Lucy Maguire: Grace’s appointment totally recontextualises Hermès menswear. Where before, of course, Hermès was a respected house, its ready-to-wear has never been centre stage. Right now, Hermès ready-to-wear, including fashion and footwear, represents just 29 per cent of the brand’s revenue. Wales Bonner’s strength as a designer is in ready-to-wear and footwear, so she’s a perfect fit to scale that side. Grace’s arrival will place the brand’s menswear label into a new kind of spotlight. Wales Bonner has legions of young brand fans who will be keen to see what Grace does. Even if they can’t afford it!
Hermès SS26.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Hermès SS26.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Maliha Shoaib: I think it’s also worth saying it’s rare to see a woman, let alone a woman of colour, take the helm of a heritage house as established and prestigious as Hermès. To your point, Lucy, I think something that really resonates with Wales Bonner’s fans and customers is how the brand explores ideas of cultural hybridity and modern Black masculinity, and has also earned deep credibility in the art world. That combination makes the appointment feel culturally resonant.
Lucy Maguire: I think her understanding of current culture will be great for business. While Hermès famously doesn’t have a marketing department, the leather goods business has benefitted from a youth injection in recent years, with Birkin content trending on TikTok, for example. While I don’t think Hermès is about to start posting TikToks or shooting to go viral, it will be interesting to see how Wales Bonner might bring the ready-to-wear business into cultural conversations and boost its relevance for a new generation. After her work at Adidas, I’m excited to maybe see a new Hermès men’s sneaker…
Madeleine Schulz: It’s an exciting prospect too because, as we know, Hermès remains the gold standard for luxury. For years, fans of Wales Bonner have been hoping to see her appointed to a major house. (Wales Bonner, Martine Rose and Telfar Clemens were buzzed about for the Louis Vuitton job that later went to Pharrell.) Sure, the ‘great luxury reset’ is coming to a close, for now, but this is an optimistic move that might inspire more brands to look to the next generation of Wales Bonner’s peers when more roles do inevitably open down the line.
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Hermès appoints Grace Wales Bonner as creative director of menswear