Heron Preston For Zellerfeld And How The HERON01 Will Change The Footwear Industry

Heron Preston for Zellerfeld, with Sabrina Albarello.
COURTESY OF ZELLERFELD

By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com

Heron Preston has been known as the DIY purveyor for some time now. The fashion designer and creative director collaborated with the New York Department of Sanitation back in 2016. He also was diligent enough to retrieve knock-off items from his namesake Heron brand and brand them as official garments, upcycling counterfeits. Preston's search has led him to innovation.

First seeing an early 3D printed shoe prototype by the Zellerfeld team in Williamsburg, NY, Heron Preston would recognize a potential to reconstruct the footwear industry. The HERON01 was born into fruition as the first fully 3D printed shoe available to the global public.

The HERON01, Heron Preston for Zellerfeld.
COURTESY OF ZELLERFELD

Zellerfeld, an American technology company, was founded in 2015 by a group of engineering students. With years of research and development, Zellerfeld has stepped into the fashion footwear industry with Heron Preston who has put his notable design aesthetic into a higher concept, innovating through 3D technology and circularity with the HERON01. As futurist as the shoe is, it lives into the next cycles of its composition, allowing the shoe to be recycled and creating new material for new shoes and new potential designs.

Preston refers to the HERON01 as “just the beginning - with additive manufacturing, the potential is unlimited. I was able to design & print functional and evolving prototypes in hours — with traditional manufacturing, this would have taken months. I can’t wait to print more shoes and updates.”

The shoe design delves into natural forms from the Heron bird. The shoe is untraditional by all means, something we’ve seen in recent, but not as thoughtful as the Heron Preston for Zellerfeld - HERON01. The structure shares the impression of the bird's claw, with textures that mimic the bird of prey’s scales found on its feet.

Cornelius Schmitt, CEO of Zellerfeld, and Heron Preston for Zellerfeld with the HERON01 prototype.
COURTESY OF ZELLERFELD

The low ankle support allows for easy entry into the shoe, adding diverse elements for varied wearers. The sole is chunky enough to support you day in and day out with the shoes. And with the initial collaborative effort of famed footwear designer Mr. Bailey®, known for his workwear aesthetic avant-garde design, the HERON01 would begin its 3D layering process…

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