Hero is the result of more than twenty years of living inside the image.
It starts with a wall
Before any of the rest of it, there was graffiti. Painting on walls teaches you things a classroom cannot: that scale changes everything, that you commit to a line because you cannot undo it, and that the work has to read from across the street before anyone gets close enough to judge the detail.
Formal training came later, at ENSAV La Cambre in Brussels. Illustration and animation. That is the side of the work that earned a Cannes Silver Lion in Design and Illustration, long before I ever directed anything. Two different disciplines, but the same underlying question in both, which is what the frame is doing and why.
Twenty years behind a camera
For over 20 years I have told stories through graffiti, film, photography, illustration and visual direction. I have directed brand films for names like Nike, Cartier, Coach and Porsche.
Some of that work was creative direction rather than directing. I was creative director on Smart's China launch, where Kobe Bryant was the brand ambassador, and on the Citroen DS China launch, where Sophie Marceau was the face of the campaign. Different job, same discipline: deciding what the thing is before anyone shoots a frame of it.
The film side
Alongside the commercial work there are the films, which is where the actual storytelling lives. The Passport has taken 19 wins from 70 nominations. Kite has gathered more than 16 wins across 50 plus nominations, including Best International Short at the Malibu Film Festival. The Black Box took a Grand Prize at Stage 32.
Festivals are a strange measure of anything, but they do tell you when a story landed with people who have no reason to be kind about it. That matters more to me than any campaign.
Why clothes
Hero is the brand that merges all of it. A way to wear the frame. The feeling. The intention. Not to chase the next trend, but to wear something that speaks honestly.
Film is the one medium where you build an entire world and then hand it to someone for ninety minutes before taking it back. A garment is the opposite. It leaves with the person. It gets worn on days that have nothing to do with you. There is something honest about making an image that has to survive that.
How the pieces are made
No stock graphics. No committees. No shortcuts. Just my hands, my eye, and a lifelong obsession with what makes something feel true. From composition and cut, to tone and typography, every piece reflects what I have learned across two decades of making.
Every design begins as an original illustration before it ever touches a garment. Nothing is licensed, nothing is pulled from a library. Pieces are made on demand, which means less waste and no warehouse full of guesses about what people might want.
This brand is designed to be personal. Built with care. Created for those who move through the world with taste, awareness, and their own sense of story.
If it resonates, wear it. You are part of the story now.
Olivier
Watch our award-winning film "KITE" interview:
FAQ
Who is Olivier Hero Dressen?
A Belgian-born film director, cinematographer and creative director based in Bangkok. He has directed brand films for names including Nike, Cartier, Coach and Porsche, and his narrative short films have taken more than 30 international festival awards. He is also the creator of Design Hero.
What is Design Hero?
A streetwear and digital products brand where every design starts as an original illustration rather than a stock graphic. It exists to carry the same visual language as the film work onto things people actually wear and use.
What did Olivier Dressen win at Cannes?
A Silver Lion in Design and Illustration, earned early in his career as an illustrator rather than as a film director. The directing credentials are separate: over 30 festival awards across the narrative shorts, plus two decades of brand film work.
Are Design Hero's clothing designs original?
Yes. Every piece begins as an original illustration before it is applied to a garment. Nothing is licensed and nothing is pulled from a stock library.
Where is Design Hero based?
Bangkok, with roots in Belgium and years of work across Shanghai, Paris and Los Angeles. Pieces are made on demand rather than held in stock.
What films has Olivier Dressen directed?
His narrative shorts include The Passport, with 19 wins from 70 nominations, Kite, with more than 16 wins including Best International Short at the Malibu Film Festival, and The Black Box, which took a Grand Prize at Stage 32.
Curious about the tech side of what I build? Read the AI Render Pro side of my story