The sneaker infamously “banned” has now been bronzed. On October 19th 2010 it was announced that these Concept 1 basketball shoes from APL were banned from any on court use in the NBA. The reason? Giving players an unfair competitive advantage. That unfair edge was brought on by instant improvement in vertical leap of which the shoes are designed to provide, from their “Load ‘N Launch Technology”, and what the brand itself is entirely based upon. That news sent shock waves through the globe, not just that of the sneaker and basketball world. Over a year later and Athletic Propulsion Labs has just released it’s 3rd model, the Concept 2. Though not a wearable custom this bronzed Concept 1, is surely a unique piece of sneaker art.
The shoes, originally a 1 of 1 made Concept 1 before being bronzed, was a gift from APL designer Cody Harris for the APL Team, most notably the Goldston brothers Adam and Ryan who are the brands co-founders. Over an 8 week waiting period took place to have the sneaker bronzed by American Bronzing. In that meantime Cody himself put together the wood stand cutting, routing, sanding, staining and a few coats of lacquer complete with a brass inlay of his design signature name and logo, BP on the bottom. Cody was pleased and impressed to see how much detail was preserved in the bronzing process and how much heavier they became. A piece of sports history saved with all the fine detail visible from the tongue lettering to stitching to the uppers carbon fiber pattern, surely the rest of the APL team was just as impressed.
Checkout and buy the latest APL basketball shoes in their wearable form here: AthleticPropulsionLabs.com
