The hits keep coming for Grace Wales Bonner.
The London-based, British Jamaican designer launched her brand, Wales Bonner, right after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2014 and over the past decade has amassed a slew of accolades for her dual-gender collections that seamlessly blend the craftsmanship of Savile Row tailoring with Afro Atlantic influences.
Established as a menswear brand that now offers womenswear as well, Wales Bonner has received numerous awards over the years including Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2015; the LVMH Young Designer Prize the following year; the British Fashion Council/ Vogue Designer Fashion Fund in 2019; the CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Year in 2021, and Independent British Brand at the Fashion Awards in 2022.
She has collaborated with brands ranging from Adidas Originals and Anderson & Sheppard to Dior, and in 2023 was tapped to curate an exhibition with the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its Artist Choice series.
But up until now, she has not been involved in one of the fashion industry’s biggest events: the Met Gala. That changed this year with Wales Bonner serving on the host committee for the extravaganza and lending some of her designs to the exhibition.
This year’s gala fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which will explore how the evolution of dandy style inspired contemporary views of Black masculinity and how clothing can be used as a means of self-expression.
“It’s exciting,” Wales Bonner said of her inclusion in Monday night’s gala and the opportunity to work with the curators — Andrew Bolton, head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Met, and Monica L. Miller, Barnard College’s chair of African Studies.
“Monica is someone who has really inspired me,” Bonner said. “Even when I was studying at Saint Martins over 10 years ago, I was reading her writing and her book, ‘Slaves to Fashion.’ So to actually be part of the exhibition and be interacting with her has really been a full-circle moment for me because some of her writing really inspired me to want to design myself. So it’s been really special to have that connection and see how her ideas come to life in the exhibition.”
Wales Bonner also said she was grateful to have been included on this year’s committee that includes André 3000, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Simone Biles, Dapper Dan, Edward Enninful, Spike Lee, Audra McDonald, Janelle Monáe, Angel Reese, Sha’Carri Richardson, Olivier Rousteing, Usher and a slew of other high-profile names.
“It’s been positive meeting such an amazing, inspiring group of people,” she said.
She’s also grateful that eight of her looks were selected for the exhibition. She said the pieces span the length of her career, with the earliest dating to 2015, the year after she graduated from design school. “It’s a crushed velvet jacket embroidered with shells, crystals and pearls, and there’s a headpiece made with Swarovski crystals,” she said.
“It’s special that my work from the last 10 years is included in the exhibition,” she added. “To show the progression is really validating and it’s something I’m appreciative of. There’s work from many different collections and time periods that the curators saw as a kind of continuity and relevance.”
She said among her favorite pieces that were selected came from her Ezekiel collection from the spring 2017 season that showcased Caribbean and East African influences. “That was one of my favorite collections as well, so I’m really happy about that.”
A look from Wales Bonner’s men’s spring 2017 runway show.
Giovanni Giannoni
In addition to having her work in the exhibition, Wales Bonner will be attending the Met Gala for the first time. She said she created a black bespoke suit for herself to wear to the event. She said she “thought a lot about the silhouette,” and how it could express her individuality. “I want to feel like myself,” she said, but she’s not expecting her look to be among those that will drive the photographers into a frenzy.
“I’m a designer and in the context of the Met, I’m not necessarily looking to stand out so much,” she said.
But she is dressing a number of the attendees, although she declined to name names, saying only: “It’s a great list.”
Some of those people may qualify as dandies themselves, a term that Wales Bonner defined as a person who is not afraid of creating a “bold expression.”
“But there’s a performative aspect to it as well,” she continued, pointing to people such as André Leon Talley, who was famous for his “amazing wardrobe and flamboyant style.”
Wales Bonner said she was planning to spend about a week in New York prior to the Met Gala and planned to check out some art around town when she’s not involved in pre-Met events. She also hosted an event at the Guggenheim New York on Saturday night called “Togetherness,” which celebrated Rashid Johnson’s solo exhibition “A Poem for Deep Thinkers.”
“I’ve got a full schedule,” she said.