Heron Preston’s First H&M Collection Features (Almost) Nothing Orange

Eileen Cartter
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Courtesy of H&M

In September, the mall giant H&M announced a multi-year partnership with New York designer and Been Trill founder Heron Preston, whose early work with Virgil Abloh has informed the city’s streetwear scene for the better part of a decade. Preston would be heading up a new multi-faceted project called H2, which would include clothing as well as sustainability and community initiatives.

Today, the retailer and the designer have released a first look at their debut collection that’s due out March 14. The collection is a time capsule of Gen-Z streetwear staples like ultra-wide-legged pants, workwear jackets, oversized hoodies, sporty bodysuits, and logo-printed blue jeans. This is the sort of clothing that would prove indispensable if your agenda regularly involves going from the skatepark to the nightclub—as the press release reads, the idea is to present “a uniform cut for the attitude and street style of New York.” Most of the pieces here are unisex and comfort-focused, boosting their versatility.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of H&M</cite>
Courtesy of H&M

While the H2 capsule has the look and feel of a namesake Heron Preston collection, the designer seized the opportunity to switch up his signature color palette, which typically centers on a shock of safety orange. (On Instagram, his profile picture is a simple tangerine-hued circle.) “Instead of orange which I am known for, I wanted this to feel unique to H2,” says Preston, so they leaned into shades of chartreuse, silver, and cyan. However, there’s still a stamp of his calling-card hue by way of a unisex reversible nylon bomber jacket that can be worn with the black shell or orange lining facing out—“so you can switch up your mood,” he says.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of H&M</cite>
Courtesy of H&M

The pieces Preston is most excited for are the reversible jacket and a remixed motocross-style sports jersey. “The jersey is a twisted version of what you’re familiar with seeing,” he says. “We had a design session where we cut up a bunch of jerseys and pinned them back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Some of the logos are cut in half and there are seams all over the place and fabric layering.”

“It’s a push for men’s fashion,” says Ross Lydon, H&M’s head of men’s design, “and a direction we can see ourselves going towards.”

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of H&M</cite>
Courtesy of H&M
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of H&M</cite>
Courtesy of H&M

Alongside the debut collection, Preston and H&M are also launching their mentorship program H2 Exchange, which will see Preston identifying and mentoring young designers.

“​​What we are hoping is that once the program finishes, they walk aways feeling empowered with a new mindset and perspective on fashion,” the designer says. “I think half of the battle is just being exposed to this type of thinking and design process which is how I kind of feel into it. It was my curiosity that drove me to want to learn and experience more. I’m sure there are more like minded people out there just starting out and we are looking for them.”

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of H&M</cite>
Courtesy of H&M

Originally Appeared on GQ

More Great Style Stories From GQ