My husband is obsessed with basketball. He watches NBA all-day, every day, and it doesn’t matter where he is, because he can access the latest games thru his mobile phone. He joins basketball leagues whenever he can (which are usually during the weekends) and he even has a fantasy league with his buddies. Basketball is his passion, and though I don’t know much about it, I know that for Christmas, all his wants are basketball gear. And lucky for him, I know exactly where to get it.

TITAN, the first and only basketball specialty store in the country, has always been Carlos’s go-to place when he wants a new pair of basketball shoes or when he needs anything basketball-related. The store sells the latest in basketball performance and lifestyle footwear and apparel from brands including Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, and Under Armour. We are always at Titan, and usually we can’t leave the store without buying something.

Titan recently celebrated the opening of its newest retail store by hosing a private opening for friends, media, athletes and influencers at Shangri-la Plaza East Wing. Of course, we were there. Because apart from supporting our friends from Titan, it was  also the release of the highly anticipated “Jordan x Slam Dunk” collection. It was huge. Invited guests queued to get their hands on the limited-edition collaboration line.

I have to say, I really loved the new store. Titan Shangri-La paid tribute to the iconic manga series by bringing Takehiko Inoe’s familiar illustrations to life in the store – a back wall dynamic display for the cashwrap, a 3D hologram box showcasing both the Air Jordan 6 Retro and Super.Fly 3 and the unique artwork on the shoes thru holographic projections, visually impactful lightbox installations, and the ever popular episode entitled ‘Basketball Shoes’ – where in Hanamichi Sakuragi bought his first pair of Air Jordan 6 – on the large LED display right on the store front.

Titan Shangri-La is also the first to feature a dedicated Jordan Brand space within the store, a tribute to Michael Jordan’s inspiration and influence on the game both past and present. The space follows the Jordan Brand design language, but with a unique Titan interpretation. To the right, an imposing elephant-printed footwear wall scales the place and the apparel bar to the left is sculpted to subliminally form the number 23.

The selected invitees were granted early access to the Jordan X Slam Dunk Collection. Joe DeVance, Mark Barocca, and PJ Simon of Purefoods, Tony Dela Cruz and Chris Banchero of the Alaska Aces, Prince Rivero of DLSU, and actor Gerald Anderson – who are all part of the Deer Valley Titans flow team, got their hands on the collection. The Pinoy Sakuragi himself, Marc Pingris, came thru sporting a Shohoku jersey and the Air Jordan 6 Retro Slam Dunk on his feet. Other guests spotted at the Titan Shangri-La opening were basketball stars LA Tenorio, Jvee Casio, Kiefer Ravena, brothers Jeron and Jeric Teng, Actors Luis Alandy and Marco Alcaraz, host Jinno Rufino, PBA courtside reporter Erika Padilla, and radio DJ’s Boom Gonzales, Tin ‘Suzy’ Gamboa and Nikko Ramos. Ornusa Cadness of The Zombettes and Diego Castillo of the Diegos spun individual DJ sets, providing their signature brand of music all throughout the night, while pass arounds and champagne were courtesy of Cibo.

Titan Shangri-la is now open with the following regular store hours : Monday to Thursday (11am-9pm), Friday (11am-10pm), Saturday (10am-10pm), and Sunday (10am-9pm). For more information, log on to www.titan22.com, or follow them on social media via @titan_22 on Twitter and Instagram.