We Decided to Build a Running Shoe

At some point the sensible thing would probably have been to stop at apparel.
Instead, we decided to build a running shoe.
The idea behind the TAUDON APEX is relatively simple:
One shoe that can do a lot of things well.
We wanted something capable of handling everyday kilometres and long runs but that didn’t feel completely out of place when the pace increased.
The first prototype gave us something tangible to work from.
And immediately the process became much more interesting.
Foam density. Stack height. Rubber placement. Upper construction. Plate material. Toe-box volume. Heel counters. TPU overlays.
Things most runners never need to think about suddenly became daily conversations.
Our current direction is a stable-neutral platform with approximately a 39 mm heel / 31 mm forefoot stack and 8 mm drop, combined with a TPU plate rather than simply throwing a carbon plate into the shoe because that’s what performance shoes are expected to have.
But we’re not designing this from a specification sheet alone.
We’re running in it.
A lot.
Prototype 001 is being subjected to an extended real-world testing program before we move to Prototype 002.
The target?
1,000 kilometres.
Not because every shoe needs to survive exactly 1,000 kilometres.
Because we want to understand what happens to it along the way.
What compresses?
What wears?
What becomes uncomfortable?
What surprisingly works?
Then we change it.
Built. Tested. Refined.
That’s how we’re building APEX.