Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) has launched its latest performance running shoe as it marks another year of growth.
The Los Angeles-based brand founded in 2009 by identical twins Adam and Ryan Goldston introduced the TechLoom Zipline on Tuesday, APL’s latest running sneaker silhouette.
For the twin brothers, the inspiration for the new shoe came from an experience they had while traveling abroad. “The idea for this sneaker was based on a trip Ryan and I took to Dubai and our ziplining experience through the city where we felt incredibly free, yet secure at the same time because of the harness,” Adam Goldston told FN in an interview. “We wanted to create a shoe that felt like nothing was on the top of your foot, yet had incredible support.”
To achieve this goal, APL developed a new construction called TechLoom – a single, seamless upper that provides lightweight breathability and 360-degree stretch. The upper is then surrounded by hollow cord “ziplines” that function as an exterior cage of support. The shoe also features APL’s Soufflé sockliner and FutureFoam midsole compound which sits atop a two-piece rubber outsole.
This launch comes as the brand celebrates its largest year to-date in its 13-year history. “We saw high double-digit growth in 2021, which came after a tremendous 2020 where we had year-on-year triple digit growth,” Goldston said. “We have seen continued growth in both DTC and wholesale, including the largest sales day in the history of the APL this past March.”
Direct-to-consumer, or DTC, remains APL’s strongest revenue driver, accounting for over 70% of its business. But, wholesale is just as important to Goldston, as he said that it still holds “tremendous value” and remains “a key form of discoverability” in vital physical locations across the globe where the brand has yet to open an APL-operated store.
According to Goldston, business is driven by “hero silhouettes” that have become consistent bestsellers. “Our TechLoom Pro, which was our very first running shoe, is a hero product that is still a tremendous seller today nearly eight years later,” he mentioned. “Additionally, our Bliss, Breeze, Slides and Wave are huge drivers of the business and one of the reasons that we have such a high return customer rate at APL.”
Looking ahead, Goldston added that the brand has another new silhouette on the way for this summer, along with a “game changing” collaboration. “We have only scratched the surface in terms of what is possible including a deep innovation pipeline that started with the Streamline last year, the TechLoom Zipline today, and more silhouettes in development that will carry us into 2025 and beyond,” said Goldston. “This is complimented by our expansion into retail with the APL flagship at The Grove and our plans to bring our design philosophy to life in important U.S. and global retail locations in the very near future.”
APL’s TechLoom Zipline performance running shoe, which retails for $320, is now available in eight colorways at Athleticpropulsionlabs.com, at APL’s flagship store at The Grove in Los Angeles, and with select retailers including Nordstrom.
