It’s been an impressive season for Grace Wales Bonner as she celebrated 10 years with an anniversary collection in Paris for the SS26 Men’s Fashion Week. After receiving well deserved recognition dressing stars such as Jeff Goldblum and FKA twigs for the Met, industry chatter continued throughout the months between the gala and Paris Fashion Week, with anticipation for her anniversary collection growing by the day. Titled Jewel, Bonner quoted the collection was a ‘celebration of ideas inherited – of influence gathered and guidance received.’
Set in a quintessential Parisian library, guests were given a whispered invitation into the intimate architecture of the designer’s imagination. The show notes featured a poem by Nikki Giovanni, reflecting the designer’s consideration of personal style and the importance of curating a wardrobe of memorabilia. With the idea of celebrating individualism at the forefront of her mind while designing the collection, Wales Bonner invited us to consider not just what we wear, but why we wear it. We saw leather jackets, mixed media shirts, gemstone broaches, tailored silhouettes infused with the brand’s renowned tuxedo trouser-stripe, archival British sportswear, and a quiet reverence for Black identity woven into every stitch.
There was a debut collaboration with Y-3 – introducing what we hope is a new chapter in her evolving dialogue with sport and luxury. The gorgeous elevation from the previously fought over collab featured blanket-stitching around the tongue that echoed the hand-finished textures seen throughout the collection. With a nod to football culture and Yohji Yamamoto’s minimalist edge, the collaboration felt like a natural evolution of her long-standing partnership with Adidas. Look 16 included a brown leather bowling bag with two records peeking out – a subtle nod to the role of music, memory, and personal archive in shaping one’s style.
Wales Bonner is not only a designer of rare talent, but a visionary whose work resonates far beyond the runway. Since presenting her first solo collection at just 25, she has spent the past decade quietly affirming her place at the heart of the industry — not through spectacle, but through a deep and enduring commitment to craft and culture.
