Heron Preston is a streetwear veteran. For the past decade, he’s been a key figure in streetwear’s continuous evolution that has designed at every level of it. Bootleg sneakers and T-shirts helped put him on the map in the 2010s. He was a member of the iconic Been Trill collective around the same time. In 2016, he founded his own namesake brand, which he recently regained full control of in 2025. His collaborators have ranged from global brands like Nike to iconic New York street artists like Kenny Scharf. At ComplexCon 2026, Preston adds to this list through a groundbreaking partnership with Formula E, the highest level electric car racing championship,.
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As loaded as Preston’s resume is, he has never hosted a booth at ComplexCon across its 10-year history. In fact, the only ComplexCon he attended was the very first one in 2016. He was there as a guest of Virgil Abloh. That all changes this year. Preston has designed a capsule of apparel and chrome livery that will be on full display at the Formula E booth.
“ComplexCon is such a meaningful moment in streetwear and culture, but also introducing Formula E to this audience through my personal lens, I think it's just this next chapter in my brand,” Preston told Complex. “This is one of the first collaborations I'm doing since I reclaimed my brand. I’m coming back into the world one step at a time. Thanks to Formula E, we're doing something really special together that feels extremely meaningful.”
We spoke with Preston about the Formula E collab he is debuting at ComplexCon 2026 in LA, what makes for a good streetwear collaboration, regaining control of his namesake label, and more.
What made Formula E the right partner for you?
I think they're a partner that really aligns with my ongoing pursuit of exploring sustainable solutions in design. I'm a designer that's constantly asking myself, how can I be better? How can I make better products that have the least impact on the environment? How can I reduce as much pollution as possible given how polluting the textile and fashion industry is? I feel I have a guilty conscience as being a part of the industry. So I'm always asking myself, how can I be a part of the solution? I think myself and Formula E share the same values when it comes to design and innovation.
You mentioned sustainability. That’s always been a very important pillar of how you approach your designs. How specifically does that play out with this project?
We’ve designed a capsule collection. Those pieces are being printed on garments that were made using an in-house material that I developed, which is a part of my eX-Ray materials program. All of these materials are either dead stock or recycled material. The recycled one is really exciting because it's made from pre-consumer waste. Think about pieces of fiber or fabric that get cut off in the process of production. We collect those off cuts that would normally be wasted, break those down, and re-spin them into yarn to make fabrics again.
So, that's the latest and greatest of eX-Ray material in the brand journey. We're really excited to present this for the first time to everyone at ComplexCon in LA. It really relates to car innovation as well. With the gen four Formula E car, a lot of the energy is regenerated from the braking system. So, it's looking at reusing energy.
What will be a part of that capsule that you'll be selling at ComplexCon?
We have T-shirts, hoodies, and long sleeve T-shirts. It's all recycled material. Some is from dead stock material from the past Heron Preston. We found rolls of fabric that were just sitting in our factories and so we reused that as well.
What are some of your favorite details from the collection?
I'm just excited that I'm working with a motorsports company again. I did these NASCAR T-shirts years ago. I was able to tap back into that energy and use that as a reference point for the design direction for this collection. So, it's tapping back into the old DNA of Heron Preston. It feels like it's come full circle now that I’m working with a real motorsports company (the previous NASCAR T-shirts were an unofficial bootleg design) and designing the livery of the car as well. That was something I've never done before. That was really exciting, thinking about how a race car speeds around a track at high speeds. I was thinking about how we can make sure that this car is recognizable from a distance. The car is finished with an orange chrome finish, taking my signature orange color, but applying a chrome finish to it. A lot of work I've done in the past works with logos and graphics. So, applying all of these big logos to the livery felt really natural.
Any challenges that you had to overcome, or learnings, from working on a car compared to designing clothing?
Not really. I didn't really feel like there were many challenges. It was really just curation of logos and colors. There's orange chrome and then there's normal silver chrome. It was really this playful process.
You've done a ton of collaborations across your career. What makes a good collaboration?
I think for a good collab, it's not just about slapping logos on something and calling it a day. I think it's really about two worlds that already share similar DNA and a respect for each other's craft. With Formula E, that shared DNA is obvious. We design in relation to how the environment would be affected by our actions. A lot of the past work that I've done really fell onto the radar of Formula E. We're like-minded organizations, so it just felt like a natural fit. I think that's what makes a really strong collaboration.
What do you think about the ecosystem of fashion and streetwear and the state of collabs right now?
It's definitely a flavor of the moment and it's been the flavor of the moment for a long time. Sometimes they'll feel forced. Sometimes they feel extremely meaningful. I think consumers are smart enough that they can see when it feels authentic to both brands and when it just feels forced. The brands who do it right are the ones who really add a lot of meaning to both worlds and deliver what they couldn't really do on their own. I'm just really excited and honored that I was chosen to work with [Formula E] as a collaborator because this also aligns with my own journey. It's not like I'm stepping outside of my lane to do something random. This ties into my own path forward. So there's just that sort of natural synergy between our worlds.
What are your memories of ComplexCon weekend? You were at the first one in 2016.
I didn't have a booth there. I was there as a guest. I was with Virgil [Abloh] and just walking around taking in all the energy. One of my distinct memories was running into Marc Ecko actually. He came up to me and was like, "Oh my God, what did we do?" I think he was also sort of shocked by what was happening. It was like he had created a beast. I'll never forget that, running into him backstage in one of these rooms and hearing his own personal feedback about what he had created. But it was interesting. It was just an avalanche of culture. It was all this energy under one roof of this world that we personally had been a part of building. Seeing it all come together, the faces, the fans, the people, the energy, the excitement, it was just inspiring. So, I'm really happy that I'm coming back now years later. It's taken on a whole new form and level. I'm excited to see how it compares to when I first came.
Outside of the partnership, what made you want to return to ComplexCon this year?
Just being in proximity to the energy, in proximity to the people, showing my face, popping up. It's just really about the community for me. This is a big community that has supported me and followed me through my own personal journey with my brand. It just feels like it's an important moment, especially with a 10-year anniversary. I want to surf this big wave of culture with everyone else this year.
ComplexCon is such a meaningful moment in streetwear and culture, but also introducing Formula E to this audience through my personal lens, I think it's just this next chapter in my brand. This is one of the first collaborations I'm doing since I reclaimed my brand. I’m coming back into the world one step at a time. Thanks to Formula E, we're doing something really special together that feels extremely meaningful.
What do you just think is the overall impact that ComplexCon has had on streetwear?
I think it's had a huge impact. It's become a staple now. Other companies or organizations have tried to mimic ComplexCon. I think that means that this is something that really works and people are excited about. It's sort of this Disneyland of streetwear culture. It's really like no other.
How do you feel about the overall evolution of streetwear over the last 10 years?
It's just exciting to continue to watch it evolve. There's a completely new landscape of players on the playing field, and it's just interesting to see how they bring their ideas to life. The youth are so excited about connecting and building. It's really exciting to see how brands today are building communities and using social media. It’s all the tools that we didn't have when we were really doing it 10 years ago. It's also exciting to see how history repeats itself. I've seen a lot in my career, but I'm just excited to walk around, connect with people, and hear different voices, new voices. There's a bunch of new players on the playing field that are crushing it. A lot has changed. Some hasn't. I'm excited to just be there.
Is it crazy to see the kids still rocking some of your original designs?
Yeah. Kids are wearing Been Trill all over again. It's so funny that the brand that we did years ago is being resurrected. There's a whole entire world that we've left behind that I think people are starting to rediscover and learn about. It'd be funny to see people wearing some of that old Been Trill at ComplexCon this year. I just saw someone wearing a Hood By Air x Been Trill T-shirt on the street the other day and it was my face. It was the football helmet Been Trill T-shirt that we did. I was like, "Yeah, that's my face." [Laughs.] People are rediscovering the brand and rediscovering who we are. It's just super exciting to still be a part of it. I haven't retired. We're still working every day and still pushing the culture forward.
How do you feel like you've evolved most from those early days to now?
I design with a lot more purpose, intention, and focus now. Before, it was just running around and doing whatever, but now I have a lot of intel and information from my previous experience. I've been able to look at what I'm doing now as a refined cocktail of my very best ideas, my very best projects. At this point in my career, it's about refining.
You just got your label fully back toward the end of last year. Can you just talk about that journey and where you are with your brand right now?
Yeah, it was huge for me. This is the chapter where I reclaim the brand, reclaim the vision, where Heron Preston isn't really answering to someone else's roadmap. Unfortunately, my partners really controlled the brand. Now I'm controlling it, how it always should have been. That's what I'm really building right now with new collections, new developments, and new partnerships. I'm just excited to come back as my authentic self, really control the brand, and deliver something that I feel is truly me.
As you continue to reintroduce this version of your brand, what do you want customers’ takeaways to be?
I think that this Formula E project is proof that my brand can really grow into new spaces–sport, technology, sustainability–while staying rooted in the same honesty that it started with. I want people to walk away understanding that this isn't just some novelty crossover. It's a genuine extension of what I stand for. Hopefully, they'll see that and it will remind them of where I've come from. I've worked with Mercedes-Benz in the past and we've done so many other cool projects. This is a reminder of what Heron Preston is about.
Formula E is one of the most innovative motorsport companies out there when it comes to electric vehicles. I really believe that they represent the future of motorsports and the intersection of sustainability. Being chosen to help shape that visual identity on a global stage, it's a real vote of confidence in my practice. It says the values I've built with my brand resonate beyond fashion. It’s such an honor to be a part of Formula E's history.
What do you think is the future we're heading towards, or that you hope we're heading towards, for streetwear?
Much more meaningful. Hopefully, the noise gets cut out and everyone just gets more locked in and focused on their craft. Hopefully, we're moving into a future that feels smarter, more intentional, built with purpose, less noisy, less trash, less waste, and smarter designs. Clean everything up. I think that's what I would love to see.
