Wales Bonner Spring 2024 Ad Campaign

Review of Wales Bonner ‘The Marathon’ Spring 2024 Ad Campaign by Photographer Malick Bodian with Talent Tamirat Tola, Yomif Kejelcha, and Lara Menezes

Wales Bonner carries forward an athletic legacy of endurance and inspiration with the new Spring 2024 campaign by photographer Malick Bodian.

Wales Bonner’s Spring 2024 collection paid homage to Ethiopia’s legacy of world-class distance runners, and in particular the legendary marathon runner Abebe Bikila, a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion, who famously won the Rome Olympics barefoot, and who continued to compete in table tennis and archery after his legs were paralyzed.

The campaign carries forward this legacy with a celebration of Ethiopia’s new generation of endurance running champions, with the cast highlighting two-time 3000 meter world champion Yomif Kejelcha and world champion marathon runner Tamirat Tola.

Bodian’s photographs of these distinct stars finds them in a moment of pause from their demanding training regimens as they take in the fashion capital. The bustling streets and iconic monuments of Paris create an energetic contrast to the introspective moods of both Tola and Kejelcha, who pose casually in Bonner’s idiosyncratic takes on tailoring and retro sportswear.

The combination of a uniquely meaningful casting choice with Bonner’s distinct design vision and the familiar streets of Paris makes for a one-of-a-kind fashion statement. Few brands that have been talked about as much as Wales Bonner has in recent years have such a unique perspective, and this campaign is another testament to the power of that vision.