Grace Wales Bonner Appointed Creative Director of Hermès Menswear

British designer Grace Wales Bonner has been named Creative Director for Hermès menswear. She will take over from Véronique Nichanian, who is stepping down after 37 years with the French house. Nichanian’s final collection will be shown during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January, while the Spring/Summer 2027 collection will be handled by the in-house studio as Wales Bonner prepares her debut for January 2027.

The 35-year-old designer who has had a long-running collaboration with Adidas, created her own brand, Wales Bonner, in 2014. Sources say she will continue to lead her own brand alongside her new role at Hermès.

Grace Wales Bonner: Instagram

Wales Bonner was born in London to an English mother and Jamaican father. She graduated from Central Saint Martins and founded her menswear label in 2014. Whilst studying at Central Saint Martins, Bonner completed her placement year at Meadham Kirchhoff in London and assisted American Vogue fashion editor Camilla Nickerson in New York. Her graduate collection, titled “Afrique,”featured an all-Black cast of male models and earned her the L’Oréal Professional Talent Award that same year.

Hermès’ general artistic director, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, shared his excitement about Bonner’s appointment, saying,  “I am really pleased to welcome Grace to the Hermès Artistic Director family. Her take on contemporary fashion, craft, and culture will contribute to shaping Hermès’ men’s style, meddling the house’s heritage with a confident look on the now. Grace’s appetite and curiosity for artistic practice strongly resonate with Hermès’ creative mindset and approach. We are at the start of an enriching mutual dialogue.”

Grace Wales Bonner: Instagram

Known for telling cultural stories with refined tailoring, Wales Bonner has dressed stars such as Kendrick Lamar and Lewis Hamilton. Winning several awards including the Emerging Menswear Designer at the 2015 British Fashion Awards, the 2016 LVMH Prize for Young Designers, the 2021 CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Year Award, and British Menswear Designer of the Year in 2024.

Grace Wales Bonner: Instagram

“I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the role of creative director of Hermès men’s ready-to-wear, It is a dream realized to embark on this new chapter, following in a lineage of inspired craftspeople and designers. I wish to express my gratitude to Pierre-Alexis Dumas and Axel Dumas for the opportunity to bring my vision to this magical house.” Grace said in a statement.

Wales Bonner is expected to bring her cultural approach to design into Hermès’ world of luxury. Her debut collection in 2027 will be one of the most anticipated moments in the fashion calendar.