December 6, 2024 | 12:00am
You’ll see these little tumblers, peeking out of people’s bags, almost everywhere — at the mall, coffeeshop, restaurant, bus/train station, school, beauty salon, fitness gym, or in church. The person seated next to you on the bus is probably carrying one or has a water bag with a tumbler in it slung over his shoulder.
However, for Generation Z, or the Zoomers, it’s not just any tumbler, it’s got to be a Stanley! So, why is Gen Z so obsessed with this drinkware that a trend expert says it’s the most popular holiday gift, according to Amazon? People will wait in line for hours just to purchase a Stanley cup/tumbler; it might as well be this season’s hottest accessory.
Stanley’s here!: Stanley’s first standalone store in the country recently opened at Level 2 of SM Mall of Asia’s Main Mall.
“It’s a fashion statement,” declares Gilbert Tang, managing director of Chris Sports. “A lot of people have it in different colors to match their wardrobe. We have from 12 to 15 designs and we keep changing every season. So, by December, we’ll have different colors for the holiday season. For January, February, March, different again. We’ll have special Chinese New Year bottles and Valentine colors.”
Like moths to a flame, young and old flocked to Stanley’s first standalone store in the country, which opened recently at Level 2 of SM Mall of Asia’s Main Mall to bring this pioneering brand of durable and reusable drinkware to on-the-go adventurers and style enthusiasts who are thirsty for iconic and versatile products. With its experiential retail concept, the 27.74-sqm. store’s vibrant, joyful atmosphere invites everyone to check out Stanley’s colorful offerings.
At the store opening, guests had tons of fun customizing their Stanleys with engraved names and lots of charms.
“Some designs didn’t make it to the opening, like the design inspired by Wicked, the Broadway musical/movie,” discloses Tang. “Still the most popular for Gen Z is the Barbie Pink — yes, even for males.”
But you see, Stanley, according to the people behind it, is not just a product — it’s a promise, nay a commitment, summed up in a century-old, enduring guarantee: Built for Life. Stanley carries a lifetime warranty, whether you bought it years ago or got it in the store just today.
Built for Life? Ever heard the story of Tiktok user Danielle (you must have heard it in the news on ABC7) whose car burned down, and everything in it was reduced to ashes, except for her Stanley which survived, including the ice inside?
Stanley fans all: Gilbert Tang, managing director of Chris Sports; Perkin So, senior assistant VP for mall operations, SM Mall of Asia; Cheryl Lee, Anthem Group CEO; Ericson Lee, Anthem Group chairman.
It all started in 1913 (yes, Stanley is that old) when William Stanley Jr. patented the all-steel vacuum flask. Working with transformers and always thirsty for innovation, Stanley discovered a welding process to insulate a vacuum bottle with steel instead of glass, to keep your warms warm and your colds cold.
“Stanley is all about sustainability; we don’t promote plastic bottles,” Tang stresses. “We use only food-grade stainless steel that passed rigorous health and safety tests, to keep hot hot and cold cold for as long as 16 to 20 hours.”
So here’s to a more sustainable, less disposable world — and life!
Just because William Stanley wanted his coffee hot all day while he was working, we now have a whole range of ultra-durable, super-reliable, uber-chic and colorful products — tumblers, mugs, flasks, coolers, lunchboxes — that promises to outlive life’s wear and tear, what with Stanley’s double-wall steel vacuum insulation.
What’s more, for a very high-end fashion statement, Stanley is very reasonably priced — from P2,000 and up. “In a couple of weeks, we’re coming up with a bag sling,” Tang announces.
The better — and more fashionable — to carry around your most important accessory, probably next only to your cell phone.
“I have a number of Stanleys myself,” Tang reveals. “When I travel, I bring a slimmer one so it’s lighter. When I go out of town, I bring the big one to last me half a day because I drink a lot.”
Surely, the new store is just the beginning of more fun, colorful things lined up for Stanley’s loyal fans. We’ll drink to that!
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Stanley recently opened a second standalone store at Level 2 of SM North EDSA’s North Towers to cater to communities in Quezon City and surrounding areas. This expansion from south to north aims to make Stanley more accessible to Filipinos across the metro. Follow @stanleybrandph on Instagram.
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