When Keith Herron was 13 years old, was always drawn to brands like Supreme, Bape, and BBC. Years back he looked up to titans like Virgil Abloh and Pharrell. The rising designer was so eager to become a collector of exclusive streetwear pieces that he asked his mom if he could buy him a sweater from one of these brands and she met him with an insightful response. He recalls her saying that instead of investing his money in someone else’s brand, that he should invest in himself and create his own brand.” Herron took her advice and from then on began creating his own designs.
Herron notes that he had already been studying what made other streetwear brands pop. He felt graphic design was the core of the success of some of the companies he was obsessed with. So, with that knowledge, he did a bit more research and landed on the word “advisory,” and it stuck with him.
Now he’s a bit over 10 years in, and his pieces have been worn by Abloh, Smino Tyler, the Creator and more. He’s also dressed millennial politician Chi Ossé and singer Dreamer Isioma. While Herron’s designs are reminiscent of the brands he grew up loving, he also adds elevated twists that make Advisry stand out. For instance, on his “Dancing Knit Button Shirt,” he featured a couple dancing similar to lauded Harlem Renaissance paintings. Separately, he also experiments with his accessories: in his recent months he released a bag that looks like an actual camera–it’s a nod to his love of photography. The designer is a self-professed movie buff, he says he watches at least one new movie each day. He also says he watches nearly 300 movies each year.
His next collection, entitled Technicolor, will be inspired by films and will have an original scoring for the runway as well. Without giving too much away, Herron says his upcoming presentation on September 10 will follow in the path of his most recent show. At the moment, he’s finishing up his Spring/Summer 2024 collection and getting fittings in. He’s also been running around the city and managing to remain calm through it all to keep his team from feeling overwhelmed.
Advisry’s ethos goes along the lines of “connecting mediums of art into one community,” from filmmakers to musicians, he just wants to inspire the next generation of creatives. “The ethos is that the artist is the philosopher and the artist has an outlook on life that embodies the generation itself,” Herron says.
As the collection will be revealed, a Spotify mixtape will be released entitled “COUNTER//CULTURE,” compiled of all the music Herron was listening to while developing his earliest ideas for his brand, and other songs that he listened to while creating his latest collection.