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Stay fit, play with style

DENNIS GASGONIA/abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/02/2008 4:24 PM

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Gone are the days when people were contented with trusty ol' sneakers, boring jogging pants and plain shirts when going out to play sports. Most people nowadays feel lacking when they walk into a gym or fitness center without their favorite sneakers or branded sports shirt. 

Take Marineth, an Ortigas-based call center employee who frequently plays badminton with her friends.

“I rarely play badminton without my wrist strap and my favorite racquet. Somehow, I feel stylish and seem to play better whenever I use them,” she said.

Louie, a marketing officer from Makati City, never steps on a basketball court without his favorite rubber shoes.

“Kasi nakakatulong din kung comfortable ka sa suot mo. Plus, pogi points pa lalo na kung maganda sapatos mo,” he said.

For people like them, staying fit does not mean falling out of style.

“Basically when you play a sport, you want to be stylish. That’s why we have our play plus style concept,” said Anton Gonzales, CEO of Planet Sports, Inc., a successful line of retail outlets selling fitness and sports apparel.

Gonzales said fitness enthusiasts know it's important to look their best whenever they train or compete. Some even buy matching tops, bottoms and shoes from the same store.

He said it was this trend that prompted him and his team to redesign their eight-year-old Planet Sports concept store in Power Plant Mall, Makati City.

For the redesign, Gonzales sought the help of his childhood friend, architect Gil Coscolluela, who designed the Joya Towers.

“He said ‘I’m an architect, not a designer’. So he came up with a store that is architecturally rendered,” he said.

After months of renovations, the flagship Planet Sports store reopened late September with a spanking new look. “He decided to use a lot of components normally used for buildings like a lot of glass, a lot of steel. Things are very white and stoned and [there are] colors that you would see in a building,” Gonzales said.

He said that more than the look, the new store also reflects the stylishness of Planet Sports products.

“[It’s] very focused on footwear apparel, lots of lifestyle products and also equipment. We have badminton rackets, balls, gloves and caps. More than treadmills, dumbbells, our focus is more on soft goods,” he said.

Gonzales said the store aims to create a whole new sports lifestyle experience for its customers.

“What’s important is that what you come here, you will find something stylish, something that you’ll be happy to wear when you are actually playing the sport that you want,” he said.

as of 10/03/2008 9:49 AM