Founded in 2014 by Teddy Santis, New York-based Aimé Leon Dore (ALD) has become a fan favorite in the contemporary street fashion scene. Best known for their simple yet distinctive ready-to-wear collections, ALD offers its take on an eclectic mix of lifestyle, sportswear, and tailored apparel. The menswear label draws heavy influence from its founder’s upbringing in Queens and rural Greece, where the apparel acts as a bridge to complement Santis’ heritage with his interests in music, basketball, graffiti, and breakdancing.
Initially intended to be named just Aimé (literally “loved” in French), Santis ran into trademarking issues due to the broadness of the term. Through guidance from his wife as well as drawing inspirations from his origins Santis landed on “Leon” from his father’s childhood nickname and “Dore” from his middle name Theodore in order to create the brand’s name. ALD humble grassroots can be traced back to Teddy Santis’ marketing stint for a friend’s optical store in 2010. As a first-generation Greek immigrant, Santis also held close ties to his family-run diner on 89th Street in Manhattan.
“Despite Santis’ lack of any formal training in fashion, his Queens label has become renowned for its masterful styling, timeless pieces, and thoughtful collaborations.”
Although Santis’ venture into the design world was unconventional, it ultimately allowed him to begin his journey into fashion. Making full use of his position, Santis slowly, but surely, gained connections within the industry during his time at the optical store and would be commended by his peers for having an impeccable eye.
In an interview with Sportswear International, it was revealed that in 2012 (two years after his time at the optical store), Santis played with the idea of introducing his own brand while on vacation in Greece with his friend Ronnie Fieg of KITH fame. There, Santis posted a picture of a screen-printed sweater with a “janky, horrible logo made in Illustrator” onto Fieg’s Instagram page and the photo quickly garnered hundreds of likes and captivated the interest of many others. This validation allowed Santis to pour himself into creating the framework behind a financially-sustainable business model and eventually launching ALD in 2014.
However, this was not without challenge; Santis tells Esquire that during the release of ALD’s first collection, he faced quality control issues while outsourcing parts of the release. Santis learned from this initial blunder and has since kept the design and production of his brand local to the city that started it all – New York. Utilizing direct to consumer and preorder strategies, ALD has blown up to become a street culture favorite and has not looked back since.
Despite Santis’ lack of any formal training in fashion, his Queens label has become renowned for its masterful styling, timeless pieces, and thoughtful collaborations. In its five years of operation, Aimé has gathered an impressive portfolio of partners, where Santis and his team put their own twist onto the likes of New Balance, KITH, Woolrich, Porsche, and others. When asked about his inspirations behind ALD, Santis disclosed that he often references legacy brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Nom de Guerre which had a huge impact on his own personal style and aesthetic.
For locals and basketball aficionados alike, ALD has become known for their local events such as their SONNY NEW YORK and Thank You, Mike basketball tournaments. Each of these respective events is smartly paired with well-thought capsules that pay homage to New York streetball culture. The brand’s 2018 SONNY collection and recent New Balance basketball collab both featured a variety of branded jerseys, shirts, hoodies, and accessories while the Thank You, Mike capsule drew influence from winter streetball in New York. Santis divulged to SSENSE that streetball plays a heavy influence on Aime Leon Dore’s styling, where he was quoted saying:
“I grew up playing ball all my life. It’s a huge part of our brand and my whole style. Pick-up ball in New York is like nowhere else in the world. It’s its own society. As terrible as it sounds, if you show up to play ball in Queens looking like a dweeb, you’re not going to play. I don’t care how good you are. You’re not going to get picked. The whole court is like a giant runway.”
These events are not only a nod towards Santis’ upbringing but also act as a way for him to give back to the streetball community and its culture.
This physical manifestation of Santis’ desire for a revival of community within the streetwear scene is a growing sentiment shared by contemporaries such as the aforementioned KITH. In an age of weekly drops and an endless bombardment of brands vying for your cash and attention, ALD deviates from trends – focusing instead on quality and finer details both in their garments and in the construction of their image. Rather, the brand focuses on authenticity and longevity, with the clothing coming secondary to their commitment towards storytelling Santis’ youth. In doing so, ALD aims to establish long-lasting relationships with their clientele rather than attracting fairweather fans seeking the temporary dopamine-rush of “hype”.
While on the surface Aimé Leon Dore may seem to be a newcomer in the fashion space, make no mistake – there is much more to this young label than just the hype.
Image via Justin Chung
Images via Teddy Santis
Image via Ronnie Fieg/Teddy Santis and Aimé Leon Dore
Image via Karsten Moran (The New York Times)
Image via Aimé Leon Dore
Image via Aimé Leon Dore