British designer Grace Wales Bonner has been named as the new creative director of men’s wear for French fashion house Hermès.
The appointment means Wales Bonner, a 35-year-old Londoner, is now the first black woman to lead design at a major fashion house, according to the New York Times.
In a statement, Wales Bonner said she was “deeply honoured to be entrusted with the role”.
She replaces Véronique Nichanian, who has been the company’s artistic director of men’s wear division for 37 years.
Her final collection for the brand will be shown in Paris in January, while Wales Bonner’s first collection will launch in 2027.
In her statement, Wales Bonner said: “It is a dream realised to embark on this new chapter, following in a lineage of inspired craftspeople and designers.”
She also thanked the company’s bosses “for the opportunity to bring my vision to this magical house”.
Reporting the news on Tuesday, Vogue said: “While industry insiders were betting on a promotion from within, Hermès went for a renowned talent.”
Wales Bonner, who was born in London to an English mother and Jamaican father, founded her own label in 2014, not long after graduating from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art.
According to Vogue, Wales Bonner will continue her namesake brand alongside her new Hermès role.
She dressed F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, musician FKA Twigs, and actor Jeff Goldblum for this year’s Met Gala and has made T-shirts with musician Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyoncé.
Wales Bonner has also curated an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and hosted musical performances at London’s Serpentine Galleries.
She has had a long-standing collaboration with Adidas and was made a MBE in 2022 for services to fashion.
Pierre-Alexis Dumas, general artistic director of Hermès, said: “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.
“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.”