Stuttgart/San Francisco. Mercedes-Benz unveils a new concept collection, created in collaboration with US-American designer and creative director Heron Preston that pushes the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in fashion design. Paying homage to the patent of the airbag which celebrates its 50th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of the life-saving feature’s use in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, the conceptual looks are made of recycled airbag materials. In addition to the concept looks, the upcycled airbags have been turned into exclusive merchandise designed by Heron Preston, which will be available via giveaway on the global platform GOAT from September 10th.
The innovative collaboration continues the brand’s development by including new ways of discovering the limitless possibilities of design. For the concept collection, Preston reimagines the ground-breaking airbag safety feature into three forward-thinking men’s and womenswear looks, inspired by the airbag and using upcycled material from Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. The functionality of the airbag is mirrored through the collection’s ability to inflate and deflate. Aligning with Mercedes-Benz’ commitment to sustainability, Preston’s label – recognised for its luxury spin on work wear – has incorporated less environmentally-destructive practises since the launch of his label in 2016. Today, his brand is amongst just a few in the streetwear space that is proud to prioritize sustainability and the Mercedes-Benz conceptual looks sit within Heron’s RE-DESIGN program, which creates one-of-a-kind pieces from re-used materials.
“At Mercedes-Benz we are very proud of our unique, global fashion engagement, which has developed a close relationship with the industry since 1995. Working with co-creators in this field that reflect our values enables us to further push sustainable luxury design into the future. 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”, says Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Communications & Marketing Mercedes-Benz AG.
“The Airbag concept collection is inspired by two anniversaries of the life-saving technical innovation: the Airbag patent 50 years ago and the first serial introduction into our flagship model, the S-Class back in 1981. We are convinced that co-creation and collaborative projects create memorable and unique moments with our brand.”
“Mercedes-Benz and my brand share a common value of reducing our impact on the planet, and that was the starting point of the co-operation”, says Heron Preston. “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. Mercedes-Benz is an iconic brand which has such a strong hold on culture – and me being fascinated with culture and someone who shapes it – the partnership felt both exciting and natural.”
Nowadays the airbag is known as an integral feature of cars and Mercedes-Benz celebrates two anniversaries: almost 50 years ago in October 1971, the pioneering airbag was first patented (specification: DE 21 52 902 C2) and changed the automotive industry. Mercedes-Benz was also the first car manufacturer to integrate the airbag in passenger cars more than 40 years ago. Since then the safety feature has helped save countless lives and does until today.
The conceptual creations are brought to life in a series of powerful images and bespoke films lensed by photographer and filmmaker Thibaut Grevet, concepted by Ill Studio. Vehicles included are the new S-Class, S-Class Plug-in-Hybrid, a cutaway model, the 500 SEL (W126) and the new full-electric EQS. More about the campaign is live on the brand’s social media channels: @mercedesbenz
Continuing the idea of upcycling and sustainability as a major responsibility, the shoot’s inflatable set will be repurposed and appear as an installation at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin from September 6th-8th, 2021.
Mercedes-Benz Global Fashion Engagement
Since 1995, Mercedes-Benz has established itself worldwide as a major player in the fashion industry, building authentic relationships within the fashion community through its commitment to emerging designer initiatives, innovative collaborations, fashion week partnerships, and live events. The brand is currently active in many key locations around the world, including the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks Russia, Mexico, Madrid, Tbilisi and Berlin and also the acclaimed International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories in Hyères.
A responsible future in fashion
Committed to the sustainable future of luxury design, Mercedes-Benz proactively works to future-proof the responsible growth of its fashion partnerships; highlighting best practices and aligning itself with creatives that reflect and champion values such as outstanding and intuitive design, creativity and innovation. Mercedes-Benz is delighted to develop its long-standing partnership with Festival Hyères for 2021 with the inaugural Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize, an evolution of Mercedes-Benz’ support of the festival’s fashion finalists which will educate the next generation of talent in sustainable best-practices. Through its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents programme and creative collaborations, the luxury brand has supported nearly 170 designers in over 30 platforms around the world, including Milan, London, New York, Beijing, Sydney, Prague, Istanbul, Berlin and Accra.
About Heron Preston
Heron Preston is a fashion designer, sustainability advocate, Creative Director and DJ whose eponymous label features sport and streetwear-inspired separates and accessories for both women and men. Preston received a B.B.A. in design and management from Parsons School of Design in New York City in 2008. From that point, Preston would work for both Nike and Kanye West before founding his own eponymous label, which was launched in September 2016. Preston’s nascent brand signatures were soon defined: the frequent use of a near-fluorescent orange hue, the Cyrillic word for “style,” interpretations of herons as avian prints, and further collaborations including link-ups with Carhartt, Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, Nike, DSNY and, even, NASA. Preston has received a number of high-profile accolades in his impressive ascent: he is on both the Business of Fashion’s BoF 500 and Hypebeast 100 lists. He is also a 2019 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Emerging Designer of the Year nominee.