Here’s what happened when the Converse Rated One Star collective attacked the city

AUGUST 15 and 16: In a 32-degree Celsius weather and with the notorious Manila traffic awaiting it, the Converse Rated One Star jeepney rolled into TRYP Manila in Pasay City loaded with the #RatedOneStar collective—artist Issa Pressman, MC Marga Bermudez, influencer Keiko Nakajima, model Dominick Alcantara, photographer Andrei Suleik, influencer Cher Lui Pio, and music producer Paolo Tiongson, a.k.a Poor Taste—with the intention of “attacking” the city with their perfect shoe partner-in-crime in tow: the Converse One Star.

Around the metro, the collective was tasked to rate different iconic locations: If the place fits the identity of the Rated One Star shoe, it gets a Rated One Star sticker. Throughout the road trip, Converse Philippines prepared activities for the group where they could accumulate points, and the one with most number of points would get a surprise treat from Converse Philippines (a secret we cannot tell yet!)

DAY 1
First stop: the cobbled steps of Intramuros. Feet ensconced in Converse One Stars trekked along the graffiti walls of Anda street onto the Spanish pavilion exhibition Unfinished inside the San Ignacio Church. By lunch, the collective was munching on authentic Mexican cuisine in El Chupacabra in Poblacion, Makati, where the interiors are as colorful as the colorways of the Converse One Star.

After lunch, the whole group went to Escolta. Divided into two, the collective was given a set of locations within the Old Manila to take pictures of. It was a game of speed, but with both groups consisting of creatives, a photo-op was still a photo-op; needless to say, their photos remained of social media-appropriate quality.

Just as the sun set, the Rated One Star collective basked the neon lights at Play by the Bay at the SM Mall of Asia. The carnival setting was the perfect background for more OOTD shots, and the collective did not disappoint. Dinner was served at a dampa place along Macapagal Boulevard before everyone headed back to TRYP Manila.

DAY 2
Day 2 started with rapper Rjay Ty joining the team, and heading straight to PNR Yard Tutuban. A perfect fit for the One Star shoe, this old railway station has its own No Bullsh-t Attitude, with a great background to match. Train cars were filled with Rated One Star stickers and with the collective wasting no moment to create more content. From there, the collective went straight to Cubao Expo to grab lunch and to explore the various concept stores in the area. Pressman got tatted up in one of the tattoo shops in the compound, earning herself a One Star point that added 10 more points to her total score.

Just before night arrived, the Rated One Star collective arrived at BreakRoom and BreakOut in Mandaluyong to shake the stress away. After some smashing and breaking of glass, the group headed to Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in Makati for a quick dinner, before ending the two-day road trip with a pub crawl in Poblacion.