The name Heron Preston is never far from the lips of a hypebeast. As one of the most exciting names in streetwear, in the cool circles, the designer has become synonymous with high end streetwear, carrying the same gravitas in the genre like Henry Rollins does in punk music – his loyal fanbase salutes the HP logo like they would a cult, and understandably so.
Collaborator and close friend of legendary designer, Virgil Abloh, the renaissance man (skateboarder, DJ, photographer, sustainability champion) from San Francisco has recently teamed up with H&M to create ‘H2, a collaborative platform built on the pillars of design while empowering young, upcoming talent.
Heron Preston catches up with Esquire Middle East for an exclusive interview, discussing his exciting new collaboration, artistic journey, and what the future holds in store.
ESQ: As someone who has worked with everyone from Kanye West to Nike, how did you land on H&M? Was it just by chance or had you always had them in your sights?
Heron Preston: Well, it wasn’t really about H&M – it was more about the intentions of H&M with this project. Around the same time H&M approached me to explore and define a concept around “collab 2.0” and “brain over brand”, I was feeling the same way. Like it was time for a change. I think our intentions and observations aligned with the current state of fashion and culture. I love to push the boundaries of what’s possible and it felt like H&M was really interested in doing that with me.
Scandinavia is known for its simplistic, minimalist design, whether that be furniture, cars, fashion, etc. How has this new collaboration influenced your work as a designer?
I really admire a company as big as H&M that wants to take risks with me because our shared belief is that real change must ultimately happen at a scale that touches ”everyone”. Taking an ambitious leap in an effort to advance culture and create new conversations. H&M spoke to me about creating something boldly imagined, carefully crafted, respectfully made, culturally heightened and intimately shared, for and with the people who really deserve it.
They spoke to me about building a platform that represents a holistic experience where products, projects, spaces and stories play equal roles in bringing our shared values to life. We spoke about exploring new territories, stretching our comfort zones. But what really got me was asking ourselves the question, “What if people lined up to recycle their clothes?” “A line up!….To recycle clothes?!” I asked myself. Line ups are usually for people to shop, but this idea was like a reverse drop. At that point, I was like OK, H&M might be onto something! If a company is on board to make a bigger change and interested in solving problems with me, I’m happy to be a part of that work.
How important was it to create something like H2, and to give a platform to aspiring designers?
We became bored with what collaborations were becoming. We thought about leveling up these types of relationships and taking them to new heights. I think the first step at moving away from a typical collaboration is to not call it a collaboration. We are building an ecosystem through a marriage of our brains, not brands. It was bigger than the product even though there is a product element. We wanted to go bigger to reveal a new relationship in layers, or several parts. Talent curation, an opportunity created for young designers to receive mentorship and access to creative resources that only H2 can provide, a circular innovation project where we explore a big idea around closing the loop of fashion utilizing new technology and a design advisory role with the H&M men’s design team. Now was the time.
Many writers, filmmakers, musicians, etc., subscribe to the mantra, “keep it simple, stupid” – does this ring true for fashion as well?
In all honesty I found myself really bored and uninterested in working with companies that just wanted to slap my logo on some t-shirts and hoodies to make sales. It got to a point where it felt like companies just wanted to chase a trend with me and feed into what I did not believe in. That didn’t really fulfill me as a creative. I love a good challenge and to tell an authentic story.
I want my work to feel new but also familiar. H&M contacted me around the same time I was feeling this shift. It was kind of perfect timing. They were interested and curious about asking the same questions as me. How do we push the boundaries of culture? What if we did things a little differently and flipped concepts on their heads? What if our ideas went beyond the product? It felt like we were not embarking on checking off a box, but instead, designing a new box.
Fashion brands come and go like the seasons, yet H&M has continued to stay relevant since its inception. How and why do you think that is? In what areas do they succeed where other brands fail?
As I always like to say, the face of fashion is all of us. H&M speaks to so many different types of people all around the globe. It’s a brand for everyone.
