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In Conversation With Athletic Propulsion Labs

Blurring the lines between luxury and performance footwear is American brand, Athletic Propulsion Labs. Initiated by twins Ryan and Adam Goldston in 2009, the brand has taken off from their original creation focusing around the basketball shoe. Proved to enable a higher jump, the twins knew they were onto something revolutionary and continue to provide high performance footwear with a clean aesthetic and comfortable shape. We caught up with them about their reasons for APL’s creation and what we can expect from this popular brand found at Coggles...

 

What was your initial reason for setting up Athletic Propulsion Labs?

The basis for us starting APL was that we felt like we wanted, but also needed basketball shoes that would instantly make us jump higher. There were no products in the market, footwear or anything else, that could instantly make us jump higher, so we spent 4 years developing our patented Load 'N Launch technology that could instantly make you jump higher.

What do you hope people take and understand from the name of your brand?

The name of our brand was inspired by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. When we were creating APL, our vision was always to sit at the intersection of luxury and performance, but we knew the performance/technology side was always going to be very important. Thus, we wanted to make sure that when people heard our brand's name, they realised that technology and performance were at the core of everything we create.

 

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What are the key features you’d suggest someone look for when buying performance footwear from APL?

The main features APL is known for as a brand are our technologies, including: Propelium, Techloom, and Load 'N Launch. Our footwear is designed to be worn in every aspect of your life, so comfort is something we pride ourselves on. When you try on a pair of APLs, the first thing you should notice is how comfortable the shoes are.

 

For a new customer, what can they expect from an APL product?

A new customer can expect elevated products from APL with fantastic comfort that look and feel amazing in every environment or situation. We don't use big emblazoned logos, instead we let the materials, colour, technology, and design tell the story.

Could you explain the “Load n Launch Technology” embedded within APL footwear?

APL's patented Load 'N Launch technology is a compression spring based system that sits in the cavity of the forefoot. It's like a diving board; when you step on the edge of a diving board and compress all of your energy, it propels you upward and that's what our Load 'N Launch technology does. Our Load 'N Launch technology is currently only featured in our basketball shoes, but we've also featured a derivative of it before in our men's and women's running shoe called the Windchill.

How much of your sports background and knowledge aided your business to the level it is at today?

Our sports background played a huge part in conceptualising and then ultimately running APL. As former 2 sport (basketball and football) collegiate athletes at USC (University of Southern California), we knew what we felt was missing from the market and what would guide us to creating these products. As athletes, we always first ask why are we creating this product and how can we make a difference with it.

This ties back to our experience as athletes, you always want to push yourself and everything you do to be the best.

Where do you see APL leading to in the future?

We feel like the future has endless amount of potential for APL. As the brand that pioneered luxury performance in footwear, we know we have a tremendous amount of opportunity in front of us. We see ourselves continuing to blur the line of luxury and performance.

We’re getting bored of our usual workouts, what is the workout-craze most talked about in your office?

The workout craze most talked about in our office is F45 training. It has been expanding rapidly lately and the concept behind it is to be a functional workout that lasts only 45 minutes; something very appealing.

 

Quick Fire:

Favourite celebrity to wear APL footwear…

We love all the celebrities that wear APL footwear, but there is a special place in our hearts for Kim Kardashian West as she was the first celebrity to ever wear our running shoes.

 

Personal favourite colourway from the range launching on Coggles…

Ryan's favourite colourway is the Nude Breeze and Adam's is Shadow Green/Fatigue/White Bliss.

What was the best thing that has ever happened to/for your brand?

The best thing that has ever happened to/for APL was the mayor of Los Angeles naming Oct. 12 APL day in the city of LA because of our charitable contributions to the community.

 

Do you mainly wear APL for fashion or for performance?

We wear them for both, we like to say that if you're wearing APLs, you can change your clothes throughout the day, but keep your footwear the same...and that's definitely something we live by.

 

Shop APL for men and women at Coggles...

Olivia Seed
Olivia Seed Editor
A minimalist fashion fan with high interests in the odd print or check. Constantly trying to make my home look like a catalogue; you can find me shopping for cute bedding, candles and other Instagrammable interior accessories.

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