Grace Wales Bonner - Designer, Creative Director of Hermès Menswear

[PDFSD]

There is an inherent French bourgeoisie and aristocracy vibe in the menswear ( more than in womenswear), which is hard to comprehend.

to me the menswear is very dubai at the airport first class lounge or miami to cabo private jet ....its rare to see a hermes suit if your not michael chow

its a very constructed graphic based designed idea of what menswear is very little to do with reality if it not for the ties you get as client gift or the odd tray here and there.

A asume the more reality soft side Grace will bring to this overtly designed basel look it has become.

 

[Milanese Fashion Dreams]

I feel like this is a safe place to say this and i am potentially going to be crucified for this, but. . . . . is anyone else here NOT one bit excited by GWB persona and designer? I always found her body of work so edgeless, bland, characterless and unmemorable. Which is something that is not in Hermes Mens DNA in my opinion.

 

[Lola701]

I feel like this is a safe place to say this and i am potentially going to be crucified for this, but. . . . . is anyone else here NOT one bit excited by GWB persona and designer? I always found her body of work so edgeless, bland, characterless and unmemorable. Which is something that is not in Hermes Mens DNA in my opinion.

Was anyone really interested in Veronique too?
For me the most interesting person at Hermes is Pierre Hardy.

Maybe we should let GWB show her first collection before wanting more. Hermes has never been a leading brand in terms of fashion.
As long as it’s chic, modern and practical, it will work.

 

[PDFSD]

I feel like this is a safe place to say this and i am potentially going to be crucified for this, but. . . . . is anyone else here NOT one bit excited by GWB persona and designer? I always found her body of work so edgeless, bland, characterless and unmemorable. Which is something that is not in Hermes Mens DNA in my opinion.

I understand your concern that there is some plateau in her development of work, but she has enough modernity to her work that with budget and means and framework of Hermes can be as wonderful as a lemaire at hermes and for me that's enough update for hermes to move away from that design graphicness almost cold aspect , Hermes should stay friendly and for everyone but it needs a modern soft touch.

I like Hardy high jewelry that's when his tallent form shapes and and volume graphicness come best out like the make up design fine.

But the rest of hermes has become to german cold and graphic i miss the fluided soft almost nomadic side and i think she has some of this reality. (a bit of a JPG and Martin hermes mix i expect in her work to come out at Hermes)

she has the curiosity of wanting to discover that at hermes i hope will come more to the surface


in each department every thing is so graphic and dry




its becoming too Ikea meets some nordic design one stop shop for all your need to naive infantile


ikea for hermes

 

[Milanese Fashion Dreams]

I understand your concern that there is some plateau in her development of work, but she has enough modernity to her work that with budget and means and framework of Hermes can be as wonderful as a lemaire at hermes and for me that's enough update for hermes to move away from that design graphicness almost cold aspect , Hermes should stay friendly and for everyone but it needs a modern soft touch.

I like Hardy high jewelry that's when his tallent form shapes and and volume graphicness come best out like the make up design fine.

But the rest of hermes has become to german cold and graphic i miss the fluided soft almost nomadic side and i think she has some of this reality. (a bit of a JPG and Martin hermes mix i expect in her work to come out at Hermes)

she has the curiosity of wanting to discover that at hermes i hope will come more to the surface


in each department every thing is so graphic and dry

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its becoming too Ikea meets some nordic design one stop shop for all your need to naive infantile

View attachment 1425654
ikea for hermes

thank you for such a thorough response, i really enjoyed it!
to me so far she is very...bland and while she has that curiosity i feel that she really lacks basic charisma. having said that i am sure she will do great at hermes because maybe thats their expectation and she probably wont be a difficult resourse for them in the hr sense of the word as she will probably obey the cold codes they already have set in place

 

[Milanese Fashion Dreams]

Was anyone really interested in Veronique too?
For me the most interesting person at Hermes is Pierre Hardy.

Maybe we should let GWB show her first collection before wanting more. Hermes has never been a leading brand in terms of fashion.
As long as it’s chic, modern and practical, it will work.

well said Lola!
I personally had knowledge and interest in Veronique purely because of the length of her tenure. but she is also an interesting designer on her own. Whats so memorable about GWB as a designer though

 

[Lola701]

well said Lola!
I personally had knowledge and interest in Veronique purely because of the length of her tenure. but she is also an interesting designer on her own. Whats so memorable about GWB as a designer though

I think GWB has a kind of gentleness for men. It’s chic, comfortable and easy.
Her clothes are great but I always had an issue with her own brand because in terms of style and aesthetic, I see Jamaican uncles and some of my UK friends with Jamaican heritage. I failed to see a real POV beyond the c identity/culture thing.

Now, her Hermes will be interesting because there’s something warm and gentle about her clothes. Also the cut and the whole thing. She is very modern and Hermes needs modernity.

 

[PDFSD]

thank you for such a thorough response, i really enjoyed it!
to me so far she is very...bland and while she has that curiosity i feel that she really lacks basic charisma. having said that i am sure she will do great at hermes because maybe thats their expectation and she probably wont be a difficult resource for them in the hr sense of the word as she will probably obey the cold codes they already have set in place

she is not loud that's true and that fits hermes i trust they know what the want from her.
she seems to be the right star and no ego type person they like at Hermes, i don't think they impose on her i feel they will let her come up with her own tone of voice for hermes & i am sure she did already a project that illustrated her direction.

i am curious what she does of course there is a change she does not deliver this i am realistic about it as well.

but we have to wait a year to see her show in jan 2027.

i expect to see this stuff but made by hermes the soccer stuff will be replaced by horse riders and jockeys and some thosu of draped printed silk scarves as abstract mens shirt and knits with color anand graphic micor lines etc etc culture traveling horse jockeys real easy fluid stuff with designed stuff mixed some craft definitely on the clothes or in construction , if not almost hidden details as she will be amazed of what the can do already with all those years with veronique


just quick view at her work no deep thoughts behind the selection just to illustrate what i wrote lol