Matt Varga Teddy Santis’ influence continues to be felt throughout the New Balance catalog. On top of stewarding the MADE in USA collection in-house, his collaborative work marches on via Aimé Leon Dore, creators of over a dozen co-branded pairs in 2024 alone. That class only gets deeper with their work on the New Balance 997, now following up the mismatched OG edition just a few days later with an “Olive” colorway.
The brand’s simplistic, refined design language coats this pair comprehensively, referencing that exact 2019 pair with another yellow tongue grafted onto this profile. Elsewhere, primary colors of yellow, blue, and green are tinted down for premium navy, olive, and burgundy counterparts, establishing the luxury-meets-streetwear aesthetic that ALD has always majored in. While those same themes are omnipresent in Santis’ MADE in USA output, a custom floral insole sets this pair apart from those peers, ensuring some peripheral touches still make these noteworthy on their own two.
The raffle is now live HERE until December 4th at 11:59 PM ET, with the pair retailing at $220. Catch some official product shots below for a better sense before entering.
