Vibram Five Fingers Philippines Launch

I was privileged to be invited as part of the media launch of this product at Rockwell.

As I got there early, I was lead to an area where they had me remove my shoes and socks and measure the size of my feet. After which, I get to choose the pair of Vibrams Five Fingers that I could try on: the usual brown color or the attention grabbing hot red! Guess what I chose? :)









Quite cool don't you think? VFFs CAN Be fashionable (as evidenced later on...)!




Fitting the Five Fingers takes some getting used to as I had to insert each toe to their respective toe pocket, making sure that they are all fully extended. But once I got used to it, it was quite easy to do so.

Walking on it felt like walking barefoot with some protection from things like gum, broken glass, cockroaches, and the like. But is it good enough for running long distance? (Read on faithful readers).




A lot of guests were trying on pairs of their own VFF's at the media launch.







Coffee, RFB's camera and the invitation to this event..




Now, to launch this product, we got a series of testimonials from some of the celebrity athletes and their uses of this product.

Lorraine Lapus (AKA surfer gal): For her, it is quite good for the flexibility needed in surfing the waves. Plus the fact that it protects her from cuts attained from hitting the corals in the sea. Protection also from those deadly sea urchins

Corey Wills (AKA Yoga Master): This dude was soooo into it and he really loved it. Even before this product reached the Philippines, he had already ordered two pairs in USA. Perfect for yoga for the flexibility too and he liked using it to go to the mall.

Jay Valencia (AKA Runner): He uses it for sprint training and for 5kms run. Also switches to this after running a road race for recovery.

Nico D’Haenen (AKA Kettlebeller?): Perfect for their Kettlebell club for the flexibility needed. To the point that he doesn't allow shoes in his gym but VFF's can be used there.

But the most interesting one (at least to me because of its application) is
Ronald Declarador (AKA 102km Death March Ultramarathoner): He used it for the Bataan Death March and shaved one hour from his time. For him, I think one of the issues of using this is that since it is like running barefooted, you will feel the heat of the sun on your feet as you run on the sidewalk. This doesn't happen with ordinary rubber shoes. Wearing this is also similar to doing a trail run in that you have to be aware of the ground you are stepping on. But that is a good thing as you become more careful in your running form as well. Friend of Ronald has been using this longer than he has and when guy visited sports doctor, doc was surprised that he developed muscles at the back of his leg, which seldom happens even to a runner. With this footwear, runners can become stronger when it comes to racing. And don't we all want to be faster and stronger in our runs?

Celebrity and Frisbee star Reema Chanco hosted that day's event.




From Vibram's Media Kit:


The year 2006 marked the barefoot revolution as Vibram finally unveiled VIBRAM FIVEFINGERS, a unique footwear design that mimics the feeling of being barefoot. It allowed people to experience the sensation and freedom of going barefoot with the protection and sure-footed grip of a Vibram sole. Made by abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric and Vibram TC-1 performance rubber weighing 5.3oz. each, Vibram Five Fingers immediately took the world by storm, catching especially the eyes and feet of athletes and sports aficionados. This led to being awarded as one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2007. To date, the barefoot revolution has invaded Europe, North America, Australia and very recently -- Asia.


Need more testimonials that this is an awesome product?

Check out the action stars below:





Thomas Jane of "The Punisher" movie.





Matthew McConaughey (seen here holding VFFs) of "Ghosts of Girlfriends...", nope that's not an action movie. Okay Matthew McConaughey of "How to lose a guy in...", nope not an action movie...well, maybe a little action but the wrong kind. Hmmmmm Matthew McConaughey of "Failure to Launch"?

That's it. I give up. Nevermind! We all know who he is. On to the next action star:




Channing Tatum of "GI Joe". FINALLY! Phew!




So to summarize: Vibram Five Fingers: used by sports athletes, used by action stars and one romantic comedy guy (but in his defense, he joins triathlons and is quite good at it), and even featured in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions. Back to basics via barefoot running/ walking.

If that doesn't get you interested, nothing will!


For more information (also on different model types, colors, prices), please visit their store at Powerplant Mall, Rockwell. You may also visit their website at www.barefootwearinc.com

Big thanks to Mr. Kim Faner of Eventscape Manila for the invite and to Mr. Carlos Abad for bringing this product to the Philippines.