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The first UGG x Aimé Leon Dore collaboration is official. The New York label of founder Teddy Santis and the Californian brand are presenting the UGG ALD Slipper, a moccasin in full-grain leather.
Rappers Method Man and Redman star in the UGG x Aimé Leon Dore campaign.
Choosing a slipper makes sense. UGG grew big with shoes you wear at home, while Aimé Leon Dore is mostly known for clothing and sneakers with a nostalgic New York feel.
The ALD Slipper is meant to connect both worlds: indoors on the sofa, outside on the street.
What to know about Aimé Leon Dore?
Teddy Santis founded Aimé Leon Dore in Queens in March 2014. The name has a personal story. Aimé is French for 'loved', Leon was his father's nickname and Dore comes from his own first name, Theodore.
Santis grew up between Queens and Greece in the 1990s. You can see both worlds in everything the label makes: preppy classics, sporty influences and a good dose of nostalgia.
In 2016, the first store opened on Mott Street in Nolita. Three years later, the label moved to a larger flagship on Mulberry Street, including Café Leon Dore, a Mediterranean coffee shop inspired by Santis' Greek roots.
Sneaker fans mainly know Aimé Leon Dore from its collaborations with New Balance, including the 997, 990v2, 990v5 and 827. The label has also worked with names such as Puma, Timberland, Woolrich and Rimowa, and built a one-off 964 Carrera 4 together with Porsche.
UGG was founded in California in 1978 and stands for relaxed West Coast style. With the ALD Slipper, Santis brings that laid-back feel to New York. For UGG, the model fits into a line of collaborations with fashion labels; just last month, a collection with JW Anderson arrived.
A full-grain leather moccasin
In shape, the model stays close to the classic moccasin. The upper is made of full-grain leather.
The heel carries debossed UGG lettering alongside the Queens Crest, Aimé Leon Dore's emblem. No big logos, then, but pressed-in details you only notice when you look a little closer.
Two colorways for winter
The slipper comes in two colours. Coffee Bean is a dark brown version that stays close to the familiar UGG palette.
Goldenrod is warmer and brighter, a golden yellow shade. That gives you a choice between a calm base that goes with almost anything and a colour that catches the eye straight away.
Nothing has been announced yet about the sole, lining or sizing.
A campaign on a Harlem stoop
For the UGG x Aimé Leon Dore campaign, the brands headed to a stoop in Harlem. Method Man and Redman, friends and musical partners for decades, talk there without a script about family, their shared history and their role as pioneers in hip-hop culture.
It fits the way Aimé Leon Dore likes to present itself: New York, nostalgia and stories from people in the city.
Release and availability
The launch has been announced for 12 November, but whether that date also applies to Europe has not been confirmed. There is no European retail price in euros yet either.
The slipper will be sold via the online stores of UGG and Aimé Leon Dore and at selected retailers. Which European stores will carry it is not yet known.
As soon as there is more clarity on the European release of UGG x Aimé Leon Dore, you will read it here.
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