MANILA, Philippines - I there’s one thing that doesn’t make me a typical girl, it’s my relationship with shoes. I may love watching on-site wedding videos during my spare time, but I’m part of the one percent of the female population that detests shoe shopping. With a big-dude foot size of 9-10, being cursed with flat-footedness, not to mention being a not-so-proud owner of “cankles,” looking for footwear that doesn’t make me look butch or walk around like a T-Rex while wearing heels is a very a painful task.
After my Converse-laden college years, I learned to live with ballet flats. They’re often comfortable, affordable and best of all, they make my man feet look a little feminine (okay fine, matronic!). I even told the doctor who diagnosed me with tendinitis, that I’d rather see my ballet flats soaked in blood than wear my skinny jeans with *gasp* his recommended rubber-sole sneakers. (“Doc, what am I? Latina? No way!”) The good thing about my attitude with shoes is it let me save money since I skipped a lot of trendy footwear the past decade. Ballet flats were my feet’s BFF, until I recently received a pair of Sanuks.
For those who have never left their homes the past five years, Sanuk is a brand of footwear famous for their surfer boy looking slip-ons. With a tagline like “These are not shoes. They’re sandals,” Sanuk is responsible for making sandals mainstream. So mainstream, Hollywood actors Matthew McConaughey was photographed playing golf in a pair, and Brad Pitt mentioned in his 2009 International Best Dressed list interview with Vanity Fair that his choice of footwear is his “Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers.” With or without Mr. Angelina Jolie’s endorsement, I think it is safe to guess that Filipinos love anything trendy and footwear that is casual and comfortable especially with the baking temps and dusty surroundings of Manila. Since it first became available in the Philippines back in 2007, Sanuk has released numerous styles aside from the slip-ons, opened over 20-plus stores nationwide and is available in almost every major shopping mall in the country.
Primer Group, Sanuk’s distributor in Asia, recently invited partners and members of the media in Asia including yours truly to a “happy place,” as Primer’s managing director Mark Chim liked to call it. And boy, what a happy place it was. We were treated to a fun-filled weekend at resort town Hua Hin in Thailand, which incidentally is where “Sanuk” means fun and happiness. So the “Pure Sanuk” weekend was a balance of rest in Rest Detail Hotel, stress from the scavenger hunt around town and happiness from Thai food tripping and partying.
The highlight of the weekend was the launch of Sanuk’s 2013 spring looks. To make the launch more interactive, guests woke up to an alarm clock that was carefully hidden in their room by event organizers last Friday morning so the 7:30 a.m. beach yoga session would not be missed. After numerous repetitions of downward facing dog poses under the sun, regional manager Karen Chua introduced the crowd to Sanuk’s footwear with inner soles made out of yoga mats. This collection is perfect for yoga addicts and for people who just need a reason to say “they hit the mat every day” (just kidding). That night, Sanuk’s new collection was debuted in a fashion show and guests were treated to a performance by popular Thai musician and Sanuk brand ambassador Singto Numchok.
Being the stubborn person that I am, I still packed and wore my rubber ballet flats to Hua Hin during the first day until I was handed a pair of Sanuks to wear. When I finally caved and wore my Athena sidewalk surfers –– that was it, I was an instant Sanuk convert. Wearing my Sanuks, I was reminded of espadrilles given to me by friends who came from Europe. To compare, I felt the Sanuk slip-ons were like the more down-to-earth American surfer brother of the iconic Spanish lady killer espadrille. The sole, which feels like foam, is lighter and there are more styles to choose to show that fashion and function can go together. Some of you hardcore fashion peeps may disagree but my feet felt good, at the same time, I had no fear of being mocked in a Tumblr post wearing another trendy footwear brand I refuse to name.
I am actually wearing a pair of Sanuk’s cozy flip-flops as I type this article in the wee hours of the morning. For Manolo Blahnik, “You put high heels on and you change.” For me, I put on Sanuks and I feel I’m in a happy place.