Heron Preston Unveils Airbag Concept Collection With Mercedes-Benz
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MORE GIGS FOR HERON: American fashion designer, Gen.G Foundation scholarship sponsor and Calvin Klein creative consultant Heron Preston today will unveil a concept collection in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the patent of the airbag and the 40th anniversary of the life-saving feature’s first serial introduction into the German automobile manufacturer’s flagship S-Class.
The capsule includes three concept men’s and women’s wear looks made with recycled airbag materials from Mercedes-Benz’s safety and crash-test research area, as well as commercial merchandise designed by Preston, which will be available via a giveaway on the resell platform GOAT.
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Thibaut Grevet for Mercedes-Benz/Courtesy
Preston said the partnership felt both “exciting and natural,” as it was based around the shared value of reducing mankind’s impact on the planet.
“Upcycling and celebrating sustainability have been my earliest approaches to design, since launching my collection, and I loved lensing a celebration of the airbags anniversary in this way to create a beautiful collection from recovered materials alongside some of their most advanced fleet of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles,” he said.
With the design, Preston said he wanted to create synergy between both worlds. Therefore he included the element of air into the concept by turning the garments into inflatable devices.
“There are nipples that are hidden inside the garment that you can use to inflate the pieces up,” he added: “From there, we start to build this entire world of the concept from pieces within my collection, a lot of workwear pieces, puffers, I even did a pair of pants with denim distressed details that relate to my last collection.”
Any Okolie for Mercedes-Benz/Courtesy
The designer revealed the airbag technology was what saved him from a car accident two years ago in Milan.
“I was sitting in the front passenger seat. The airbag deployed in my face. I am happy that I can laugh about it now, but I could have been seriously injured,” he said.
Bettina Fetzer, vice president of communications and marketing at Mercedes-Benz AG, a carmaker that has formed a close bond with the fashion and luxury industry since 1995, said the collaboration with Preston is the latest example of how the Stuttgart-based company is “working with co-creators in this field that reflect our values enables us to further push sustainable luxury design into the future.” Last year, the company invited Virgil Abloh to reimagine the iconic G-Class SUV.
Thibaut Grevet for Mercedes-Benz/Courtesy
“The airbag patent and its serial production was a groundbreaking safety invention for mobility and is a historical milestone of our innovation power,” Fetzer said. “Heron’s unique take on sustainability and the way he approaches the topic through the lens of culture is what made him an outstanding partner to work with on this project.
“By collaborating with him, we are reinterpreting this technical feature into our daily lifestyle — fashion can come from everyday life, and, through upcycling everyday materials, we can inspire sustainability in the fashion and wider industries,” she added.
Thibaut Grevet for Mercedes-Benz/ Courtesy
The launch is accompanied by a series of images and films shot by Thibaut Grevet, featuring Preston’s conceptual creations, as well as new and vintage S-Class models and the new full-electric EQS.
The shoot’s set will be repurposed and appear as an installation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin from Sept. 6 to 8.
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