When American shoe designers Adam and Ryan Goldston were mulling over where to launch their Dh74,000-a-pair Nile crocodile-skin trainers, which are embellished with 24-carat gold, the UAE seemed like an obvious choice.
“I think the sneakers have global, and ... regional appeal,” says Adam, who cofounded the Athletic Propulsion Labs brand with his twin brother. “It takes a special type of person to want the shoes – number one, because of the price point, and two, because of the exotic nature of the skin. The sneakers are very different, unique and make a definite statement.”
As fashion statements go, it is a costly one. The trainers, which are exclusively available at Level Shoes in The Dubai Mall, are the world's most expensive, according to Forbes magazine. The kicks – which took more than two years to create – were recently showcased at the popular recreational-footwear and urban-culture festival, Sole DxB.
“I believe we’ve made the most expensive sneakers in the world,” says Adam proudly. “The shoes are made to order and there’s a wait period of about 12 weeks for them. It’s been a great opportunity for us to show what can be done with a luxury material. The skin is extremely strong and durable. I’m sure whomever buys the shoes will take very good care of them.”
For the Goldston brothers, trainers aren’t just a passion – Adam owns more than 140 pairs – they are a very serious business.
The 23-year-old identical twins, former collegiate athletes who played basketball and football at the University of Southern California founded their company in 2009.
A year later, their patented Load N’Launch technology was integrated into their debut trainer – the Concept 1 basketball shoe. The springlike forefoot of the sole proved so effective in propelling athletes higher in the air that it became the first shoe banned by the National Basketball Association. Never in the NBA’s 64-year history had a sneaker been forbidden on the grounds that it gave “an undue competitive advantage”.
In the years that followed, the APL brand made leaps of its own, with the brothers honoured for their entrepreneurship at the White House, and inducted into the elite club of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Most recently, their high-performance footwear was worn by drivers from Renault’s Formula One team at this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“We’re a brand at the intersection of where performance and fashion meet,” says Adam. “In the past two years we’ve really been able to create this category of high-end athletics and have our products stocked in some of the best retailers in the world, from Harvey Nichols and Harrods to Level Shoes.
“We’re always looking for different ways to keep pushing forward and be innovative, whether that’s in making shoes that make you jump higher or run faster, or designing luxury shoes. In some cases it takes us a while, but it’s definitely worth all the time and effort.”
APL, whose running shoes have been included on Oprah Winfrey’s Favourite Things, is riding the crest of a “sneaker revolution” as part of which traditional sports shoes have morphed into essential, evergreen seasonal accessories.
It is not uncommon these days for celebs to wear sharp suits and trainers on the red carpet, and the world’s most-photographed women merrily team their trainers with designer totes.
“I think it’s not so much a trend, but a cultural shift, to see trainers worn in more settings,” says Adam. “And I absolutely believe that this is set to continue because people are simply comfortable in their trainers – which is really great for us because our product is extremely stylish and very transitional in the way it can be worn.”
The best way to test the versatility and practicality of APL’s shoes is for the Goldston brothers to hit the gym or pound the pavement in them first. But when it comes to road-testing the range there is always a risk that Adam will be tempted to add to his ever-expanding personal collection.
“If I could only save one pair of shoes, honestly, it would probably be the crocodile-skin ones we’ve just created,” he says. “I don’t actually have a pair myself yet, and they’re so beautiful to look at. I guess I’ll just have to get my brother to make me some.”
• APL’s grade 1 Nile crocodile trainers with hand-painted 24k gold are available exclusively at Level Shoes in The Dubai Mall. Visit www.levelshoes.com for more details. For the full Athletic Propulsion Lab range, visit www.athleticpropulsionlabs.com
rduane@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')
Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
ARM%20IPO%20DETAILS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EShare%20price%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETarget%20raise%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%248%20billion%20to%20%2410%20billion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProjected%20valuation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2460%20billion%20to%20%2470%20billion%20(Source%3A%20Bloomberg)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELead%20underwriters%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Barclays%2C%20Goldman%20Sachs%20Group%2C%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20and%20Mizuho%20Financial%20Group%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Persuasion
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarrie%20Cracknell%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDakota%20Johnson%2C%20Cosmo%20Jarvis%2C%20Richard%20E%20Grant%2C%20Henry%20Golding%20and%20Nikki%20Amuka-Bird%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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