FASHION SCHOOL: HOW TO GET AN A+ IN HERON PRESTON

Before we had Heron Preston, we had UNIFORM. Before that he had a job at Nike, he ran a self-publishing blog. And even before then, Heron Preston Johnson was merely a student studying at New York City’s Parsons School of Design. His story is truly a started-from-the-bottom tale of a designer who moved through the ranks at a rapid pace, dabbling in different disciplines at each step.

In 2017, his namesake label was launched, debuting at Paris Fashion Week. He dazzled fans with logos and designs that we’ve grown to fall in love with today. Heron’s have always been a big muse in his design concepts, and that’s seen in his first show.

Today, Heron Preston is a bit of a high-street phenomenon with influence across multiple platforms. Athletes adore the oversized looks, paired with thick materials and robust creasing. Fashion lovers take advantage of workwear-influenced designs, putting together fits with an emphasis on sneakers and accessories.

Take a peak down below to read about four aspects of Heron Preston’s catalogue that you should familiarize yourself with.

“STYLE” LOGO GARMENTS

The story behind this is actually pretty cool and goes deeper than you may initially think! On select Heron Preston garments, a logo in Cyrillic that reads Стиль can be found on the middle of the collar on mock necks and on the sleeve of most t-shirts.

The Стиль logo directly translates to style. In an interview with GQ, Johnson shared this about the logo: My partners, New Guards Group […] said, “Yo, for your brand, you should launch in Russia because no one is doing that. You have this Russian logo so we should kick off in Moscow and go on a retail tour.” I loved it. […] I was just into the idea of being different from a typical launch and it just made sense. And it’s just interesting to get out there and share culture.”

Johnson’s most popular design featuring the Стиль is a set of shirts that are found season in, and season out. It’s also one of the most easily accessible piece in his repertoire. This particular item is found in a solid, monochromatic colour like black, white, or navy blue, and is accented by the Стиль on the collar, and right sleeve. These pieces are finished with an orange tag on the lower portion, but we’ll touch on that later.

THE HERON

The animal represents his namesake and an animal that has endless creative possibilities. The Heron is a somewhat timid-looking, soothing bird that provides the opportunity for mixed colour palettes and different poses. Herons are utilized in an array of emotions as well, with some graphics combining two birds that are appearing to court, while others include a heron diving for a fish.

Johnson tends to stick with one graphic set for a few seasons, tinkering with hues and contrasts pertaining to colour. Some of his hardest pieces include a fire & ice contrast, along with a separate psychedelic colour palette, and blurriness.

VIVIDLY ORANGE

With such a heavy influence on workwear, Johnson saw one colour as lending itself into the brand’s palette: Highlighter orange. The orange is seen throughout every collection, ranging from a simple label meant to accent monochromatic designs to the colour of the entire piece!

However, Johnson chose a very pretty orange to represent the brand, and also has a knack for selecting solid contrasting colours. In particular, the Heron Preston orange works spectacularly whenever it’s used alongside blue.

WHEN HE COLLABORATES, IT’S MENTAL

Heron Preston has linked itself to brands like Calvin Klein, Mercedes-Benz, and Levi’s with collections in the past. However, two of his most infamous come from Calvin Klein Nike.

Paired with an intense interactive experience, Calin Klein and Heron Preston included a flurry of basics, starting with jackets, hoodies, sweaters, shirts, and even underwear. The collaboration represented a moment in which Johnson was tired of meaningless collaborations. From then on, he vowed to give fans meaningful, thought-out pieces. This is seen within CK as the entire collection was hardly labeled, placing emphasis on design and quality.

Beside Nike, Heron Preston gave us a terrific collaboration that placed a workwear, grungy feel on athleisure. The hoodies and jerseys were filled with patches, paying homage to streetwear’s longstanding affair with retro details.

The creps were absolutely mental! Johnson opted to split the DNA of a 95, perform surgery, then reattach it to a 720. The result is Frankenstein done right, as the silhouette had a refreshing, inclusive feel which represented both brands’ ethos very well.