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Aimé Leon Dore – Streetwear and the influence of pick-up basketball

Aimé Leon Dore – Streetwear and the influence of pick-up basketball

Streetwear, also defined by casual clothing of a style worn especially by members of various urban youth subcultures. Teddy Santis, a native New Yorker and founder of the brand Aimé Leon Dore, takes basketball and hip hop music as his inspiration for designing streetwear.

In 2014 the constructions of the Second Avenue Subway Line threatened to close Teddy Santis his family’s diner. That’s when Teddy Santis started thinking about a career change and established the brand Aimé Leon Dore, a ready-to-wear, sport and lifestyle brand based out of Queens, New York. By drawing inspiration from his experiences living and growing up in the city, he takes influences from hip hop music and basketball into the apparel and footwear collections.

“For me there is a lot of inspiration that lies in the game of basketball. Sport has taught me a lot and I think who truly understands New York streetball can definitely relate to that. From the style, the way we talk, to the competitiveness. Pick-up ball in New York is like nowhere else in the world, it’s its own society. If you want to play some ball, you really have to ball or you aren’t going to play at all. It feels like that sense of competitiveness comes back to the brand as well.”

Photo: Aimé Leon Dore

In 2017 Aimé Leon Dore introduced SONNY NEW YORK. A New York streetbasketball tournament and organization. SONNY organises several 3X3 tournaments in New York, and has it’s own line within Aimé Leon Dore. 

Photo: Aimé Leon Dore

Santis focusses on simple and powerful designs, by portraying an aesthetic that is one of a kind he drives to create timeless work.

The SS18 collection is currently available. For this collection Aime Leon Dore placed a new focus on the development of print witha pared-down tie-dye effect emerging as this season’s ultimate grail. 

Photo: Aimé Leon Dore
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