‘Skurbanista’ republic By Cheche Moral Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 22:33:00 08/28/2008
MANILA, Philippines—There’s a fashionista, and then there’s the skurbanista.
Perhaps only core enthusiasts know there’s a name for the fashion that’s a mix of skateboarding and hip-hop lifestyles—skurban—but teen brothers Miguel and Julio Villafuerte believe there’s enough number to justify opening a local shop devoted to clothes and accessories of the skurban culture.
“These are for the core customers,” says Julio, 17, as he narrates a long list of shoe and clothing brands in the Villafuertes’ newly opened specialty shop called Republ1c.
“Justin Timberlake wore this in his latest video,” he says of a shoe from Supra, an American brand.
The brands are largely obscure to anyone who is decidedly not “core.” Julio describes C1rca, Kr3w, Skullcandy, Dragon, Hurley, L Space—some of the 17 brands carried at Republ1c—like a fashionista would of her Balenciaga or Gucci.
Skurban fashions are characterized by bold graphic-print tees, hoodies and multicolored skate shoes.
It was the brothers’ idea to open such a store in Manila when buying abroad for their personal use became too expensive, and the one store that carried some skurban brands had limited choices.
Dressing the part
The brothers got into skateboarding when Miguel, now 19, was in fifth grade and Julio was a third grader. They embraced the pastime as much as its fashions. They dressed the part, shopping for clothes, footwear and accessories on their annual family trip to the United States, where they also indulged in snowboarding at wintertime.
Three years ago, the siblings graduated to wakeboarding, the sport fever extending further to the rest of the family—Dad, Mom, sister Gabby, 13, and brother Luigi, 11.
Dad is Gov. LRay Villafuerte of Camarines Sur. Julio describes wakeboarding as a “mixture of skateboarding and snowboarding, but you do it on water and behind a boat so you tend to do more flips and spins.”
The boys are national wakeboarding champions in their respective categories, while only girl Gabby was one-time runner-up, says their proud dad.
“I started [doing business] when I was 19, and Miguel is 19,” the dad says of his eldest, an incoming International Marketing freshman at the University of San Diego in California. Most of Republ1c’s merchandise comes from San Diego and Los Angeles; others from Brazil’s top swimwear labels like Rygy and Lisa Lozano. “When he asked me for capital, I helped him immediately.”
The older boys do all the merchandising with some help from their mom. At times they have had to miss school—the siblings attend the International School Manila—to take part in trade shows and sales meetings abroad.
“It’s good to start the kids early, so they know the value of money and earning their own money. They have responsibility and they’re proud of it,” Villafuerte says of his boys.
“It’s not just about having a store; it’s about promoting the lifestyle. That’s their goal. We want them to concentrate on what they’re good at—merchandising, marketing, networking with friends.”
Republ1c has lined up sponsorship activities to promote both the store and the skurban lifestyle.
Republ1c retails the same as US prices multiplied by the current exchange rate. Since there’s no sales tax as when one would buy in the US, or delivery charges when one orders online, the prices are decidedly cheaper.
Outdoors people
The bi-level store on Pasong Tamo (at La Fuerza Building, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati, near Don Bosco between Pasay Road and Edsa; tel. 8640774) was designed to reflect the lifestyle: a wall of shoe shelves is constructed like a skateboard ramp.
“We’re a family of outdoors people,” the dad says. “It was the boys who encouraged me to get into wakeboarding. They thought I wouldn’t learn it.”
Little did the governor know that Miguel’s request for a wakeboard in 2005 would lead to an activity that they could do together as a family. Villafuerte had also made his province synonymous to the sport of wakeboarding. In 2006, the province launched its water-sports complex that recently hosted the world championships, bringing with it the biggest number of tourist arrivals in the region.
Miguel clarifies that while Republ1c carries some hardware-wakeboards, for instance, the shop isn’t strictly about performance gear.
“Before we opened, there wasn’t much streetwear,” he says. “We always complained there wasn’t a place to buy these stuff, very little choice or very expensive.” They’re bringing in more brands as they prepare for a grand launch in October.
“I think it’s the right time,” says their dad. “If you create a niche, they will come.”
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