Grace Wales Bonner makes history as the first Black woman to lead a luxury fashion house

British Jamaican designer, Grace Wales Bonner, is Hermès’ new menswear creative director, marking a major shift in luxury fashion.

Luxury fashion has slowly (and I mean slowly) but surely been welcoming Black talent into its notoriously rigid space. And today, Grace Wales Bonner received a historic appointment from Hermes as the fashion house’s newest menswear creative director, making her the first Black woman to lead a major European fashion house. 

“I am deeply honored,” Wales Bonner shared, per WWD. “Beginning this new chapter and joining such a lineage of artisans and creators is a dream for me. I express my sincere gratitude to [Hermès chief executive officer] Axel Dumas and Pierre-Alexis Dumas for allowing me to bring my vision to this truly magical house.”

“I am very happy to welcome Grace into our family of artistic directors. Her contemporary vision of fashion, craftsmanship, and culture will continue to shape the style of Hermès men’s ready-to-wear, confidently blending her perspective on the times with the house’s heritage. Grace’s taste and curiosity for artistic practice strongly resonate with Hermès’ creative approach. This is only the beginning of a dialogue that will continue to grow,” Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas added. 

Wales Bonner will succeed Véronique Nichanian, one of the industry’s longest-serving creative directors, who has been with Hermes for 37 years. Of Jamaican and British descent, Wales Bonner’s work is known for celebrating culture and Black heritage while reimagining classic tailoring and artisanal craftsmanship. A popular and recent examples of her work was seen on Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 Met Gala. 

Beyond the historic nature of her appointment, this moment feels particularly special for Wales Bonner as the famed designer previously expressed interest in joining the fashion house six years ago. She specifically described it as her dream role. 

“I am definitely interested in having my own space and my own store; that is an ambition of mine. I am interested in the idea of an institution and fashion having parameters,” she told Syatem Magazine in 2019. “A house with heritage is interesting to me, because I am interested in a framework and then disrupting elements of classicism within that. A dream of mine would be to work with a tailoring brand, as that is at the core of what I am doing…maybe a brand like Hermès or even a Savile Row tailoring house.”

Now, the 35-year-old joins a class of Black creatives leading European fashion brands, including Pharrell at Louis Vuitton, Jaden Smith at Christian Louboutin, and Olivier Rousteing at Balmain.