CounterKicks‘ caught up with Athletic Propulsion Labs co-founders Adam and Ryan Goldston for a current look at the rapid progress the new company has made over the last couple months including its exclusive retail partnership with Modell’s Sporting Goods in Times Square, customer reactions to the brand’s “instant vertical” technology, and three new colorways of the Concept 1 launching soon. Continue reading 5 Questions With Athletic Propulsion Labs…
1) Athletic Propulsion Labs just launched its first in-store retail partnership exclusively at Modell’s Sporting Goods in Times Square. Tell us about that and the Modell’s relationship.
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be in a premier sporting goods store in one of the most high foot traffic areas in the world. Modell’s has been great to us, really telling the APL story in the store to customers. Our two main goals for selecting a retail location for our initial retail launch were foot traffic and the store associates’ ability to articulate the APL story and the Load N’ Launch Technology to consumers. One of the beauties of selling the Concept 1 exclusively at APLbasketball.com is that if a consumer wants to learn as much as possible about the Concept 1 and the Load ‘N Launch technology, they have the ability to do so. It’s crucial that the consumer doesn’t view the Concept 1 as just another great looking basketball shoe, but as the ultimate performance shoe that instantly increases your vertical leap. As we’ve said from day 1, we drew our inspiration for the Concept 1 from supercars and we look at the shoe buying process similar to the car purchasing process. When buying a car, you are initially drawn to a car based on its design and silhouette, but it is its interior and engine that can really sell you on the car. Similarly, with shoes in a retail store, there are tons of great looking and performing shoes on the slat wall, but if the associates can give you a detailed summary of each shoe it will allow you to make a more educated decision. In our case, relative to the rest of the industry, you are buying a supercar. Our Load ‘N Launch technology offers the consumers an instant increase in vertical leap, something no other shoe on the market does. Modell’s understands that this isn’t just another basketball shoe, but a shoe that literally brings your game to another level. It was this mutual understanding that drove us to select Modell’s W 42nd St and Broadway location (in Times Square) as our initial retail location and it has proven to be a great decision so far.
2) Any plans for getting the APL Concept 1 in more retail locations?
As of right now we are only selling at the premier Modell’s Times Square location. We have been inundated with requests to carry our product from retailers around the world, but like we said, it’s critical that store associates articulate the APL story and explain the Load ‘N Launch technology in detail. Without that, the Concept 1 appears to be just another great looking shoe on a slat wall. We are not ruling out the idea of expanding further into the retail market, but as of right now the only two locations you can buy the Athletic Propulsion Labs Concept 1 are at APLbasketball.com and Modell’s at W 42nd St. and Broadway in Time Square.
3) Three brand new colorways of the Concept 1 can be seen in the new SLAM/KICKS magazine. What colorways were featured?
We are excited to be featured in SLAM Magazine’s annual KICKS edition. Growing up we looked at KICKS magazine as our sneaker bible for the year, so for KICKS to feature the Concept 1 and conduct a thorough performance review is a dream come true. The three new colorways featured in the new SLAM/KICKS magazine are our Black/White/Red, Navy/White/Silver, and Royal Blue/Orange/White colorways. APL will offer mainstream colorways (i.e. Black/White/Red and Navy/White), but just like exotic supercars, we will continue to offer unique colorways (i.e. White/Black/Green, Black/Green, Royal Blue/Orange/White) which have become a staple from the APL product line.
4) APL received a highly positive response to the Concept 1 in the newest KICKS mag. What was your reaction to the great performance review?
The cover story “APL TAKES OFF” is a perfect example of the feedback we’ve been getting from our customers. People are jumping higher as soon as they put on our Concept 1 and their games are evolving instantly. Now you’re not only hearing it from us, but from people who now have a competitive advantage every time they step on the court. It is fun for us because the biggest skeptics end up being the biggest supporters after playing one game in the Concept 1s. We have saved every KICKS edition and couldn’t be more excited about not only having the Concept 1 featured, but to have a performance review as well.
5) I know both of you have been flying around the country getting the word out on APL lately. What are the reactions you’ve been getting from people since the Concept 1 launched to the public?
When we meet with people, they can’t hold in their excitement when we really break down where Athletic Propulsion Labs is going and provide them with an in-depth explanation of our patent-pending Load ‘N Launch technology. The general consensus is that this product and technology are going to change athletes’ on-court capabilities and allow them to perform at new levels. Reviews are starting to come out from different publications (with more on the way) and the feedback has been unbelievable. We have received emails and phone calls from customers who have been able to achieve athletic goals and feats that they only dreamed of prior to purchasing the Concept 1. The Concept 1 is revolutionary and a great start, but we have only just started the marathon. As a technology based company, all of our products will feature a unique technology that PROPELS athletes to levels they wouldn’t be able to reach without Athletic Propulsion Labs. A lot of the meetings we’ve had are with people within the sneaker and basketball community who were extremely skeptical at first. Within minutes, they have a better understanding of the Concept 1 technology. Once they lace the shoes up and perform a makeshift jump test (literally inside the conference room), they’re sold. We keep hearing how there hasn’t been a shoe that has really been revolutionary from a performance standpoint in the modern sneaker era. People young and old have been dreaming about a shoe that could make them jump higher for years. When people put these shoes on, they stop dreaming. We don’t even have to give them the pitch anymore. The Concept 1 sells itself. We are forming great relationships that will help drive the brand during our launch stage and into the future.
Stay tuned with us by visiting our website and keeping up with us on Facebook (facebook.com/APLbasketball) and Twitter (@APLbasketball). This is only the beginning. We have some major things transpiring in the Lab. Stop dreaming, jump higher.
