The first time I went to New York, I found myself strolling down Mott Street. The street was mostly nondescript and looked just about like every other sight in NYC. Along the way, I see a bundle of Jordans tied up on a pole. As I got closer, a slew of potted plants flanked what appeared to be an entrance.
The glass-paneled door gave a glimpse into what would end up being the Aimé Leon Dore that we know today.
Photos via @andrewmahon (left), and @willstreetjournal (right)
From the outside, it’s hard to even make out the fact that this was a clothing store. You could only see the pool table before you stepped in and realize you were in a whole other world. You’re greeted by a small section akin to a barbershop, which is a quarter of the space. It’s complete with the chair, a big mirror with a pair of vintage Chicago 1s hanging off the corner, and all the necessary accouterment to make it really feel like someone just got their cut before you walked in.
The second section is separated by a carpet and is anchored by the very pool table you caught a glimpse of outside. Parallel to that is two long racks of clothing (it is a clothing store after all), stocked with their current season of garments. On one side, they had an exposed brick wall, on the other were gold-framed photos including one of young Kobe wearing #8 in the purple and gold. From the chandelier all the way to the floor, every detail in the store seemed so thoroughly thought out. What’s even more impressive, was that they all came together so effortlessly.
Photo via Aimé Leon Dore
The store itself was a peek into the brand’s prowess in world-building, and what ultimately put them to where they are today. See, beyond just making great clothes, the real strength of Aimé Leon Dore is its ability to communicate its product. The clothes are just connections to other areas of interest such as basketball and music. ALD founder Teddy Santis himself has recognized this in a 2019 interview with END Clothing, “[w]ith the brand, apparel was never the main initiative … the main goal was to create a platform I can share with people who appreciate the same things I do,” Santis said.
In other words, when you buy a t-shirt from ALD, you’re not just buying a tee, you’re buying a piece of the world that they’ve built around it. When I first discovered the brand, the through-line to basketball drew me in the most.
“I discovered ALD at Kith in 2018. I grew up wearing Polo almost exclusively throughout my childhood, so I was always drawn to that. ALD felt like the perfect mix between the Polo style I loved, and the cool streetwear brands that Kith was selling at the time. Once I found out Teddy was Greek and saw the Greek influences/story behind the brand, I was hooked.”
– SoleSavy Member, Nick Diamantakos
A handful of New Balance collaborations, hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, an LVMH investment, and several years later, the label grew from the perfect if you know, you know brand to a bonafide household name.
“I actually discovered ALD through SoleSavy. That first New Balance 997 collaboration started it all. The uniqueness and styling from that collection was eye-popping. From there, I grew to love the rest of what the brand was doing.”
– SoleSavy Member, Joe Varacalli
Photo via Aimé Leon Dore
It’s been the recipient of the “Brand of the Year” award of the illustrious ‘Fitties’, from the Throwing Fits Podcast in back-to-back years. Café Leon Dore might be the single most geo-tagged location for Instagram fit pics. And if that’s not enough to convince you of the grip this brand has on the current zeitgeist, ALD memes are now a category of their own.
We’ve even reached the point of sneaker customizers doing ALD-themed Jordan 1’s (please stop doing this). That’s not to say the brand has gone downhill since, it’s actually been the opposite. Year after year, the collections have gotten bigger and better. And it’s not like they’ve steered away from the ethos that has gotten them here. So what’s the deal?
As much as I don’t want to admit it, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with discovering a brand before it hits the mainstream. It’s not really about gatekeeping or having some superiority complex of knowing more than the next person. There’s intrinsic ownership and connection to a brand that only seems to exist in its infancy because that ownership gets lost as the audience grows.
Take a look at Nike. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who connects with a brand as big as that. Supreme is probably a better example and one that has been linked and compared endlessly to Aimé, and I’m not saying ALD is going down that path, it’s more just to point to the similarities of size and stature. Here’s a thought exercise – think about the brands you connect with the most, it’s probably a safe bet that they fall into the more niche and within the if you know, you know categories. The greater this once-niche New York brand grows, the farther away they’re going to feel.
Photo via Aimé Leon Dore
“It’s crazy to see how quickly they’ve grown in stature over the last little while. I’ve only been on them for 3 years now, but they’ve definitely grown exponentially during that time. Of course, you want to see the brand you know and love do well, but I think we can all appreciate that ‘if you know you know’ vibe that comes from smaller brands.”
– SoleSavy Member, Keelan Coombe
And for a brand that has long thrived in being for those who know, where do we go from here? It might be time to start looking elsewhere, not for a lack of excellence, but for the lack of ownership and connection we now have with the brand.
“I feel like the brand’s growth has been skyrocketing these last two years, and for good reason. That said, it’s made it less accessible because it feels impossible to get in now without waiting in line and the prices have been trending in proportion with their popularity.”
– Aimé Leon Dore Discord Member, Nick Wong
Look, I just bought the Casentino Field Jacket from them not too long ago, so I’m not gonna stop buying Aimé anytime soon. It’s just that we used to be able to say that it was “our brand” but that’s everyone’s brand now. And while I’m sure we’re all still going to collectively lose our minds over the upcoming Spring Summer ‘22 collection, we’ll collectively be gazing beyond, in search of the next Aimé Leon Dore. You know, that next brand that will capture our attention the way that ALD first did, and one that we’ll feel more connected to. One that goes beyond just the clothing, and a brand that only those who know, know.
“Obviously, the increased popularity is bringing some of the negative elements of streetwear/sneaker culture like reselling and botting, but at the end of the day, that’s inevitable for any successful brand. I hope that the prices don’t continue to become too out of reach though, because I feel that will alienate a lot of the core ALD base who’ve been with the brand from the beginning.’
– SoleSavy Member, Nick D.
Of course, when that said brand gets big enough, we’re gonna be back right where we started and begin looking for the next one all over again.
Until then, I’ll be waiting for this Aimé lookbook with bated breath.