Yeezy Designer Makes Trash Chic

Photo via Tumblr, edit by author, Preston on left and West on right

Zoolander will come to life in Heron Preston's NYFW show.

The character of Mugatu, played by Will Ferrell, in the aforementioned film created a collection he termed "derelicte." He describes the concept as "a fashion, a way of life inspired by the very homeless, the vagrants, the crack whores that make this wonderful city so unique."

Mugatu creating the "derelicte" look, photo via Twitter

At least, the New York Post will have you believe Preston is creating a derelicte show, as their headline proudly declares: "Fashion Week Designer Decides Dumpster-Chic is a Good Idea."

However, this is not the full story. Preston, celebrated for his collaborations with Kanye West and Nike, is using this upcoming collection to support New York's Department of Sanitation (DSNY)'s efforts to reduce landfill waste. See Preston's full explanation in his Instagram post below.

Between 1624 - 1798, New York City never gave any real attention to waste management. Streets were literally covered in dirt, mounds of manure, rotting animal carcasses and raw sewage. New Yorkers were literally poisoning the very city they lived in. Eventually a highly contagious yellow fever epidemic swept the city. People were putting their sick loved ones in the gutters to die in fear they would catch it too! The city's horror was the motivator to clean up realizing health and cleanliness were linked. The DSNY "caduceus" trademarked logo is a reflection of that time and why they decided to identify with it. Most of us however recognize this symbol from the medical industry where it is mainly used. This also explains why the DSNY is located in the NYC DEPT OF HEALTH building at 125 Worth St. 📸 @alifeinadiary #hpc0x30 #dsny #uniform #workwear

A photo posted by HPC TRADING CO (@heronpreston) on Aug 26, 2016 at 10:10am PDT

Photo via @heronpreston on Instagram

Heron Preston, according to a DSNY spokesman, was inspired to create an eco-friendly collection earlier this summer when swimming in the Mediterranean and getting tangled in a garbage bag.
Preston's ready-to-wear collection will be composed of repurposed DSNY uniforms (as the show itself is adequately titled "Uniform"), to bring well deserved recognition to hard working DSNY employees. These employees serve as many as 8.5 million people in New York City. Extending this recognition, Preston's show will be held at a city-owned facility, DSNY's Spring Street Salt Shed, that is usually off-limits to the public.

A photo posted by HPC TRADING CO (@heronpreston) on Aug 25, 2016 at 1:39pm PDT

Photo via @heronpreston on Instagram

As for the collection itself, Preston is recycling old DSNY employee uniforms. From the uniforms, Preston will create looks using patches of the neon green and orange uniforms next to screen-printed graphics, as is his typical fashion.

I worked with Robin Brooks, Executive Director of Strategic Communications + Marketing at the DSNY to help me secure uniform donations from sanitation workers. She put out the call and before I knew it, oversized green garbage bags full of used uniforms started to arrive from workers all over NYC. This was a coaches jacket I found in one of the bags donated for the project by Deputy Chief Albano.

A photo posted by HPC TRADING CO (@heronpreston) on Aug 25, 2016 at 2:52pm PDT

Photo via @heronpreston on Instagram

Want to attend the event? According to Complex, "25 tickets to the event will be sold for the hefty price of $2,030 each. Rest assured that money will go to a good place, though. DSNY will put the money towards a foundation for New York's garbage workers and an 'educational museum' full of artifacts and old equipment that goes all the way back to the 1800s." If you're looking to purchase, Preston's publicist states that "The unisex gear will be available online and in pop-up stores." You can find Preston's store here.