Teddy Santis, founder and creative director of the popular New York fashion label Aimé Leon Dore (ALD), has collaborated with Porsche in restoring a 911 Carrera 4 (type 964). The unique car is the product of months of primary design research, including Santis’ visits to the Porsche Museum and 911 assembly line in Stuttgart. It will appear in the ALD runway show at this year’s New York Fashion Week and be on show to the public at the iconic Jeffrey Deitch gallery in New York until February 9, 2020.
Elements of Aimé Leon Dore
The centrepiece of the vehicle restoration is a fully custom interior, featuring Schott sunflower leather and Loro Piana houndstooth, the same materials highlighted in Aimé Leon Dore’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection. Rich top-grain leather wraps the dashboard, steering wheel and door panels, while the reverse suede side of the leather covers the headliner and sunroof.
The bespoke seats were meticulously restored in the legendary RECARO workshop in Kirchheim, Germany. A Schott leather trunk with Loro Piana accents completes the interior. It holds a care bag inspired by designs from the Porsche Classic product archive.
The vehicle’s exterior is painted the same shade of white as the storefront of the ALD flagship store located on Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s SoHo neighbourhood. A rear ducktail pays homage to the classic design of the 911 Carrera RS 2.7. The Cup 2 wheels are a nod to Porsche in the 1990s. A graphic Pegasus detail above the front wheel, designed specifically for this project, references logos from historic Porsche racing cars.
“Working together with Porsche on this project has been a dream come true. It has been a deeply humbling experience to be entrusted with a project of such importance to the Porsche community and to work together on a design that has been so instrumental in shaping my own outlook and aspirations,” says Teddy Santis.
Finally, a custom-designed grill badge sits on the vehicle’s rear grill, referencing the distinctive memorabilia created and collected by fans from the Porsche clubs. The technical restoration and reassembly of the vehicle were completed using period-correct original Porsche parts and with support from Porsche Classic.
“Teddy Santis is as much a Porsche fan as we are, and we are delighted to see his inspiration and creativity applied to the 911. His interpretation is visually stunning and also shows unique features for a 964 – it’s a true one-of-a kind,” says Kjell Gruner, Vice President Marketing at Porsche AG.
About Aimé Leon Dore
Aimé Leon Dore is a fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 2014 and based in Queens, New York. The focus is on streetwear in a simple yet powerful design.
