living engineering, by the multitude of urban regeneration projects in and around London and the city’s fundamental daily lifestyle fusion of force and support. As always, every sandal, sneaker, slide and boot that FitFlop makes is engineered with their patent-pending original Microwobbleboard technology, which has been proven to make the wearers "feel good" through the comfort and benefits it bring.

The event was highlighted by the introduction of five Filipinos who "walked the walk" who were also honored because of their respective advocacy.

FitFlop honored Ivan Man Dy with the Heritage and Culture Award. As one of the pioneers of Old Manila Walks, Ivan is not only a tour guide but more of an ambassador whose work has continually promoted Manila and its rich culture.

FitFlop's Microwobbleboard technology keeps Ivan's feet comfortable throughout his long treks across the city.

For Culinary Arts, it was two-time MBKRS Best Chef nominee, Chef Sau del Rosario who bagged the award. Even after training and opening a number of restaurants abroad, Chef Sau still chose to come home and promote Filipino food. As a chef, he spends most of his working hours standing up so FitFlop’s foot pressure diffusing midsole really comes in handy for him.

Rafa Alunan, digital advertising specialist and hands –on dad gets the award for Business. Rafa hops from his business, to his endorsements deals and then to fatherhood without missing a beat. The FitFlop Men's Core Contemporary embodies this kind of dedication as it allows for both work and play. It is truly perfect for Rafa’s lifestyle as he juggles his professional and home life.

A career as a practicing dentist who models on the side seems a bit farfetched, but this is exactly what Health and Wellness awardee, Dr. Gail Bitancor is. Aside from running La Clinica Dental with a group of colleagues in Cebu City, he has also appeared in a number of national print ads and campaigns. His dedication to other people’s oral health as well as his own physical wellness makes FitFlop’s smart, multi-tasking, multi-occasion footwear a good match for him.

Quintin Pastrana can now add FitFlop awardee for Advocacy in his portfolio. He is a renewable energy executive who also builds libraries around the country through his NGO, and promotes sustainable waterways and international rowing as President of the Manila Boat Club. With this much in his plate, he maximizes the use of FitFlop’s world-class ergonomic technology and engineering, made to support and cushion the wearer, who in turn gets more accomplished each day.

These five enterprising young men are definitely wearing the right shoes in their bid to rule the world.

After the awards ceremony, popular Pinoy soul band Sinosikat? entertained guests by belting out some of their hits. As a special touch and in keeping with the event's theme, they chose "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" as their first song.

The night was also peppered with a lot of freebies as guests who RSVPed with their shoe sizes were given brand new pairs shoes from FitFlop's Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. One lucky guest walked away with a luggage from Victorinox after correctly guessing the number of shoes inside a big glass tank. Finally, the night closed off with an assortment of gadgets and shoes that were raffled off that night.

The FitFlop Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection is now available at FitFlop stores in SM MOA, SM City Cebu, SM Baguio, SM Megamall, SM Southmall and SM North Edsa - The Annex. Also available at Rustans Makati, Alabang
Town Center and Shangri-La.

For more information about FitFlop, please visit facebook.com/FitFlopPhilippines.

The Primer Group of Companies, Asia's next retail giant, is the exclusive distributor of FitFlop in the Philippines.