Today, global athletic leader New Balance announces that Teddy Santis, founder and creative director of New York based lifestyle brand, Aimé Leon Dore, will join the brand as Creative Director of New Balance MADE in USA. The two will join together and kick off a multi-year relationship this year, with the first product launching in 2022. Santis’ first collection with the brand will launch next year with more information to come.
New Balance’s collaboration with Teddy Santis, a first of its kind role for the brand, will showcase premium product and quality design, leaning into brand heritage while elevating the MADE in USA platform on a global scale. MADE in USA has become the pinnacle foundation of New Balance lifestyle through beloved styles like the 990 and 997 and Teddy Santis will influence the platform through product design and marketing.
Santis has firmly established himself as a leading figure in today’s contemporary fashion and lifestyle landscape. As the founder and creative director for Aime Leon Dore, he has developed a keen sense of channeling the spirit and history of New York City into the brand’s products, experiences, and campaigns.
“I was drawn to New Balance for the way it has built a business founded on values such as integrity and authenticity, rather than passing hype,” says Santis. “I see a tremendous opportunity to tell authentic stories with real people at the forefront, creating global campaigns that connect our core values with the world.”
New Balance’s alignment with Teddy Santis is indicative of its desire to work with nontraditional and independent thinkers and creators, a trend that has differentiated the brand from others in the industry.
“We are delighted to announce Teddy Santis as Creative Director of our MADE in USA franchise collection and together, define the future chapters of New Balance’s rich heritage in craftsmanship,” says Chris Davis, Chief Marketing Officer at New Balance. “MADE in USA is New Balance’s ultimate differentiator and the lifeblood of our brand’s authenticity in global style; it is most literally, the physical manifestation of what makes our brand unique. In collaborating with Teddy’s inspirational vision, we have the opportunity to transcend the norms of the athletic industry and elevate the next generation of premium global product.”
About Teddy Santis
Teddy Santis was born in Queens, NY to parents who immigrated from Greece. Enterprising and industrious, they opened a small family diner. While they embodied the drive and ambition that Queens is known for throughout the world, they made sure to bring Teddy back to their village in Greece every summer to keep him connected to his roots, his family, and their traditions.
In the interest of furthering—not just following—the family’s footsteps, Teddy drew on another quintessential NY trait—adaptability—and started redefining his career. He became a designer. Inspired equally by family and the city he knew intimately, he created pieces rooted in a living, breathing New York City.
His work seethes with the same substance this place does, he isn’t creating flimsy, stock-in-trade nostalgia; he’s building genuine pieces that speak to the present—and future—of New York. He’s the founder and creative director of Aimé Leon Dore, located in New York City.
