Athletic Propulsion Labs Co-Founders Ask Kim Kardashian West The Secret To Her Success
Charlie Carballo
Executive Digital Director
Athletic Propulsion Labs co-founders Adam and Ryan Goldston are in good company with Kim Kardashian West.
The twin footwear designers and the reality star were praised by Forbes magazine this year for their business savvy.
The Goldstons were named in the magazine’s 2016 “30 Under 30” for retail and e-commerce, and Kardashian West is featured on the July 26 cover, dubbed the “Mobile Mogul,” for her successful mobile game.
Celebrating the honor, the brothers took over the magazine’s Snapchat account and asked Kardashian West to shared the secret to her success.
“I would just say never give up and don’t let anything come in the way of exactly what you want to do,” she advised on Saturday at Revolve’s summer soiree in Southampton, N.Y.
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They gathered to celebrate the retailer’s new REVOLVEman x CLOT collection.
“Revolve is one of our top retailers, and I think they’ve so big because of events like this,” Adam Goldston said. “It’s nontraditional marketing, but everyone loves it. “
The Goldstons’ APL label is a favorite of Kardashian West and her sister Khloe Kardashian.
The brand released its first training shoe in 2014 after it made headlines from being banned by the NBA because of its proprietary technology, “which the NBA said provided the athlete with an undue competitive advantage,” Ryan Goldston explained.
“The day we were banned it was the No. 1 story in the world, and we sold nine months of inventory within three days,” he added.
Starting from their college dorm room, it took the twins four years to develop the patented Load ‘N Launch technology, “which helps the athlete jump one-to-three-and-a-half-inches higher, instantly,” Adam Goldston explained.
He added that they continued selling exclusively online through their website for four years for “margin and community reasons.”
“On June 17, 2014, we introduced our men’s and women’s running selection and opened up to retailers — and that’s when things really started taking off,” Ryan Goldston recalled of their breakthrough.
The next year, the label introduced luxe treatments to its line of performance footwear, including metallic, mélange knits and quilted leathers.
“The reason we’ve had success with retailers is because we sit at the intersection of performance and fashion,” Adam Goldston said. “There’s no other footwear company doing that right now.”
