Landing your dream job is a rare feat, but for British fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, that dream has just become a vivid reality.
Ms. Wales Bonner, a 35-year-old London native, had openly shared her aspiration to work with Hermès in a past interview. Today, that wish was granted as she was officially named the creative director of men’s wear for the prestigious French fashion house.
This appointment comes as no surprise to the fashion world, which has long speculated about Ms. Wales Bonner’s potential for a major role. Since launching her eponymous label in 2014, fresh out of London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art, and with a notable ongoing collaboration with Adidas, her name has consistently surfaced as a leading contender whenever a high-profile position opened up at luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Givenchy.
Her new role also marks a groundbreaking moment, challenging the industry’s prevalent trend of appointing creative directors who are predominantly white and male. Ms. Wales Bonner, whose father is of Jamaican descent, now holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to lead design at a major fashion house.
In an official statement, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, General Artistic Director of Hermès, lauded Ms. Wales Bonner’s unique perspective on contemporary fashion, craftsmanship, and culture.
For Hermès, Ms. Wales Bonner steps into a role that has, until recently, been a symbol of remarkable stability in the fashion world. Just last Thursday, Véronique Nichanian concluded her 37-year tenure as artistic director of Hermès’ men’s wear division.
While the fashion industry often sees designers change houses with the frequency of a political term, Ms. Nichanian maintained a steadfast presence at Hermès. Even into her 70s, she continued to infuse her designs with vibrant energy, captivating Hermès’ affluent male clientele with exquisite jewel-toned leathers, luxurious blanket-lined parkas, and elegant velvety suits. Her final collection for the brand is set to debut in Paris this January, with Ms. Wales Bonner’s inaugural collection for Hermès slated for January 2027.
Distinct from Ms. Nichanian’s style, Ms. Wales Bonner brings a unique perspective as a young, British, contemplative, and soft-spoken designer. Her collections frequently draw deep inspiration from the Black diaspora.
Her inaugural collection, famously titled “Ebonics,” was a thoughtful exploration of flared trousers, elegant shawl collar jackets, and a knit bearing the phrase “The Black Genius.” Much like a scholar guiding her students, Ms. Wales Bonner’s collections on her website are accompanied by extensive reference lists, including literary works such as James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.”
This academic rigor has been a constant throughout Ms. Wales Bonner’s career, as she cemented her presence on the Paris fashion week calendar and expanded into women’s wear. Her collections have explored themes like Black American colleges, inspiring designs from “WB” varsity jackets to fair isle knits and duffle coats. A narrative about a Black member of the Medici family once led her to create majestic stud-collared dress shirts, impeccably cinched hourglass blazers, and sophisticated tailcoat-inspired jackets.
“I view my research as an artistic practice — it truly forms the bedrock of everything I create — and clothing serves as a very direct medium to convey certain aspects,” she shared with The New York Times in 2023.
Over the past decade, Ms. Wales Bonner has earned the status of a wunderkind in the fashion world. She has styled F1 driver Louis Hamilton for the Met Gala and designed T-shirts in collaboration with Solange. Her accolades include numerous design awards and an appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. In 2019, she partnered with Dior to create a macramé reinterpretation of their iconic bar jacket and skirt.
Her influence extends beyond fashion; she has curated an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and organized a series of musical performances at London’s Serpentine Galleries, featuring artists like Sampha and Laraaji.
Demonstrating a keen commercial insight, a quality highly attractive to a venerable house like Hermès — one of the few remaining independent French fashion establishments — Ms. Wales Bonner is perhaps most widely recognized for her enduring collaboration with Adidas. Through this partnership, she masterfully reinterprets classic Adidas styles, as seen in her silver-tipped Millennium sneaker or her vibrant Big Bird yellow mesh SL76 shoe. Crucially, she is credited with revitalizing the once-common Samba sneaker, transforming it into a coveted item. Her distinctive versions, in navy croc, leopard print, and crochet, continue to command hundreds of dollars on resale platforms such as StockX.
One can easily imagine Hermès welcoming such a resounding commercial success under Ms. Wales Bonner’s creative direction in her new, pivotal role.