Despite my best efforts, it’s getting very hard to ignore the fact that Aimé Leon Dore is very good at collaborations. I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of their New Balance 550, or even a great admirer of any of their Clarks Wallabees, but I know a good collaboration when I see one — and more often than not, it involves ALD.
For me, one of their finest (and most underrated) partnerships to-date was with Timberland back in 2021, when the Teddy Santis-founded label took a swing at Timby’s 3-eyed lug boots.
A little background: Timberland first introduced its influential 3-Eye chunky boat shoes in 1978, combining a premium handsewn leather upper with the brand’s rugged boot lug outsole from The Original Timberland Boot.
Now, more than 45 years later, it remains a staple in the modern – albeit slightly preppy – man’s wardrobe.
Well, as luck would have it, ALD and Timberland are reuniting this season for three more takes on the 3-eyed beauties, which are landing in-store and online May 19.
First teased in ALD's recently-released SS23 lookbook, the shoes arrive in some acutely-named colorways of “Grape Leaf”, Sleek White, and classic Black, and retain all the design notes you’d expect from one of Timberland’s most iconic silhouettes.
While the shoes themselves remain inherently traditional (I mean, they’re essentially the same as Timberland’s mainline 3-eyes aside from a neat ALD motif), they come with the catch that they are a collab, which, by its very nature, makes them a little harder to get a hold of.
Still, whether you get your feet into a pair or not, we can all surely agree that they’re undoubtedly a thing of boat shoe beauty.
