Grace Wales Bonner: British designer behind Sambas’ rise to lead menswear at Hermès | Grace Wales Bonner
In 2019, designer Grace Wales Bonner told an interviewer that her dream was “to work with a brand like Hermès.” Six years later, the 35-year-old Briton was appointed creative director of menswear for the French luxury company, becoming the first black designer to lead a major fashion house.
Wales Bonner will succeed French designer Veronique Nichanian, 71, who has headed the men’s department for 37 years, and will show her first collection in January 2027.
“Wales Bonner’s appetite and curiosity for artistic practice resonates strongly with Hermès’ creative mindset and approach,” said Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès’ General Artistic Director, adding: “We are at the beginning of a rich mutual dialogue.”
Wales Bonner founded her eponymous brand in 2014 straight after graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art in London. Best known for its menswear, she established a womenswear division in 2018, which she is expected to continue to run alongside her new role.
In fashion circles, her appointment to a house did not come as a surprise; Her name has been regularly mentioned as a front-runner for previous vacancies, including at Givenchy and Louis Vuitton.
Kenya Hunt, editor-in-chief of Elle UK, said her appointment was “long overdue”, describing her brand’s “intelligent design and attention to craftsmanship as a consistent bright spot in British fashion”.
Outside of the fashion industry, not everyone will be familiar with the name Wales Bonner, but they will be familiar with her designs. Its collaboration with Adidas Originals is the reason why everyone from Rihanna to Rishi Sunak is wearing the Samba and Superstar sneakers now.
Reworking and revitalizing styles since 2020, Wales Bonner has reimagined them in everything from silver foil to leopard print. All previous releases sold out within hours, sold for three times the original prices on resale sites and continue to have a major influence on scam culture. In 2023, search engine platform Lyst named the Samba shoe, a style originally used by the German soccer team in 1949, as “Shoe of the Year.”
Wells Bonner’s work is known for exploring black style, identity, and cultural heritage. In a recent interview with researcher Horace Ballard, she described her role in fashion as similar to that of a jazz musician; A musician may not have invented his choice of instrument, but he can create his own new style.
Taking an academic approach to research, her work lies at the intersection of fashion and art. She aspires to explore sartorial archetypes, mastering everything from Savile Row tailoring to group programming. Her references and sources of inspiration are extensive, including former Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie, Notting Hill Carnival, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and actress Josephine Baker. She has also collaborated with the Jamaican national football team and illustrator Lubina Hamid.
In 2019, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wore a white Welsh Bonner dress when she and Prince Harry introduced their son, Archie, to the world. In May, a cowrie shell-embroidered velvet suit from the designer’s fall/winter collection was selected to be highlighted in the Met’s Fashion Institute 2025 exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. At the accompanying Met Gala, considered one of the most powerful events in the fashion world and moderated by Anna Wintour, Wales Bonner appeared for the first time dressed as Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, singer FKA Twigs and actor Jeff Goldblum.
Two years after founding her brand, she won the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Award, the equivalent of BAFTA’s Rising Star Award, after impressing a judging panel that included Karl Lagerfeld, Jonathan Anderson and Phoebe Philo. In 2021, she received the CFDA Men’s International Designer of the Year Award, and in 2024 she received another award at the Fashion Awards.
Wales Bonner was born in south-east London, the middle child of three sisters. Her mother is a business consultant while her Jamaican-born father is a lawyer. Her paternal grandfather was a tailor who came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation. She credits the bus ride as a teenager from her home in Dulwich to her high school in Tooting as a major influence as she observed different communities coming together and mixing styles.
talking to Financial Times In April, she said: “You can wear something traditional but with sneakers. That duality, the hybridity – it’s about being between two things. That’s the space that I think is interesting. I’ve always resisted being closed off to it.”