The Tsinelas, or Flip-Flop, is an extremely versatile item for Pinoys. As poverty and necessity are the parents of innovation, just like with other limited resources, we tend to maximize use for anything and everything.
And so as a kid who grew up back home, I learned a few uses for flip flops. They were my first “Nikes,” kind of, as my friends and I would play basketball in them all day. None of us really gave it much thought, although now I’d be scared to play if I were only in flip flops.
If a ball got stuck on the rim, we threw the tsinelas at it to get it off. We would also play games with flip flops – namely, the ever-famous tumbang-preso. Weapons of choice would be your one classic flip-flop, which was a bit of a premium, or one of the cheap rubber ones. The goal was to knock down a metal can.
And, if you were late home for dinner after playing, you also got hit with the tsinelas. Like I said, weapon of choice.
So it was a really interesting sight when we met Jason Luengo and Daniel Burch, who spearheads the “Tribu” campaign and were happily showing us some of their awesome goodies at the Filipino Parade. Jason is the company’s President, while Daniel refers to himself as an “International Flip-Flop Salesman.”
An impressive spread was laid in front of us, and Dan and Jason were more than happy to show some of their stuff. They also had a myriad of t-shirts and hats, all for the outdoor enthusiast.
“We’re very proud of our products,” says Daniel. “We’re slowly trying to spread the word. Our materials are made from interesting items, like (this one is made from) a tire,” he explains, as he points to one of the flip flops.
Re-used materials and methodically turned into durable and fashionable product, and produced with a Pinoy touch.
“Tribu started as a humble idea,” says Jason. “And now, with hard work and dedication to our craft, we operate about 200 locations worldwide.”
A humble enterprise that is surely taking the mantle of being the “Pambansang Tsinelas” (the National Flip Flop), Tribu is a force that is to be reckoned with.
For more information about Tribu, or if you want to get your hands on some of these goodies, visit TribuNation.com and Tribuoutdoors.com
0 comments