'Dune' and APL Build Three Sci-Fi-Inspired Sneakers
Dune has been a box office smash, garnering $40.1 million in the US alone during its opening weekend to serve as Warner Bros.' biggest debut of 2021. However, a blockbuster can't really be a blockbuster if it doesn't have the right branded products to accompany it (read: special sneakers), so DUNE have teamed up with for a three-pack of movie-inspired silhouettes.
Best known as the basketball shoe brand whose Concept 1 sneaker was in 2010 due to the 'unfair advantage' provided by its 'Load 'N Launch' technology that promised to increase the wearer's vertical leap by 3.5 inches, APL has continued to produce both performance and lifestyle footwear in the decade-plus since then. For Dune, the brand has offered up special takes on its APL Superfuture, Techloom Defender Atreides and TechLoom Bliss silhouettes.
The APL Superfuture, a high-top basketball shoe, appears in a bright crimson colourway inspired by Dune's House of Tyranny. It features a laceless mesh build secured by elastic straps, synthetic panels and a Velcro collar closure, while down below the banned 'Load 'N Launch' tech is stuffed in the midsole, enabling Dune lead Timothée Chalamet to dunk on his hapless co-stars with ease.
Apart from the high-tech hoop shoes, the collection also boasts a Techloom Defender Atreides high-top, a weatherproof sneaker that draws its colours from Chalamet's forest homeland in the film. It's fully lined with waterproof and water repellant materials to ensure the wearer's feet stay dry no matter what kind of adventure they're on. Last but not least is the TechLoom Bliss, a low-top, slip-on running shoe with Propelium midsole tech that's APL's lightest ever runner, weighing in at 6.8 oz. Its sandy shades draw from (you guessed it) Dune's iconic desert.
All three shoes from the Dune x APL collection are available now on the APL webstore and at the brand's APL Flagship Experience, located at the Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles. Prices range from $220 to $325.