Who said that luxury cars and fashion don’t mix? Certainly not McLaren, which is trying its hand at sneakers, in collaboration with Athletic Propulsion Labs.
Luxury carmaker McLaren Group is getting into sneakers for the first time, in an effort to reach more consumers through fashion and streetwear partnerships.
The automaker has partnered with Los Angeles-based performance footwear brand Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) to create a sneaker called “HySpeed.” The limited edition line consists of racing sneakers available in five colorways, featuring F1 and supercar-inspired technology. They feature a carbon fiber upper, nitrogen-inflated sole and three-piece heel padding inspired by the seats in McLaren’s Senna hypercar.
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“Over the past two years, the APL and McLaren teams have collaborated on countless design sketches, many different construction techniques, extensive product testing and sample rounds to create the most unique performance shoe the market has ever seen,” explain APL co-founders Adam and Ryan Goldston before adding, “Working with McLaren has been a dream come true for us at APL. McLaren’s history of design and performance is unmatched and the team’s expertise and attention to detail really shines through in this collaboration.”
Not surprisingly, Formula 1 attracts a huge amount of spectators and viewers, making brands and potential brand partnerships highly visible. In addition, the sport, accessible in the netflix documentary series, “Drive to Survive,” allows for a younger audience to become interested.
McLaren’s diversification comes at a time when the British carmaker is hoping to find a new lease of life with the arrival of Michael Leiters as CEO on July 1. An appointment that also comes in the context of movements around the shareholding of the company, currently in the hands of Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain which is the majority shareholder. McLaren sold part of its subsidiary last year, as part of a reorganization made necessary by the economic difficulties it encountered after the pandemic. For several months, Mclaren has also been at the heart of rumors according to which negotiations are underway with Audi for a buyout of the brand by the German manufacturer, which wants to enter Formula 1 by 2026.
Read also > The Artura, Mclaren’s first hybrid model
Featured photo : © Athletic Propulsion Labs
