Image courtesy of Heron Preston x Levi's
As a celebrated fashion designer, art director, zine publisher, DJ and all-round innovation guru, Heron Preston is a force to be reckoned with. With a range of self-designed streetwear collections under his belt, and having worked with the likes of Nike and Kanye West, Preston is now re-defining one of the most iconic items of clothing ever invented – the humble blue jean.
Since their inception in 1873, Levi’s® jeans have become of the most recognisable garments of clothing in the world and epitomise the brand’s effortlessly cool, timeless and all-American aesthetic. And while today marks the 146th birthday of Levi’s classic 501® blue jeans, the iconic wardrobe staple shows no signs of going out of style. To celebrate the occasion, Levi’s invited Preston to re-imagined the 501®s, resulting in a partnership that fused the very best in classic and innovative methods of apparel design to introduce a new take on an old classic.
SLEEK caught up with Preston to discuss the designer’s creative inspirations, most valuable career lessons, and finding some R&R away from the fast-paced world of his day job.
Image courtesy of Heron Preston x Levi's
Hi Heron. Soon after you studied at Parsons in New York, your photography work was discovered by gallerist Al Moran, who offered you a publishing deal. How do you consider your work within the art world as a whole?
I didn’t study fashion design, and never really saw myself in the role of fashion designer when I was younger. I identified more as an artist. My ideas went beyond apparel and that was a space I really enjoyed working within. Living in NYC as a student, I was surrounded by the art scene. My friends were artists, curators and gallerists. The fashion and art worlds share so much, like music and fashion, and they give each other valuable meaning. You can use those platforms to branch off into others and create an entire world of ideas expressed in different ways. At the moment I am particularly inspired by multi-disciplinary artists such as Ai Wei Wei, Cai Guo-qiang, Doris Salcedo and Robert Nava.
You’ve worked with a lot of incredible people, from Virgil Abloh to Kanye West. What’s the most valuable lesson you learned from your peers and collaborators?
Teamwork. Seriously. Kanye and Virgil know how to build great teams to help them come up with the most ideas. I learned this when I worked for DONDA and got to witness V and Ye working with my own eyes. It takes great people around you to make greatness, and they have that nailed.
Image courtesy of Heron Preston x Levi's
The pace of the fashion industry is mad right now. How do you practice self-care?
I practice a lot of JOMO (joy of missing out). I stay home and chill out with my dogs because I travel A LOT. I cook at home quite often. I drink a lot of water all day and take my vitamins. I try to hit the gym when I can. I do foot massages on the weekends and do vacations every year – I love Turks and Caicos and Greece.
You are originally from San Francisco, Levi’s historical hub. What relationship do you have with the brand, what does The Heron x Levi’s® 501 collaboration mean to you?
I have a lot of memories from my childhood going to visit my mother at her office, which was right next to Levi’s, and I remember always looking in and being curious. I’ve always been a fan of the brand and that certainly has made this experience even more meaningful. It’s a real honour to work with Levi’s and create my new 501’s. The 501 is an iconic American staple so it was a little daunting at first but the Levi’s team was incredibly amazing to work with and gave me the freedom to bring my perspective to this collaboration and really run with it. It’s been an incredibly partnership and I hope to continue.
Images courtesy of Heron Preston x Levi's
The collaboration features some playful design elements like a reversed back pocket, pops of neon orange and cyricial printed drawstring that reads “style”. How do you see imperfection and experimentation in your work?
Imperfection can be so beautiful – purposely making something look incorrect. I want to make things people were never supposed to have. I think it unlocks something in our brains and helps to expand beyond the boundaries of what we should be doing or how we should be living. I purposely made “defected” products and played with the idea of reversing our relationship with damaged and incomplete goods.
The men’s and women’s 501 designs are quite different. Why is that?
I think that while they are different, they also really complement one another. It was an opportunity to tell two stories within the concept instead of one. I felt that if they were so similar it would have limited my possibilities to try other ideas.
LEVI’S® x HERON PRESTON collection is available exclusively at selected Levi’s® stores in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Hong Kong.