Hermes Appoints Grace Bonner as Creative Director for Men's Wear

• Hermès, the French luxury company, has appointed Grace Wales Bonner as its new creative director of men's wear
• The company prides itself on its finely crafted pieces and commitment to detail

In 2019, British designer Grace Wales Bonner, in an interview with System magazine, remarked on men’s wear designer Raf Simons' style, calling it "very uncompromising" which she said "is a really beautiful thing to see in this era."

Hermès, the 188-year-old French luxury house known for its precision and craftsmanship, has now accepted that same description this week with the appointment of Grace as its new creative director of men’s ready-to-wear collections.

With this appointment, she is the first Black woman to lead design at an elite European luxury fashion house.

Grace, 35, joins Hermès with developing acclaim for melding refined tailoring with deeply researched cultural references. Her collections are furthermore considered to also capture elements of African, Caribbean, and European tradition.

For Serge Carreira, Sciences Po's affiliate professor of fashion and luxury in Paris, "With Wales Bonner, Hermès will have a creative mind who will be able to mix the precision and craftsmanship of Western luxury with multicultural influences. She is a great representation of an up-to-date and conscious notion of beauty that takes care of detailing."

Grace is going to take over for Véronique Nichanian, Men's Artistic Director for 37 years, who just presented her last collection in January 2026. This all takes place against a broader backdrop of changes in the international fashion landscape.

Designers at Celine, Dior Couture, Chanel, Gucci, Loewe, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, and Fendi, have all named creative directors as part of a change over generation.

This marks a shift within Hermès' practices, where they have typically grown artistic vision in-house, rather than bringing significant designers from other businesses.

"Grace Wales Bonner's view of contemporary fashion, craftsmanship and culture, is about to navigate the future of Hermès men's fashion." Pierre-Alexis Dumas, one of Hermès' artistic directors.

She became a star through her collaborations with Adidas, particularly in the revitalization of the Samba, which has been Adidas' number one market performer in recent years.

Her inaugural Adidas collection dropped in November 2020 and was inspired by 1970s London youth culture in Caribbean communities, with unique handmade touches such as crocheted stripes and stretched and stylized tongues. The sneakers were sold for around $180, but are currently being resold at more than $1,000.

The boom in the Samba frenzy known to have kicked off in 2023 can be traced to the Wales Bonner designs. Adidas Chief Executive, Bjoern Gulden, stated that she was "probably the hottest designer in luxury today," and credited it to her talent and ability to form long-term relationships with brands.