INTRODUCING: AIMÉ LEON DORE

Putting together a fashion brand, to say the very least, takes a lot out of you.
Let's assume you have a creative direction, hardened and specified by years of experimentation. Even then, you're looking at an uphill battle that meanders from superficial concerns to financial matters. So, considering the level of  stress and unpredictability associated with it all, is attempting to make your own name within the competitive fashion industry even worth the struggle? Teddy Santis, the mind and vision behind Aimé Leon Dore, certainly thinks so. Though there's definitely a "steep learning curve" - as Santis has expressed to GQ in the past - the prospect of owning your own fashion label has been a productive one for Santis. A crucial element to that is recognizing early on what his brand's aesthetic was going to be. Combining a sweaters and scarves approach with an NYC state of dress, Aimé Leon Dore very easily mixes streetwear elements with more "sophisticated" fashion tastes. That delicate balance is accompanied by some tough lessons. When Santis originally took on the idea of starting Aimé Leon Dore, he had no background in the industry. As a result, he'd take on a trial-and-error approach. One of the results of that was originally outsourcing the production of his first releases. Unhappy with how they turned out, Santis made a decision that would prove to be a foundation for the brand's popularity: moving nearly all production of his pieces to New York.
The brand takes its NY roots quite seriously. In a bygone era of clear separation between high fashion and streetwear, runways used to clash with "urban" stylings. Santis would not have fit very well in this state, seeing as how Aime Leon Dore's entire ethos centers on bringing an authentic cultural touch - via the story of New York's boroughs - to the stuffy mainstays of Fashion Week.
For ALD, the decision to make its wears distinctively Made in New York was really a natural one, especially when you consider that this is what its Queens native founder was going for. In Santis's mind, Aimé Leon Dore is a way of expressing New York's unique take on fashion without stepping on any toes. ALD isn't here to tell you who, what, where, when, how or why to wear. Taken as is, produced and sold directly to consumers without a middleman (another decision made after a tough lesson), Aime Leon Dore stands with an uncomplicated mission. Simply put, Teddy Santis wants the process of deciding to buy an ALD piece to be the same as designing and producing it: unprovoked and natural.

Shop AIMÉ LEON DORE here.