Matt Varga It’s hard to detail the significance of the New Balance x Aimé Leon Dore partnership any better than the Boston brand already has. By folding founder Teddy Santis into their org chart as creative director of the seasonal Made in USA cadence, NB signaled their ultimate faith in the imprint. In the early days, those inline efforts and the ALD x NB efforts often overlapped, but as the relationship has continued on, the NYC imprint has instead shifted to more specialized collaborations.
Moving away from MiU models and often dabbling in performance, the first ALD x New Balance Running capsule is now at hand. It’s a new branch in the lineage that’s already stepped into soccer, basketball, and low-pro water shoes. For this fresh chapter, it’s the FuelCell Rebel v5 and FuelCell SC Elite v5 in question, two chunky runners given surprisingly stealthy palettes by ALD. More funciton-minded fare accompanies the shoes in a sprawling apparel collection; utility vests, technical outerwear, and accessories flank more traditional options like tees and hoodies.
Longtime New Balance devotees will recognize that this is far from the first time a vaunted partner has taken on the FuelCell franchise. Stone Island has made repeat appearances (2021, 2023) before Action Bronson did the same in 2024. Watch manufacturer TAG Heuer added a cross-category link-up in 2025.
The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance Running apparel drops on June 9th in-store and on the ALD site at 11 AM ET on July 9th. The two shoes follow a week later on July 16th, exclusively via US channels.
