Grace Wales Bonner

For Grace Wales Bonner, fashion cannot be untangled from often-neighboring disciplines like art and heritage. Through her brand, she enmeshes them and conveys dignity, beauty and culture in designs that transcend bounds and have inspired the industry. 

Grace Wales Bonner photographed by Liz Johnson Artur. Available via Wales Bonner. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

For many people, their first introduction to Grace Wales Bonner and her eponymous brand may have been through her collaborations with adidas Originals, especially via its part in the explosive Sambas trend (Wales Bonner Sambas are often priced at over $500 on resale sites like GOAT and StockX). Those collaborative designs alone could be enough for their own story, but what makes Grace Wales Bonner a visionary designer invites depth, just as her own heritage does. 

Her heritage deserves first mention, as her mixed-race identity is a key element reflected in her work. Grace was born in London to her English mother and Jamaican father and on her brand’s website, her brand Wales Bonner presents an impression that “infuses European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit,” much like Grace herself. 

Her prioritization of heritage influences her approach to fashion as an interdisciplinary field.  When it comes to demonstrating heritage and the importance of representation in fashion, clothing is one of the most communicable avenues. In an interview with Nùmero, Grace describes this idea of how she sees clothing as a social sign. “The more I concentrate on fashion, the more I realise the extent to which clothing is a vector of communication. Getting dressed is an act full of emotion and meaning. I want my clothes to reflect that. What motivates me most is to give a broader vision to black culture, and to open a debate on masculine beauty.” 

Menswear is the realm where Wales Bonner was first established before it soon expanded into womenswear as well. Her work itself is a blend of crisp tailoring and sportswear, resulting in a sort of contemporary luxury combining elegance and play. Woven through the brand is an element of youth; Grace herself is only in her early 30s. The interplay of this youth and sophistication has awarded the designer some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, making her brand stand out and giving the sense of an already-developed legacy in a mere 10 years. 

The adidas collaborations have indeed contributed to the brand’s widespread visibility and have clicked with the sporty elements of Wales Bonner, especially as seen with Wales Bonner’s designs for the Jamaican men’s and women’s national soccer teams. Beyond the design compatibility is Grace’s own heritage and affinity for Caribbean culture in her work. 

Adidas x Wales Bonner Jamaican soccer kit collaboration. Available via British GQ. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Her brand has also drawn attention on a celebrity scale, as Kendrick Lamar, Meghan Markle, Yasiin Bey and Solange Knowles go to Wales Bonner for custom looks, while numerous other high profile stars have attended the runway shows. Kendrick especially has connected with the brand, shouting it out in his song “The Hillbillies” saying “I ain’t even gotta fact check all I’m wearin’ is Wales Bonner.” This sort of relevance in areas like sports and music is a testament to how people connect with the brand and the cultural signals it symbolizes.  

Kendrick Lamar in Wales Bonner at the Move Afrika festival in Kigali, Rwanda. Photo by Andrew Eseibo/Getty Images for Global Citizen. Available via Pause Mag. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Wales Bonner Autumn Winter 2024 Campaign titled “Dream Study” starring Solange Knowles. Photographed by Zoe Ghertner in New York. Available via Harper’s Bazaar. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

When it comes to black culture and its often clichéd representations in fashion, Grace feels that the current representations bear no reality in her life. Her approach, then, she tells Número, is “to show an image of beauty, sophistication and dignity that I couldn’t find anywhere else.” Her motivation to create what she feels is missing is but one component of her innovation. This is again where her interdisciplinary approaches play such a role in her projects, as Grace’s commitment to creating art both transcends and works alongside fashion. Last year through April of 2024, her artistic aptitude was on display through an exhibit at the MoMa in New York titled Spirit Movers. Check out more info here. 

Grace’s experiences with archival research and curating lend a sense of academia into fashion and are evident in her motivation to create clothes as a social sign, communicating history and heritage. These intentions make her and her brand all the more interesting. When someone brings such multifaceted approaches to fashion, it can feel that wearing the clothing is an added bonus to the artistic and cultural elements imbued in the designs themselves. 

Given her success in a relatively short period, her potential seems limitless. One wonders what Grace herself wants and the sights she has set out for herself, her artistic endeavours, and her business. Someone so intrinsically creative could breathe new life into any brand. As such, the rumors of where she could lend her creative directing will continue, and so will her capacity for industry renown. High end fashion houses could need her more than she needs them, as it’s clear Grace is gifted in versatility. In any case, keep an eye out. What Grace and her brand embody is design in the truest sense, and the artistic world is lucky to have her.