Last Friday, we hosted our summer Be An Athlete event, and suffice to say, it was an absolute runaway success. With a schedule kicking off at 11 a.m. sharp, and positively bursting at the seams all the way until the early hours of Saturday morning, this was our way of celebrating our progress to date, before revealing to the full BAA family our vision of the brand’s bright future.
The Day
Just before midday, the BAA social team met up with co-founder, Phil Learney, and an almost full ambassador squad, including skipper, James Haskell, strength coaches, Dan Wheeler, Dan Osman, and David Lancaster, and callisthenics duo, David Jackson and Tim Stevenson (our sympathies go out to Daniel Luke though, who was unfortunately sick on the day), at the UP Fitness gym in Mayfair.
With our amazing film crew, Mak Studios, we commenced proceedings with an extremely insightful interview with each ambassador (including ‘which superhero best represents you?’ and ‘what would you rather lose; your hair or your six-pack?’), so watch this space, as it will be hitting a social platform near you very soon....
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| The BAA Flag: James Haskell with callisthenic boys, Jacko and Tim |
Next up was a quick ambassador photoshoot, and what with Be An Athlete being a sportswear brand, it was important to get some nice shots of our squad proudly wearing the kit. This being the case, it was surprising just how quickly the tops were off, as things rapidly descended into a ‘muscle off.’ However, when the callisthenic boys tried to get by with their perfectly defined torsos, when everyone else was comparing biceps, Cap'n Hask was quick to put them back into line; ‘don’t expect to compete when you bring abs to a gun show.’ How did they respond? By performing a double human flag off the man in question....of course!
At this point, we left UP in peace, and headed over to Hyde Park to cause some mayhem there instead. Jacko and Tim positioned themselves in the central walkway, before pulling some amazing balancing stunts off of each other. Needless to say, tourists gawked, camera phones snapped, and spines tingled at the prospect of these two topless professionals meeting a painful fate with the unforgiving concrete below.
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| Callisthenics in Hyde Park |
The Evening
With just two hours to get back to hotel rooms, slip out (however reluctantly) of their BAA tracksuits, and get suited and booted for the evening ahead, everyone reconvened for six o'clock at the opulent Vanilla Bar in the heart of Fitzrovia. In addition to the full ambassador squad and their partners, we welcomed pretty much everyone who has contributed to the BAA journey to date, including our retailers, models, photographers, business partners, and PR team, in addition to some very special friends of the brand.
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| The BAA Team |
After a prosecco-fuelled hour of mingling, with professional photos taken at the BAA branded step-and-repeat board, and guests being filmed while interviewed by presenter, Caroline Pearce, for our evening video of events, it was time for the co-founders to take to the stage.
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| The BAA Squad being interviewed by Caroline Pearce |
Fashion distributor, Andrew Xeni, and world renowned strength and conditioning coach, Phil Learney, told the story of how they met; Andrew had employed Phil’s services back in 2012 to shed six stone for his then upcoming wedding, and this ultimately resulted in a blossoming bromance. To celebrate their exceptional achievement and newfound friendship, Be An Athlete was born.
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| BAA Co-Founders, Andrew Xeni and Phil Learney |
From inception to projection, Andrew then went on to the portray the future of Be An Athlete; from the growth of the ambassador squad, to the amazing retail partnerships about to come to fruition, to the impending new collection, everyone was left feeling nothing short of inspired. ‘If you keep putting your bread out there,’ Andrew began, ‘eventually....it will come back buttered.’
From here on out, house duo, iLL BLU, and Capital Xtra’s Manny Norte, took to the DJ booth, and the celebration commenced. But to return to Andrew’s butter analogy, our new collection, which will be released in time for the AW15 season, is the first step in a new direction for Be An Athlete. It’s our most daring release to date, and we cannot wait to share it, but more on that very shortly...
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