New York City sneakerheads, rejoice! A new shopping destination is coming to town, courtesy of APL (Athletic Propulsion Labs)—the cult sneaker brand who counts stars like the Kardashians as fans. On November 9th, the footwear label will open its first New York store in the trendy SoHo district, marking its second flagship location worldwide (the first being at The Grove in L.A., where the brand is headquartered).
Launched in 2009, APL founders Ryan and Adam Goldston revolutionized the sneaker market with their assortment of “luxury performance” footwear. They first burst onto the scene with their basketball sneaker, which featured a Load ’N Launch technology that makes wearers jump higher—a construction that got them noticed and even banned by the NBA. Since then, the brand has expanded into other categories such as lifestyle and running shoes, all of which are celebrity favorites (Sofia Richie is a fan, too).
With their first New York store, the duo will offer their signature assortment of stylish athletic shoes—as well as bring an elevated retail experience to the Manhattan sneaker scene. “We really focused on creating something that you couldn’t find anywhere else,” says Adam. To do so, they created a curated flagship location that displays their product in an artful and interactive way. “People refer to New York as the city that never sleeps, so we want to create this dream state [in the store],” says Ryan. “We wanted the space to feel surreal.”
The almost 4,000-square-foot retail space, for one, is shaped like an amphitheater, with curved walls and basketball stadium-style seating (a nice nod to the brand’s athletic roots). “We started with basketball and performance, so that was a really important touch to us when we were designing the space,” says Ryan. In the back of the store, meanwhile, are five special “vanity rooms” that are lined with different stones such as onyx; They’re perfect for outfit selfies and Instagram photo ops. “Each [room] represents the five boroughs of New York,” says Ryan, while Adam adds, “When you’re [trying on] shoes, you want to see how it all comes together—we wanted to have a full immersive moment.”
In the store, shoppers can peruse APL’s full collection of men’s, women’s, and kids shoes. “There will be a beautiful balance between our core products, and then seasonal collections that inject color, fun, and patterns into [the mix],” says Ryan. The store will also carry exclusive silhouettes or colorways. For the duo, having these exclusive in-store elements was important. “For us, there’s no substitution for the tangibility of what you can do in person,” says Adam, while Ryan adds, “It creates a connection that s special and deep with the consumer.”
Opening a New York flagship is no small feat for any brand, but for the twin brothers, opening the doors of their SoHo storefront this week is a particularly surreal milestone achievement. “When Ryan and I started APL, our dream was to see one person that we didn’t know wearing APLs,” says Adam. “Now, we see people every day across the world wearing them. It’s the best feeling.” They have even more stores on the horizon, too—hinting at a possible international flagship next. “We definitely want to open up more stores,” says Adam. “But we’ve never been about volume. We ve always been about quality—not quantity.”
