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

View attachment 1425647View attachment 1425651View attachment 1425649View attachment 1425650View attachment 1425652View attachment 1425648
View attachment 1425653

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

 

[visvim2001]

Am I crazy or is this not a blatant microaggresion

no it’s a macro aggression. wtf is a micro aggression really?

i’m simply reiterating what she’s known for - adidas tracksuits and sambas. idgaf about her so-called ‘cultural dialogue’. to me she is the next in a long line of attempts to intellectualise lowbrow fashion and critical race theory. this is my honest opinion as a nonwhite person.

 

[PDFSD]

no it’s a macro aggression. wtf is a micro aggression really?

i’m simply reiterating what she’s known for - adidas tracksuits and sambas. idgaf about her so-called ‘cultural dialogue’. to me she is the next in a long line of attempts to intellectualise lowbrow fashion and critical race theory. this is my honest opinion as a nonwhite person.

isn't she just the same as Visvim the brand :-) but from her own experience or is western tropes reinterpretation the only comfortable way to consume low brow fashion ?

 

[Kanzai]

no it’s a macro aggression. wtf is a micro aggression really?

i’m simply reiterating what she’s known for - adidas tracksuits and sambas. idgaf about her so-called ‘cultural dialogue’. to me she is the next in a long line of attempts to intellectualise lowbrow fashion and critical race theory. this is my honest opinion as a nonwhite person.

She is important, not because she will help Hermes boost their Menswear sales, but because they know she will help the house gain more attention in the fashion conversation and such things. They are Hermes LOL, not that insufferable Kering so doing anything and everything to create a "buy me...buy me pls, I'm begging you" effect will never be part of their strategy and vision. They know what their core business is and believe me, they know what Wales Bonner is as a designer and I also see in her (by reading those appointment articles) a great attitude and understanding of the house she once dreamed of working in.

Personally, I want to see a French designer in color, but there’s basically no one besides Olivier at Balmain LOL. I think the fashion industry is blatantly biased and unequal. The most important houses are based in France, yet the system itself worships the entertainment and media machinery of the US and UK (magazines etc). They may market aggressively and recruit ambassadors from China, K-pop, or other non–English-speaking countries, but at its core, the industry always orbits around a liberal Anglo-American cultural lens.

 

[Nimsay]

I dont know this lady well but from the description Im kind of concerned. We are moving out of high low. Tracksuits are going back to fashion non grata.

Her strongest suit is her pants and outerwear - which are all I buy from Hermes. She better not upset me.

 

[visvim2001]

isn't she just the same as Visvim the brand :-) but from her own experience or is western tropes reinterpretation the only comfortable way to consume low brow fashion ?

First, I have zero interest in visvim anymore. It’s just a name to me. Second, your objection would be more relevant if Hiroki started designing Americana for a major high fashion house, but that’s not gonna happen.

I have no objections to Rousteing btw, I think he’s a breath of fresh air. Or rather was, he’s gone kinda stale now. But I liked him, why? He didn’t make a big deal about being black.

 

[PDFSD]

First, I have zero interest in visvim anymore. It’s just a name to me. Second, your objection would be more relevant if Hiroki started designing Americana for a major high fashion house, but that’s not gonna happen.

I have no objections to Rousteing btw, I think he’s a breath of fresh air. Or rather was, he’s gone kinda stale now. But I liked him, why? He didn’t make a big deal about being black.

oh no i dont like Rousteing at all too gay paris nightclub taste for me i am not a beyonce style fan either lol
and eurocentric assimilation proximity or celebration of once culture or race don't bother me and i am not even woke.... i dislike every cliche type pro or contra ist all corny to me.

but not everyone is brought up the same way i am equal opportunity offender.

the celebration of blackness makes you feel uncomfortable? it's a honest question its interesting to understand the layers .

like for me Jacquemus is very celeration of south of france ist also annoying at times , and then you have blayz likes to celebrate art and craft, JWA like to focus on euro white high brow culture , etc etc

they all are annoying at certain level put that branding manifesto you have to have a point of view passion about some subjects of life.

its not like afro caribbean brands have been around for 100 years so makes sense to capitalize on it.

 

[GoldenTribe]

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.

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

All three of these comments hit the nail on the head for me.

I am curious about how much we will learn about the appointment, both the reasoning behind looking outside of France/"Frenchness" by the powers that be, and also the aesthetic/artistic element. Wales Bonner is one of the very last names/brands I would come up with in terms of a "luxe" product offering (distinctly behind names like Theory and Hugo Boss and Sandro which obviously do not command respect in these circles), and that's fairly central to the Hermes RTW identity. But on the other hand, the atelier is more than capable of delivering on "luxe" regardless of the design.

... Speaking of which, Hermes menswear has been on autopilot for a long time now, and I was way past ready for a change. PDFSD kind of took the wind out of my sails here, but come on. Take away the aura of their runway shows and upscale own-brand milieu and a lot of these pieces are tacky, sloppy or underdesigned even compared to some athleisure mall-brand like Lululemon:



(all photos in this post from TheRealReal)

 

[PDFSD]

All three of these comments hit the nail on the head for me.

I am curious about how much we will learn about the appointment, both the reasoning behind looking outside of France/"Frenchness" by the powers that be, and also the aesthetic/artistic element. Wales Bonner is one of the very last names/brands I would come up with in terms of a "luxe" product offering (distinctly behind names like Theory and Hugo Boss and Sandro which obviously do not command respect in these circles), and that's fairly central to the Hermes RTW identity. But on the other hand, the atelier is more than capable of delivering on "luxe" regardless of the design.

... Speaking of which, Hermes menswear has been on autopilot for a long time now, and I was way past ready for a change. PDFSD kind of took the wind out of my sails here, but come on. Take away the aura of their runway shows and upscale own-brand milieu and a lot of these pieces are tacky, sloppy or underdesigned even compared to some athleisure mall-brand like Lululemon:


View attachment 1425752View attachment 1425753View attachment 1425754View attachment 1425755View attachment 1425756View attachment 1425757View attachment 1425758View attachment 1425759View attachment 1425760
(all photos in this post from TheRealReal)

:-)
I welcome more people show examples it helps to make things crystal clear i find ..than only personal memories or feelings on actual product offering by seeing things as well.

The total beauty of a brand is always measured be including its most ugliest product as well for me.
Like chanel hermes has same issue by growing they have to be cute and be non offensive for a mass audience but does it need to be toy cute and ikea design for me no.


Thierry Hermès was German-born, but French-by-choice. He was born in Krefeld, Germany, to a French father and a German mother, and he later moved to France to become a master craftsman and open his business. but you can see till today the german engineering and dryness coming through more than pure french whatever that means today or lets say Parisian.

Like LV and Chanel they took from traveling physical or by acquiring pieces from far away places, early hermes from argentinian horse riders and other places as they invest in other countries craft making like lacquering from vietnam or woven fabrics from tibet etc etc. or scotland and sarfs design from every place on earth etc.

also the hermes famille is blended race by now .

Ly Gacha Dumas. She is married to Frédéric Dumas (her husband is the son of Robert Dumas & Jaqueline Hermes), one of the heirs to the Hermès empire​

She is from Cameroon a princess Author, textile collector, patron of the arts, philanthropist,and did some hermes scarfs even.
mother of four and grandmother of seven plus Hermes heirs lol

 

[Nimsay]

Hermès RTW has struggled for a decade, but it still carries that French banker essence I love…exquisitely draped coats, perfectly cut trousers, perfectly bloused button downs and beautiful leather detailing.

The core uniform - navy suit, white or pale-blue poplin shirt, simple slip-on loafer; for casual, cotton chinos with a twill shirt and the same clean loafer - is logo-free and silhouette-first and must remain the center of gravity if you want to keep the Hermès client.

The top options need a rethink and the suiting feels dated. Competitors offer sharper tailoring with fashion credibility. Retire the men’s sneaker with the H-heel.

This new hiring feels like a fast course-correction after a couple of disastrous men’s seasons.
Too many recent men’s bags miss the mark - they even veered into Escada-ish territory with that new scarf crossbody. The endless HAC backpacks read like a placeholder because there’s nothing else for men. Hermes probably has a stockpile of $10k mens bags they cant move in a timely manner.

The blackout capsule is another miss - what felt fresh in 2009 (I had a murdered-out G-Wagen then) is generic now.

Fix the product and the upselling problem solves itself. Modernize the suiting fit, elevate the tops, refine the leather goods, and cut the gimmicks. Keep the parisian banker silhouette at the center, and the rest will follow.

 

[HigthaVandah]

Happy to see this appointment Looking forward to seeing what she does in this position.

 

[j02215]

I’m both amused and confused by this appointment, and hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. I haven’t seen in her the type of design rigor I expect for luxury menswear at this level. That being said, she seemed to be very aware and respectful of the house and its culture, so fingers crossed that she won’t forget about the customers.

I just hope she doesn’t make Hermes too hype-centric, like LVMH menswear. Hermes needs to always stay in its own lane and does its own thing - the last thing I need is seeing a bunch of musicians, movie stars, or athletes orbiting around each release.

 

[fruitdots]

I think this is a good appointment. A lot of people here are not giving her enough credit; she has built a substantial commercial brand, rather than taking a pathway through internships and placements at major labels. That doesn't mean she isn't capable of something more high fashion. We've seen modern streetwear from her because she made a business choice, but if we're going by something like pedigree, she's not that different from designers like Daniel Lee or Mathieu Blazy. She's also shown us a more refined or luxurious application of her taste, since she did that re-imagination of the New Look for MGC's Dior (which was fairly nice, I'd say). Certainly she will have to present something distinct from her own brand, but I see no reason to believe she isn't capable of that.

I'll also say, the thinly-veiled racism & misogyny here are gross? The comments about streetwear, comparing her to Pharrell at LV, etc. Like I said above, she's a very well-trained, award-winning designer. She is not coming from another field or profession, and she doesn't just make tracksuits. If some white twink had her CV no one would be questioning it.