October 22, 2025
Grace Wales Bonner is the first Black woman to lead design at any major fashion house.
The appointment of Hermès’ new menswear chief represents a significant milestone for diversity.
The historic British fashion brand has announced that Jamaican-British designer Grace Wales Bonner will take over for their men’s collections. The 35-year-old from London makes history as the first Black woman to lead design at any major fashion house.
“I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the role of Creative Director of Hermès Menswear,” stated Wales Bonner. “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.”
Born to a white English mother and Black Jamaican father, Wales Bonner has garnered acclaim for her own eponymous menswear line, which debuted in 2014. Known for its “soulful tailoring,” the London-based label specializes in “cultural luxury that infuses European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit,” according to its website. The pieces blend sportswear and classic men’s fashion, creating timeless coats, hoodies, trousers, and more befitting its quintessentially British aesthetic.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Wales Bonner will now lend her talent and artistic vision to Hermès. For her previous work, she won the British Fashion Council/ Vogue Designer Fashion Fund in 2019, earning the title of CFDA International Men’s Designer Of the Year two years later.
The visionary has also dressed high-profile celebrities such as F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, FKA Twigs, and more. Her contributions to the fashion world have also made her an MBE, a noble ranking as Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
The general artistic director of Hermès, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, remarked on Wales Bonner’s addition to their legacy brand. Dumas emphasized how her contributions will lead Hermès into its contemporary era.
“I’m really pleased to welcome Grace to the Hermès artistic director family,” shared Dumas, per The New York Times. “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. Grace’s appetite and curiosity for artistic practice strongly resonate with Hermès’s creative mindset and approach. We are at the start of an enriching mutual dialogue,” Pierre-Alexis Dumas, general artistic director of Hermès, said in a statement.
Wales Bonner will succeed Véronique Nichanian, who previously held the title for 37 years. She also will debut her inaugural collection in 2027.
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