Teddy Santis has a keen eye for vintage and often overlooked silhouettes, having brought back both the New Balance 550 and its high-top cousin the 650R through his NYC-based Aime Leon Dore. Now it seems the lifestyle brand has its sights set on outdoor wear with two colorways of NB's hiking-ready New Balance Rainier.
Heavy-duty construction blesses both the grey/purple and earth-tone brown/khaki variants, making the sneaker ready for the upcoming winter months. Starting with the grey and purple pair, purple Cordura canvas takes over the toebox, tongue, and collar while the second pair takes on a shade of khaki. Gore-Tex-protected suede overlays are present on the toebox, midfoot panel, eyestays, and heel overlay, coming in the secondary shade for both colorways. Branding details are found in the debossed NB logo on the midfoot and tongue tag, the latter of which also hosts Aime Leon Dore text just below. Along the collar, a suede overlay comes in a shade similar to the Cordura underlay for the grey pair while the earth tone colorway gets an accenting green shade. Aime Leon Dore makes one more appearance via a tag stitched atop the Ortholite insole. Rounding out the look for both colorways is a black Vibram cushioned midsole and outsole with a heavy-duty traction pattern, ready to take on the hiking trail.
The Aime Leon Dore x New Balance Rainier is slated to release on December 12th, 2022 exclusively through Aime Leon Dore's website via a raffle. A wider release for the "Tan Burgundy" pair will follow at select retailers worldwide on January 13th, 2023. Coming in men’s sizing, the retail price is set at $200. Keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app for more updates on the latest from NB and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Aime Leon Dore x New Balance Rainier "Slate Grey"
Images via ALD
Images via kivijarvi
Aime Leon Dore x New Balance Rainier "Brown"
Images via ALD
Image via kivijarvi
Aime Leon Dore x New Balance Rainier Boot "Tan Burgundy"
Images via ALD
