Aime Leon Dore - Official Thread

[Edeezus]

That's a bold statement..............link to source?

My source is people and friends who clown on me for wearing NB lol.

Shouldn’t have stated most people tho so I take that back and will say a lot of people...

 

[Desi]

I liked a few of the early ALD NB's and some MiUSA here and there but NB being all buddy-buddy with Trump rubbed me the wrong way. I just wear 7-year-old CP's pretty much.

 

[troika]

In general - at times - I tend to question things. This is one of those moments. I don't blindly follow the herd especially when hype is the driver. I'm more a fan of NB than ALD. Now that ALD is beyond its peak, I'm not sure what types of products will come out NB and that's what I'm most concerned about.

With regard to resume, I acknowledge the things which have been achieved at ALD. But I also know that Tinker Hatfield made things which were so different, bold, and revolutionary at the time without any hype or WWE attached to it. Tinker created shoes which stand alone to this day and were not just new colorways/iterations of one another. He was a true creative and architect. Perhaps I'm stuck in an era but that is my point of reference.

For fans of NB, they seem to have a IYKYK association with each other. I have a pair of 997.5's which I the average Joe couldn't recognize - but that's what makes them so incredible! And their Japanese market stuff is amazing to me.

Let's see what happens once the new products start to roll-out. Hopefully they are really nice and demonstrate a way to take their traditional silhouettes to a new/different/interesting place. Or better yet, not change them at all =)

Time will tell!

Hey man, I think it might help if you researched a bit about the role of Creative Director, especially at a large traditional company like NB. A good resource for this is TF's pod with Arctyrex's CD. You will note that a lot of what the role is going to feature revolves around steering the direction of the brand, making connections and collabs, guiding the future of it's design, and advising on how NB should fit into the cultural zeitgeist.

Comparing the role of CD to Tinker Hatfield is dubious, and I think you know that. Material output from Teddy will probably be a handful of archival silhouettes, new colorways for old favorites, and like some folks said, creating a direction for the 990v6 with NB's massive design team. No one expects Teddy to be Tinker, nor do they need the making/craftsmanship material to do so. But I'm sure Teddy has all that too.

Reebok snapped up Kerby, Adidas got Jerry, ASICS brought on Kiko. It's all good bro.

As far as hype - I feel bad if you're worried about one of your favorite brands getting too successful. I trust that an old east company like NB isn't really gonna make an about-face overnight to an exclusive drop schedule with it's own app so the kids of the execs can resell.

 

[Viral]

Hey man, I think it might help if you researched a bit about the role of Creative Director, especially at a large traditional company like NB. A good resource for this is TF's pod with Arctyrex's CD. You will note that a lot of what the role is going to feature revolves around steering the direction of the brand, making connections and collabs, guiding the future of it's design, and advising on how NB should fit into the cultural zeitgeist.

Comparing the role of CD to Tinker Hatfield is dubious, and I think you know that. Material output from Teddy will probably be a handful of archival silhouettes, new colorways for old favorites, and like some folks said, creating a direction for the 990v6 with NB's massive design team. No one expects Teddy to be Tinker, nor do they need the making/craftsmanship material to do so. But I'm sure Teddy has all that too.

Reebok snapped up Kerby, Adidas got Jerry, ASICS brought on Kiko. It's all good bro.

As far as hype - I feel bad if you're worried about one of your favorite brands getting too successful. I trust that an old east company like NB isn't really gonna make an about-face overnight to an exclusive drop schedule with it's own app so the kids of the execs can resell.

this is great info and insight - thanks for sharing. I've not researched specifically what a CD would do in their role. However, like I said, my fear is that NB may be heading in a direction which may dilute the brand. Many brands these days try too hard to be relevant or to capitalize on trends. The most extreme example I can think of is what is happening at LV. Nike might have created this behavior with the amount of colorways of AJ silhouettes they put out, but I feel like NB carved out their own lane by NOT joining the party. Their aesthetic and design language works very well and it would break my heart of they strayed from this. I'm aware of other brands who have brought on CDs and anxious to see how this plays out at NB.

The last point about becoming "too successful" is perhaps the root of all this - what is considered "too successful"? Your statement implies that NB will make more money with Teddy as the new CD - and I have no problem with that. But it also implies that hype = credibility. Are ugly designs and bastard iterations of shoe models a good thing? To me, the NB 327 indicates a step in this direction. This a moment of truth for the brand and I hope they stay true to their place in the sneaker culture.

 

[bry2000]

The 327 collabs with Casablanca were fire as were many of the Tokyo Design Studio models.

 

[willy cheesesteak]

I have a terrible feeling about this........NB is gonna become diluted and bastardized just like ALD is now.

L O L

 

[Viral]

The 327 collabs with Casablanca were fire as were most of the Tokyo Design Studio models.

I wasn't feeling them personally, kinda looked like some Sketchers. But I know they sold out with the quickness so that automatically equals fire

 

[hobojones]

@Viral Are you living under a rock tho? Seems like you’re trying to gatekeep and a lot of fashion dudes are guilty of that (myself included). NB has been moving in this direction for a minute. Have you not seen all of the new balance collabs last year? They’re using the same model as nike: super limited releases,hyped collabs, colorways, etc. Look at the jjjjound collab or the wtaps collab (which resells for $1k+).

It’s not like Teddy is gonna be creative director and then suddenly it all goes to hypebeast city. It has already been moving in that direction for several years. And believe me, I’m not defending him, I don’t care for ALD.

If you’re so concerned then just stock up on some of the old models and reminisce in the past lol. Or just move on. I’ve been very happy with new balance’s direction as a company and i’m happy for their success. And I havent even been able to cop any of their shoes all of last year (any 992 collab sells out instantly).

 

[Viral]

@Viral Are you living under a rock tho? Seems like you’re trying to gatekeep and a lot of fashion dudes are guilty of that (myself included). NB has been moving in this direction for a minute. Have you not seen all of the new balance collabs last year? They’re using the same model as nike: super limited releases,hyped collabs, colorways, etc. Look at the jjjjound collab or the wtaps collab (which resells for $1k+).

It’s not like Teddy is gonna be creative director and then suddenly it all goes to hypebeast city. It has already been moving in that direction for several years. And believe me, I’m not defending him, I don’t care for ALD.

If you’re so concerned then just stock up on some of the old models and reminisce in the past lol. Or just move on. I’ve been very happy with new balance’s direction as a company and i’m happy for their success. And I havent even been able to cop any of their shoes all of last year (any 992 collab sells out instantly).

Not trying to gatekeep at all, however I know what drew me to the brand and would love for that to remain intact. Most elements of ALD are played out to me and I'm thinking perhaps NB is the new sandbox for him to play in and try his hand at it again? He's not a creative genius from what I know, meaning that he can't make something from nothing. Instead - using ALD as the point of reference - he seems to build something up but then not know when to quit before it has become diluted and overdone. Think of when people over-modify a car.

I appreciate all the dialogue fellas..........all I'm saying is that a new CD should make me like the brand more and my gut is saying I might actually like it less.

Let's see!

 

[Desi]

ALD IS ONE BUS STOP AWAY FROM BEING KITH!

I stand by my claim 100%.

 

[Viral]

ALD IS ONE BUS STOP AWAY FROM BEING KITH!

I stand by my claim 100%.

I agree.........what was your claim tho?

 

[bry2000]

It’s actually walking distance, but not sure if that helps your claim or not.

 

[Symphony]

ALD IS ONE BUS STOP AWAY FROM BEING KITH!

I stand by my claim 100%.

I could see this happening, but I don’t think Teddy is as corny as Ronnie.

 

[MCM_backpack]

Yea i don't think ALD is ever gonna get to this level lol

 

[0ldb0y]

ALD IS ONE BUS STOP AWAY FROM BEING KITH!

I stand by my claim 100%.

Ronnie is Teddy's bff and also an investor in ALD I believe. The brand appeals to sneakerheads looking to graduate from KITH so I doubt it'll become cringe. Having said that, the design doesn't match the price point but that's just me.