High-heeled sneakers

Life was much simpler then, it was "You Are What You Eat" and the clothes on your back. And then, thanks to the all-pervasive consumer society we embraced, brought to us by brand-conscious retailers of all forms of merchandise and ready-to-please ad agencies, our every purchase, our every choice, became signifiers of what we are, or hoped to be. It wasn’t just the hearts on our sleeves they were after, now they wanted our souls as well – or in this case, our soles. The shoes we’d wear, our succumbing to the Imelda syndrome, they all became part and parcel of "making a statement." How else do we explain Carrie Bradshaw’s obsession with Manolos (Blahnik), or the way names such as Christian Louboutin, Malaysian Jimmy Choo and Puerto Rican Edmundo Castillo have become essentials in any stylish woman’s foot fetish paradigm.

A few years back, even the time-honored but lowly sneakers entered the realm of fashion statements. Gone are the days when mere function reigned as King. Now, even the rubber shoes you buy and wear become emblematic of the casual lifestyle maverick you are, or hope people perceive you to be. And forget the notion that the rubber shoes you wear are directly related to some sport you indulge in; mere city walking, going to catch a flick, or traversing the aisles of a supermarket qualify as the "active life," with pregnant choices of Prestos or Adidas classics or what have you. James Dean had it easy with his low-cut canvas Keds; would he even recognize what passes as sneakers nowadays? And if in the "old days," all those iconic names such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma took pride in the names of the athletes that were on their endorsement roster, the stakes of the "game" have changed 180 degrees. Now, the pressure is on to show that Brad Pitt or Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow or J. Lo, wear "X" brand when they leave the house and walk to their cars on a Sunday afternoon.

Look out, even 300-pound armchair behemoths now take the time out to agonize over which model of rubber shoes they’ll buy. The most exercise they’ll do is shovel chicharon into their gaping mouths or fiddle with the remote control. Hey, without the aid of a mirror, they might not have even seen their feet for a number of years.

But that is the nature of today’s retail game. Imaging is the all essential. If years back, it was Nike and Adidas who staked their territory as the sneakers you just had to have; since early on this year, it’s been Puma that’s emerged as the fashion world’s darling. And Puma played the game to the hilt, recruiting true-blue fashion designers to create signature models. A free-standing Manila Puma shop finally opened its doors recently. Found at the section of Glorietta that fronts Landmark, it’s a welcome addition to our developing retail landscape. Their new promotion is the Jamaica line and while I did scratch my head, trying to come up with some other recent notable Jamaican sports achievement besides Cool Runnings, I’m not going to fault the colors and designs that this Caribbean inspiration has provided. Keep the dreadlocks flying Mr. Marley and Mr. Sean Paul, Puma and Jamaica is definitely where it’s at.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have those brands that know they’re well nigh impossible to compete head on with those "sneaky" giants; so they carve out niches that emphasize performance and downplay fashion or flashy imaging. Avia is one of the emerging brands in that category. A fast growing brand among serious runners and athletes, thanks to its Ecto cantilever support system, Avia brought in David Edge to act as spokesman for the brand.

Got to talk to David during the launch and at close to age 50, he still runs more than 10 miles everyday, and has participated in two Olympic marathons. As part of the consulting team for Avia, David was frank enough to admit while they’ll never have the promotional capabilities that the "giants" possess, he’s more than ready to go head to head on performance and comfort with any of them any day of the week.

Puma and Avia, they aren’t new names, but their heightened presence here in Manila is indicative of the global reach of retailing, and how beneficial that reach has become to us, the consumers.

The magical, musical, burning Bush Ok, I know his coming here had nothing to do with firing up the musical scene, and I doubt he has any idea who these artists are; but if there is one more thing we can be thankful to US President Bush for, it’s that his visit here has seemingly unleashed an influx of major foreign musical artists.

Don’t get me wrong, I know several of these acts were booked way before he insisted on making a stopover, but in the curious game of bringing in artists, until they’ve actually stepped off the plane, one is never certain. For years, the Philippines was bypassed for major concerts in the Asian circuit. At the very best, and if we were lucky, they’d wing in for a promo tour and showcase (four to five songs). We were perceived as a minor market and major security risk. Local concert promoters would balk at the steep insurance premiums US agents would request before committing their artists and signing on the dotted line.

We’re still on the State Department’s list of "risky countries," but with President Bush’s visit, a sense of manageable risk evolved, and given the obvious demand for these incursions, local promoters were given the final green light. Mandy Moore, Mariah Carey, Alice Peacock, Limp Bizkit, the return of Brian McKnight, Hillary Duff early next year? The list goes on and on. I met Duncan Sheik on his recent visit, when he dropped by Dish and jammed with Nyoy Volante, and he was thoroughly enthusiastic about our country. He flew to Boracay, staying at Namy’s for three nights, and by all accounts loved it here.

So if it was just a matter of getting them here in the first place; local promoters have used the Bush visit as proof positive that a Manila stop makes perfect sense, even if for more than eight hours.

(E-mail the author at peopleasia@qinet.net)