Heron Preston collaborates with Mercedes-Benz on Airbag concept collection 

American fashion designer Heron Preston has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to unveil a capsule collection paying homage to the airbag by using recycled airbag materials and upcycled materials from the carmaker.  


The conceptual looks celebrate the 50th anniversary of the airbag and the 40th anniversary of the life-saving feature’s use in Mercedes-Benz passenger cars while pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in fashion design.

The capsule inspired by the airbag features three “forward-thinking” men’s and womenswear looks using recycled airbag materials and upcycled elements from Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. The functionality of the airbag is mirrored through the collection’s ability to inflate and deflate. 

In addition, Preston has designed exclusive merchandise, which will be available via giveaway on re-sell platform Goat from September 10.

Mercedes-Benz teams up with Heron Preston to celebrate airbag

Commenting on the collaboration, Heron Preston said in a statement: “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. 


“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.”

Bettina Fetzer, vice president of communications and marketing at Mercedes-Benz AG, added: “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.

“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.” 

The launch coincides with a series of images and films shot by Thibaut Grevet, featuring Preston’s concept collection alongside the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, S-Class Plug-in-Hybrid, a cutaway model, the 500 SEL (W126) and the new full-electric EQS.


In addition, Mercedes-Benz said that it will be continuing the theme of upcycling and sustainability by repurposing the shoot’s inflatable set as an installation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin from September 6 to 8.