SS24: Wales Bonner Goes the Distance

June 23, 2023

For the Spring 24 show at Paris Men's week, British designer Grace Wales Bonner followed in the footsteps of remarkable Ethiopian and Kenyan track runners. Marathon pays homage to inspired movement, soulful pursuits, and life’s many journeys.

Notes of holistic and ancestral practices present themselves in the pieces with handcrafted Tibeb fabrics woven by artisans in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. Wales Bonner highlights her Afro Atlantic spirit with hand-embroidered Raffia palm on skirts and vests, Macrame net vests, and skirts from beads in Ghanaian artisan glass. The sounds that radiate from each piece represents the Afro Atlantic’s unconscious rhythm and flow.

While Wales Bonner persists with her signature gradient stripes and sportswear finishes with adidas Original, she also achieves rawhide skirts, bouclé knitwear, calfskin riding boots from Italy in partnership with Himco, and sheepskin-lined loafers in partnership with UGG.

Text by Marisa Kalil-Barrino
Photos courtesy of Wales Bonner

Wales Bonner pays tribute to 2008 Berlin Marathon champion Haile Gebreselassie by replicating adidas Neftenga shoe in which he ran a world-record-breaking time. She also celebrates Africa’s first medalist at Rome’s 1960 Olympics; Abebe Bikila. Here, she applies Savile Row tailoring in partnership with Anderson and Shepard, draped satin dresses, and jade and carnelian necklaces to represent balance, serenity, and courage.

And it doesn’t stop at the clothes – Wales Bonner honors her culture through every aspect of the show, including music. Ancestral sounds can be heard from a soundtrack produced by James William Blades and Wales Bonner herself, a live performance by Ethiopian artist HaddinQo on the traditional Masinqo instrument, and a contribution from multi-instrumentalist Hama from Niger.

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