On Thursday evening, it was announced that Véronique Nichanian would be stepping down from her role as artistic director of Hermès’ men’s universe after a record-breaking 37-year tenure (the longest of any working creative director at a fashion house).
Today, her successor has been announced: the lauded British designer Grace Wales Bonner, whose eponymous label saw her win the LVMH Prize in 2016. She is expected to hold her first show in June 2026, following Nichanian’s swansong in January.
Wales Bonner’s S/S 2026 collection, held at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year
(Image credit: Courtesy of Wales Bonner)
‘I am deeply honoured to be entrusted with the role of creative director of Hermès men’s ready-to-wear,’ she said in a statement. ‘It is a dream realised 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.’
A graduate of London’s Central Saint Martins, Wales Bonner made her debut at the then-London Collection’s: Men – a menswear offshoot of London Fashion Week – with her A/W 2015 collection, ‘Ebonics’. The captivating collection, shown with the support of London talent incubator Fashion East, explored themes of Black masculinity, migration and luxury – throughlines of her work.
Wales Bonner S/S 2023, presented at Pitti Uomo in Florence
(Image credit: Courtesy of Wales Bonner)
‘It was meant to be excessive and abundant; I wanted it to feel very rich,’ she said at the time. ‘This collection was quite historical, going further in to the history of how black people were represented in paintings in the 19th century, and how that manifests itself today. It’s about looking back and then, looking forward.’
After her 2016 LVMH Prize win, she would show a number of acclaimed collections, including a S/S 2023 collection as part of Pitti Uomo’s guest programme in Florence. Held at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi amid a site-specific artwork by Ibrahim Mahama, she looked towards Alessandro de Medici, Duke of Florence, who was said to have been born to a servant of African descent who worked within the Medici household (as such, he is considered modern Western Europe’s first Black head of state).
‘It’s about taking something from the past in order to pass it forward and make it useful for the future,’ she told Wallpaper* at the time. ‘And that is the spirit of this collection.’
Some of Wales Bonner’s designs for Adidas Originals, part of a major multi-season collaboration with the sportswear brand
(Image credit: press)
After that show, Wales Bonner was rumoured to be taking a number of creative director roles at major houses, including Louis Vuitton and Givenchy (though she has undertaken a major multi-season collaboration with Adidas Originals). Being passed over, though, might well be serendipitous: she has previously stated that Hermès is the house she would most like to work with, while the idea of handcraft – something intrinsic to Hermès – has long run through her work. The appointment will also make her a rare Black woman creative director in an industry still largely dominated by white male designers.
‘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, melding the house’s heritage with a confident look on the now,’ says Pierre-Alexis Dumas, general artistic director of Hermès. ‘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.’
