In 1954, an airplane carrying the Philippine national team landed in Brazil to compete in the FIBA World Championship. It’s in this tournament where the Philippines won the bronze medal—its highest finish ever in a world basketball competition.
The team’s leading scorer at that time is a legend and an icon in Philippine hoops: Carlos ‘Caloy’ Loyzaga. Soak in all that information because it’s important to the Air Jordan 2 Low ‘TITAN’ story. The shoe was designed by Loyzaga’s granddaughter, Chi Loyzaga-Gibbs.
In designing the Air Jordan 2, Chi didn’t have to look far for inspiration. It’s in her family, in her roots, in her blood.
SLAM Philippines had a quick chat with Chi to get her thoughts about this historic project.
SLAM Philippines: What was your first thought when you learned you were going to design a Jordan sneaker collab?
Chi Lozyaga-Gibbs: I honestly couldn’t believe it! It was so emotional for me because from the get-go I knew it was going to be a tribute to my grandfather.
S: Which element of the shoe means the most to you?
C: One element that really holds a special place in my heart are the sock liners and the graphic I created for this. I wanted to be able to honor my grandfather, by recreating some of his action shots and photographs in my personal art style.
In it are the numbers 14 and 41 which were his jersey numbers while he was playing. Those little hidden messages are so special and hold so much meaning for me.
S: How big of an influence was your grandfather’s style in designing the shoe?
C: A huge influence! We took a lot of inspiration from his old photos.
S: How much does it mean to you to design a sneaker from the history that he left behind?
C: It means everything! I just feel super proud to be able to share his story with a younger generation and the rest of the world.
S: How do you want this sneaker to be remembered?
C: I want it to be known as a sneaker with tropical flair that makes you think of the Philippines. I want it to be remembered in line with our basketball history giving a sense of pride for being Filipino.
