In 2025, Hermès appointed Grace Wales Bonner as their new creative direction. A striking shift in the historic luxury houses. For the first time, a woman of colour is appointed, signaling the defining expansion in its history. This piece explores how Wales Bonner’s arrival will redefine heritage and identity, placing Black cultural authorship at the forefront of one of fashion’s most impactful houses.
Hermes, one of fashion's oldest luxury brands, amidst the ever-so-exciting storm and cycle of fashion houses' creative director re-shuffle, has announced in October their new menswear creative director. Grace Wales Bonner. The British-Jamaican visionary filled with deep heritage and precise tailoring. Hermes begins a new chapter, one more step towards the future fi led with their historical past as a great fashion house. Succeeding Veronique Nichanian 37-year long reign, Wales Bonner arrives as a breath of fresh-air for the French brand. She's different and new, compared to their long history of creative directors. Most importantly, she is also a woman of colour. The first woman of colour in a major fashion house; whose heritage has been showcased in her artwork reaching over a decade. This so-called "bold" move from Hermes can only be met with excitement. What will this represent for them? How will Grace Wales Bonner's work and history influence the menswear line?
Wales Bonner debuted her first collection in 2015 titled, Ebonics, in London, displaying themes of diasporic identity, post-colonial history and Black masculinity going far beyond aesthetics. Taken from cultural texts, she draws from theorists, writers, musicians and archival material found woven into her garments as she positions and narrates the Black experience in a grounded manner. It's safe to say her vision for the major fashion brand will be nothing short of her consistent display of Black excellence with much substance.
In 2022, she debuted her SS22, Volta Jazz. A clear refl ction of her work and what we can envision for the brand. With the help of Senegalese photographer and model, Malik Bodian, she was able to capture the true essence of Burkina Faso and Ghana through the art woven within the clothes and the stylistic choice. The two captured the spirit of the two African nations through garment construction and imagery. The collection itself was rooted with the concept of jazz as a rhythm, a dialogue and almost improvisation using elongated tailoring, relaxed silhouettes, crocheted pieces and embroidered detailing with soft palettes. Creams, browns and deep blues. It displayed African artisanal practices with traditional European tailoring.
Wales Bonner proved how this representation matters as it challenges the idea of luxury and Blackness within fashion. We have too often seen Black culture exploited for aesthetic value, revoking it of its historical or intellectual depth. She rejects this exploitation through her work, focusing on Black presence through a reconstruction of refi ed modern luxury. Using Volta Jazz as culturally generative, she reframes how Black audiences see themselves reflected with dignity and upholding their cultural value showcasing how their history is worth preservation.
With Wales Bonner's influence in Hermes we will likely see this manifestation through subtle shifts that still reflect her significant impact. Hermes craftsmanship and precision aligns with her own tailoring work but under her direction, their codes will expand into a broader cultural craftsmanship. We can expect to see garments that carry memory and meaning with references to modern African and Caribbean homages. Her appointment as creative director is a recognition of Black intellectualism where she will build Hermes legacy with complexity that goes beyond borders with a hint of history and culture that surpasses the singular European continuity and heritage that was once built.
