The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 650R is Dropping in Three More Classic Colourways

Over the past couple of years, Teddy Santis has managed to establish himself as one of the most exciting designers in the streetwear scene, and after being named Creative Director of New Balance’s Made in USA line last year, he’s got a pretty good hold on the sneakersphere too. Having joined the Boston-based brand after a number of successful collaborations under his Aimé Leon Dore imprint, the designer is taking it back to where it began as the two brands are set to join up on New Balance’s 650R silhouette once again.

Santis is famously credited with reviving the New Balance 550 - a basketball shoe designed by Steven Smith back in the 80s. After seeing the silhouette in an old New Balance catalogue, the Queens-native designer dived into the brand’s archives to resurrect the model for his next ALD collaboration, leading to one of the duo's most sought-after collections yet. Having been designed in the same year as the 550, it was only natural that the high-top 650 silhouette would form the basis of the following collaboration.

For the pairs’s second 650R collection, the pair have switched up their tried and tested, minimalistic colour blocking for something a little bolder. Though the “Grey”, “Navy” and “Green” colours used slot in perfectly with the rest of the collection, their presence is a lot more obvious when compared to previous iterations. Here, each offering sees leather uppers arrive in said colours, while a cream-coloured mesh base peaks out from underneath.

To add to the retro vibe, the light-coloured hue continues on the laces and tongue, and a pre-yellowed midsole sits underfoot. Further accents arrive in a tonal greige: the New Balance wordmark comes printed on the neutral-hued collars, and a textured ‘N’ logo arrives in a matching shade. Co-branded details also feature on the pair’s heels, and tongue tab branding corresponds with the colour of the uppers.

All three colourways of the ALD x New Balance 650R will be dropping via a raffle on Aimé Leon Dore’s website, with the draw closing at 11:59 AM EDT (that’s 5PM GMT) on the 6th October. However, keep it locked for news of a wider release, as we’ll be the first to let you know as soon as we hear more.

Up next, the duo's next 550 collab is set to drop soon.