You know the one that you really felt like you were there on the ground floor. When they were first getting played on Triple J’s unearthed or BBC’s Introducing. You went from watching them at a 200 person venue, to now they are playing stadium shows and it just doesn’t feel the same.
ALD has done many things right throughout the brand’s relatively short career. The first 8 or so years, ‘can’t miss’ was often the reaction with a lookbook drop. Fast forward to today and the ALD sub-reddit is filled with people saying the latest drop is trash. There’s the wound of the price increases and added salt for those who have been around long enough to know the product quality has dropped. Maybe the ALD we once knew has gone Hollywood, all I know is there’s a lot of criticism from the people who were there before the record deal.
We know why these changes are happening. LVMH are not investing in a brand to keep it small. They want scale and that means more new customers and more products for everyone to buy. They want to get all the juice out. This is the familiar cycle of commercial growth being prioritised over quality. Teddy Santis said he wanted to be the next Ralph Lauren, I guess none of us took it seriously.
One thing I do know, the Winter season is what ALD does best. Excessive layering, products designed like LEGO, built to be stacked together. My favourite piece below.
If you go back to the roots of the brand, it wasn’t about the product. “When you’re buying into ALD, you’re buying into a world — you’re buying into a perspective more than a garment.” - Teddy Santis.
Clothing just happened to be the vehicle that made the most sense for him to share his inspiration from references with people who enjoy the same things. The same world is still there. The art direction is still the best of the best. The details are still top tier. Of all the Jordan collections.. who selects the 9 Powder blues to style their talent? A shoe originally debuted in 1994.
Simply put, it’s a brand that makes you feel something and transports you somewhere.
For me it’s a feeling of classiness. A feeling of nostalgia & warmth. You go to any of the stores and sure the staff may not be extremely friendly, but with Mos Def playing, incense burning, the soft lighting, and often some old Jordan or 90s Knicks highlights, it feels like you’re in your dream house. Then you’re off to Greece for the summer campaigns, a nod to his roots. Maybe it’s just I’m in Greece next month.. but I’m expecting my trip to look like their look books.
I know people are saying they sold out but there hasn’t ever been a brand that I resonate with more than ALD. Until the inspiration of the brand changes completely, I’ll still find myself attending the shows, even the stadium ones. Majority of the crowd will be there wanting the radio hits and I’ll still be hoping for the b-sides, remembering why I’m here in the first place.
As always, thanks for reading.
Hayden