When In Manila, STOKEDinc Managing Director JV Borromeo proudly opened the first Rip Curl Concept Store in the Philippines at the Alabang Town Centre Mall (Garden Wing) with a rockin’ May 2012 summer party.
“Rip Curl’s vision is to be The Ultimate Surfing Company in all respects, so we put together a Rip Curl shop that is inspired by that wonderfiul sense of discovery we call The Search. It’s a shop that pulsates with adventure, travel, and youth,” says JV as he welcomes to the store a spirited group of action sports enthusiasts and ocean-loving guests.
STOKEDinc (the Philippines’ pioneer action sports retailer) and Rip Curl began their partnership in 2011. This saw the entry of Rip Curl products at all STOKEDinc shops in the Philippines. It’s an energetic partnership that fired on all cylinders in a short span of time. The rapid end result, within a compact 1-year time frame, is the first Rip Curl standalone shop in the Philippines.
“This 90 square-metre store is home to the finest apparel and gear whether you wanna surf, wake, skate, or look simply awesome enjoying the beach life,” says Lorraine Lapus, Rip Curl Philippines brand manager, “it’s also a great place to meet up and hang out with your friends, perhaps chat about surf and adventure. It’s engineered to immerse you in the beach life.”
Welcoming the guests and enjoying the festivities at the Rip Curl store were the Stoked Girls, an attractive group of athletic young women who advocate action sports, love and respect for the ocean, and a healthy positive lifestyle.
“A year ago, we conceptualised the Stoked Girls image with a clear mandate,” says JV Borromeo, “we wanted to showcase modern active girls filled with a positive attitude, a sense of adventure, and youthful energy. And we wanted to break the flawed perception that surfing, wakeboarding, and skating were male-dominated action sports.”
JV continues, “We produced our own content from Stokedinc Lookbooks to videos. We leveraged the strength of social media to reach thousands, even millions, efficiently and in a cool way. With this fresh fast-changing platform, we highlighted the Stoked Girls ideal by placing them in a dynamic environment, living a healthy, adventurous, and fun lifestyle. The response has been epic. The Stoked Girls celebrate love of the water, from rivers and lakes to seas and oceans. With that, we hope they will inspire many.”
On hand to enjoy the Stokedinc & Rip Curl summer party were Stokedinc surf teamriders Lorraine Lapus & Carla Sebastian, wakeboarding champs Samantha Bermudez, JC Dy, JV Tanjangco, Chad Venadas, & C-Lo dela Torre, plus Philippine Surfing Academy’s Paolo Soler, Pinay Futbol founders Kristine Nolan & Amanda Fernandez with Erika Fernandez & Fiona Faulkner, artist Amanda Lapus, Jason Soong, British School Manila’s Erin Lane and Sai Villafuerte, Manila Surfers Association’s Tonet Jose, JP Ong, and Marky Mabanag, as well as Stokedinc brand ambassadors Rovilson Fernandez and Jeff Ortega, with young surf-enthusiasts Natalia, Julio, & Santi Ortega, Franky Rivilla, Bri Manglapus, Sofia Soler, Nicky Daez & Chabeli Bengzon.
Food and drinks were flowing courtesy of Tides Grill and Bistro, and a grand time was had by all. “It’s been an awesome surf season and all this is merely a glimpse of our continuing journey as we chase adventures and The Search with Rip Curl,” says JV Borromeo.
On that note, we look forward to the Stoked spirit spreading its wings across the 7,107 islands of the Philippines in the years to come.
When In Manila, Go ahead! Live the Search!
www.facebook.com/stokedinc
www.stokedinc.com.ph
written by: Joncy Sumulong
photo credit: Joncy Sumulong, Allen Aligam, Charlie Gomez
Manila is stoked as Rip Curl opens in the Philippines