H&M announces new H2 platform in collaboration with Heron Preston

H&M is tapping multifaceted American designer Heron Preston for a long-term brand partnership.

The Swedish retailer is launching H2, a new platform helmed by Preston that will offer seasonal collections, mentor young talent, and explore ways to implement more circularity within H&M, according to a press release.

"Heron Preston is a creative force in the industry, and has distinguished himself as a multifaceted artist with a unique point of view and strong story to tell,” said Daniel Herrmann, Head of H&M Menswear in a press statement. “H2 was born from a like-minded vision between H&M and Heron, about the future of fashion but also how we must collaborate in new ways to achieve new goals," continued Herrmann.

No stranger to collaborations, Preston will closely advise the company’s creative teams with a specific focus on menswear. The news comes at a lively time for the designer; along with his eponymous label’s recent fall/winter showcase, Preston recently announced the L.E.D (Less Environmentally Destructive) Initiative, a program for black college undergraduates that will offer awarded students internships, mentorship, and a 10,000 dollar grant.

"I admire a company as big as H&M that wants to take risks together because our shared belief is that real change must ultimately happen at a scale that touches everyone," said Preston in the same statement.