Wales Bonner pays homage to black icons

All eyes are on the menswear edition — which is still taking place until Sunday 22 January — of the Paris Fashion Week. And even more so on British menswear designer Wales Bonner, the frontrunner to take over as creative director at Louis Vuitton from the late Virgil Abloh.

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WALES BONNER MAKING WAVES

For her latest collection, the 31-year-old designer pulled out all the stops, roping in the help of Pulitzer prize-winning musician Kendrick Lamar, the Turner prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid and the Jamaican national football team, The Guardian reports.

.@WalesBonner #FW23 Paris show finale. (video: @anothermagazine) #pfw pic.twitter.com/F8NZPxXvF5

— UpscaleHype (@UpscaleHype) January 18, 2023

“I’m just an admirer of Kendrick, and Lubaina, that’s all. They’re the artistic visionaries of our time, and I wanted this collection to be about that,” she told The Guardian during an interview. The show also boasts a special song, written by Lamar.

Bonner’s show included silk Savile Row tuxedos, tweed coats, studded corduroy trousers and silk tunics hand-painted by British artist and curator, Lubaina Himid. The collection was showed at the the Hotel D’Evreux in the Place Vendome, reports Vogue.

Grace Wales Bonner and Lubaina Himid in conversation for @Dazed

Artwork: Lubaina Himid, ⁰Ball on Shipboard, 2018 Rennie Collection, Vancouver © Lubaina Himid pic.twitter.com/dDHeB6W7rQ

— Wales Bonner (@walesbonner) February 28, 2022

 “With menswear, I went into it because I thought there’s a lot more room for expression within that. It feels like menswear is not overdeveloped — it can be quite conservative at times,” she told AFP as per France24.

The aim of the collection is to pay homage to black icons who found creative freedom in Paris, such as the writer James Baldwin and dancer, singer and actor Josephine Baker, The Guardian reports.

Although she main focus on menswear, the collection did include a few women’s pieces with a very strong nod to her own unique style.

IN COLLABORATION WITH ADIDAS

Known for fashion with cultural references, Bonner further strengthened her connection with Jamaica.

The designer is the creative behind the national Jamaican football team’s kit.

Bonner’s father hails from the Caribbean island and moved to Britain as part of the Windrush generation. She was born in south London.

For her there is not much difference between silk suits and football kit.

“I see everything in one world. I’m interested in hybridity,” she said in The Guardian interview.

When showing off the new football gear, Bonner opted for sprinkling the pieces in between her more formal collection.

The Guardian reports that for every boucle tweed coat and double-breasted cream silk jacket dripping in cowrie shells, there was a top in Jamaican yellow and a pair of Adidas trainers. Bonner works with the sports brand.

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