August 2, 2022
Style & Beauty,
Do you have a need for speed? So do the folks over at Athletic Propulsion Labs, which is why McLaren chose the luxury performance footwear brand as its partner in a new shoe silhouette that matches the spirit and soul of the champion automaker.
The APL McLaren HySpeed™ is a limited-edition, all-purpose running trainer inspired by McLaren’s head-turning, high-performance cars.
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It marks McLaren’s first collaboration in the footwear world, and it’s just the first in a series of forthcoming collaborations between the brands.
“Over the past two years, the APL and McLaren teams have collaborated on countless design sketches, many different construction techniques, extensive product testing and rounds of samples to create the most unique performance shoe the market has ever seen,” say APL co-founders Adam and Ryan Goldston in a joint release. “The APL McLaren HySpeed™ is truly an exercise in design and engineering excellence that was created through pushing the limits of what is possible in footwear.”
The statement goes on to note that three unique midsole interactions have been developed, complete with proprietary compounds, numerous new upper constructions, and more than 50 sampled colorways.
“Working with McLaren has been a dream come true for us at APL,” the Goldstons say. “McLaren's heritage in design and performance is unmatched, and the team's expertise and attention to detail truly shines in this collaboration. McLaren is one of the world leaders in the use of carbon fiber, and the weave which we collectively created for the HySpeed™ is not only hyper functional, but it is also incredibly beautiful. One of the greatest commonalities between APL and McLaren is our quest to make beautifully designed products that perform at the absolute highest level, and that is exactly what we have done with this collaboration.”
The HySpeed™ is APL’s most expensive in-line product to date, and it introduces the company’s newest pod-based midsole technology. Heel padding was molded after McLaren’s Senna seats, which help keep drivers comfortable at high speeds.
“It perfectly embodies both our own McLaren and APL’s DNA and design philosophy,” adds Goran Ozbolt, acting design director of McLaren Automotive. “APL has developed new technologies specifically for this shoe–inspired by our ground-breaking work using lightweight materials—which also maximizes the wearer’s comfort and experience. Like stepping into a McLaren, it is all about optimizing performance, agility and speed.”
The APL McLaren Hyspeed is available for men and women in five colorways: White/McLaren Orange, White/Black/Ombre, Rose Dust/Creme, Energy/Metallic Silver, and McLaren Orange. The shoes retail for $450, and come in a special designer box with metallic accents and a pull-out drawer, the latter of which features a line drawing of the McLaren F1 road car.
The luxury shoe is available at select retailers including Luisa Via Roma, Net-A-Porter, Mr. Porter, Level Shoes, FWRD and Pedder Group. It’s also for sale at athleticpropulsionlabs.com and APL’s Flagship Store Experience at The Grove in Los Angeles.
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