The supercar of sneakers? McLaren and APL have paired up for a performance trainer inspired by the auto icon.
We’ve given up on putting a McLaren Speedtail in our collective garages, and we know we’re not alone. What’s the next best thing for someone who wants that level of performance? McLaren and Athletic Propulsion Labs are hoping you’ll think it’s performance footwear.
Performance Cars Lead to Performance Kicks
The APL McLaren Hyspeed shoe has a design that takes inspiration from the automaker’s supercars. That means loads of actual detailing and not just a vague thought of the car when designing the shoe. This includes heel padding that is modeled after the seats of the McLaren Senna hypercar
It’s also got an outsole that is patterned to do the same for the exterior details of McLaren cars, with a tread pattern that goes after performance car tires to add style in addition to giving you two-footed traction.
APL and McLaren are marketing the shoe as an all-purpose performance running trainer. It has a three-piece midsole that uses APL FutureFoam pods in the front and rear. A lightweight carbon fiber plate — another road car detail — runs the full length of the shoe for stability.
On top of the carbon plate is a nitrogen-infused midsole compound. It’s all-new and APL says it has been “engineered for supreme responsiveness and energy rich compression.”
The HySpeed has APL’s signature Souffle Sockliner. A microfiber heel gets extended wings, and the shoe has an advanced fitment system with three-piece cushion heel padding.
Goran Ozbolt, Acting Design Director, McLaren Automotive noted:
“It has been a pleasure to collaborate with APL creating the APL McLaren HySpeed shoe. It perfectly embodies both our own McLaren and APL’s DNA and design philosophy. APL has developed new technologies specifically for this shoe — inspired by our ground-breaking work using lightweight materials — which also maximises the wearer’s comfort and experience. Like stepping into a McLaren, it is all about optimising performance, agility and speed.”
Two Companies Flexing Creative Muscles
Both companies wanted to show off the design and construction capabilities of each. That’s shown in the materials used as well as the five color schemes.
This is a limited-edition shoe, so it comes with a special box to match. The drawer-style box gets an outer sleeve with gloss McLaren Orange and orange foil with black foil logos.
Pull out the drawer and the shoes are presented in a black inner box with a smoked black transparent shoe cover. There’s a blueprint drawing of the shoe tooling on that shoe cover as well.
Pull the drawer out all the way and there’s a line drawing of the McLaren F1, the automaker’s original car and an icon 30 years after it started production.
First Shoe for McLaren
This is far from the first clothing collab for the U.K.-based car company. McLaren has been selling shirts, jackets, jumpers, and more for years. There is plenty of nonclothing merchandise from McLaren, too, like luggage, toys, and collectibles. But this is the first time the automaker has gone in on a shoe collaboration.
If you’re a McLaren fan, this is going to be a big deal. If you want to match the McLaren in your garage, then of course you’re going to be looking for a pair of these.
The McLaren APL HySpeed shoes drop today, August 2, at APL’s website, its Flagship Store Experience in L.A., and select retailers around the world. Offered in White/McLaren Orange, White/Black/Ombre, Rose Dust/Creme, Energy/Metallic Silver, and McLaren Orange, the HySpeed shoe comes in men’s and women’s models, with a $450 retail price.
