Innovation has something of a restless soul: it lies in the possibility of what will happen next, the alchemy of a diverse group of thinkers working together, or simply the willingness to push the limits.

And since he can reside in so many places, everyone seems to find him in their own way.

But in a panel discussion with Tara Donaldson, executive editor of WWD and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Fairchild Media Group, it became clear that one of the clearest paths to innovation was simply to do something new.

And that was true of every panelist, from rising sneaker star APL to the metaverse and Roblox to retail stalwart Walmart. Here’s how the leaders of each of those companies are thinking about innovation now.

Adam and Ryan Goldston, APL…