![\"Herm\u00e8s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Hermes2.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nLucy Maguire: Grace\u2019s appointment totally recontextualises Herm\u00e8s menswear. Where before, of course, Herm\u00e8s was a respected house, its ready-to-wear has never been centre stage. Right now, Herm\u00e8s ready-to-wear, including fashion and footwear, represents just 29 per cent of the brand\u2019s revenue. Wales Bonner\u2019s strength as a designer is in ready-to-wear and footwear, so she\u2019s a perfect fit to scale that side. Grace\u2019s arrival will place the brand\u2019s 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\u2019t afford it!<\/p>\n
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Herm\u00e8s SS26.<\/p>\n
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images![\"Herm\u00e8s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Hermes1.jpg\"\/)
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Herm\u00e8s SS26.<\/p>\n
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Maliha Shoaib: I think it\u2019s also worth saying it\u2019s rare to see a woman, let alone a woman of colour, take the helm of a heritage house as established and prestigious as Herm\u00e8s. To your point, Lucy, I think something that really resonates with Wales Bonner\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Lucy Maguire: I think her understanding of current culture will be great for business. While Herm\u00e8s famously doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t think Herm\u00e8s 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\u2019m excited to maybe see a new Herm\u00e8s men\u2019s sneaker\u2026<\/p>\n
Madeleine Schulz: It\u2019s an exciting prospect too because, as we know<\/a>, Herm\u00e8s 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 \u2018great luxury reset\u2019 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\u2019s peers when more roles do inevitably open down the line.<\/p>\n Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n More on this topic:<\/p>\n Herm\u00e8s appoints Grace Wales Bonner as creative director of menswear<\/a><\/p>\n Herm\u00e8s\u2019s V\u00e9ronique Nichanian to step down after 37 years<\/a><\/p>\n