Teddy Santis

Teddy Santis (Θοδωρής Σάντις. 06/16/1986) is a Greek-American Creative Director, Fashion Designer, and Entrepreneur. He is the Founder and Creative Director of Aimé Leon Dore, and is the Creative Director of New Balance’s, “Made in USA” footwear line. He currently lives in New York City. 
Santis initially entered his field with an optical store in Manhattan, which he opened with a childhood friend in 2010 while working at his parents’ Upper East Side coffee shop. Despite having no formal fashion or design training, Santis has captured the ’90s aesthetics he was fond of as a youth in ways that have made his designs highly sought-after. As “a leading figure in today’s contemporary fashion and lifestyle landscape,” he has an innate sense of “the spirit and history of New York City,” which he puts “into Aimé Leon Dore’s products, experiences and campaigns.” 
Santis was spurred to start Aimé Leon Dore in 2014, when his family’s diner on 89th Street was threatened with the construction of the Second Avenue Subway Line. Santis opened a temporary Aimé Leon Dore pop-up in New York before moving to a permanent location in 2016 on Mott St. in New York’s Nolita neighborhood, which had a reputation for an ever-changing interior and mysterious exterior. In 2019, Santis moved Aimé Leon Dore to a larger storefront on Mulberry St. The new store showcased the brand’s creative vision as it became more refined and nuanced, and included a living room-style interior, an installation from New York artist Tyrrell Winston, and an attached coffee shop: mediterranean-inspired, with outdoor seating, harkening to Santis’s Greek roots. 
In 2021, Boston-based sports label New Balance announced that they were hiring Santis as the creative director of their premium Made in USA line, which are typically made with high-end suede and leather materials. In April 2022, in what was described as an “ultra-hyped capsule drop,” Santis unveiled his first collection with the brand. On June 16, 2023, the duo released their third season of the Made in USA collection. In addition to shoes, the first release includes new designs for sweatpants, hoodies, crew neck shirts, mesh tank tops, and nylon tracksuits. The second and third releases, which are due out later in 2023, will include shoe models (990v4, 990v6 and 996) in neutral tones with soft pastels, and a green, yellow, and white style. 
==Inspiration & Aesthetics==
After Santis was denied a trademark for the word, “Aimé” (an amalgamation of the French word for love), which was a core inspiration for the brand, he decided to add Leon, his father’s nickname, and Dore, which is the final syllable of his given name, Theodore.https://www.nclgallery.com/read/aime-leon-dore-amid-the-contemporary-time#:~:text=He%20wished%20to%20name%20his,abbreviation%20for%20his%20own%20name. 
==Collaborations & Partnerships==
Porsche. In February 2020, Aimé Leon Dore released a first-of-its-kind custom 1990 Porsche 964 911 Carrera 4, restored with the blessing and support of the company—the first time they’ve ever officially backed a vintage 911 restoration. The vehicle has a fully custom interior, with Schott sunflower leather and Loro Piana houndstooth (both of which were highlighted in Aimé Leon Dore’s fall/winter collection that year), a top-grain leather dashboard, steering wheel and door panels, and reverse suede leather covers for the headliner and sunroof. 
To date, Aimé Leon Dore has collaborated with New Balance on three seasons of designs, the first of which was released in April 2022 (with the most recent on June 16, 2023). Santis has delivered his unique take on New Balance with each project, from iconic shoe silhouette updates to collections that include decade-old design revivals.
Category:1986 births
Category:Greek American
Category:Creative directors
Category:Fashion designers
Category:Entrepreneurs