An Heirloom Quality
Review of Wales Bonner Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Eclectism without excess, sartorial traditions, cherished heirlooms.
When there are as many versions as there are definitions, of what luxury is today, truly honing in on what makes your brand ‘luxury’, without coming across as disingenuous, will become more difficult as time goes on and the goalposts continue to move.
But leave it to Grace Wales Bonner to coin (if I’m not mistaken) a new term to encompass exactly what her brand stands for, and how that in and of itself is why it should be seen through the lens of luxury. As was written in today’s notes (so as not to confuse the origin), ‘cultural luxury’ which in a nutshell translates as ‘infused European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit’.
Marking her first decade in business, spring 2026 expanded on the notion of ‘superfine style’ (akin to Pharrell Williams Louis Vuitton show yesterday, which brought to light dandyism from an Indian perspective). Here, the dandy’s influence was channeled through the ‘opulence of the 1930’s eveningwear’ while that very British style of sartorialism was ever present.
Wales Bonners’ collection always manages to communicate a timeworn feel that is reminiscent of clothing embedded with an heirloom quality, passed down through familial generations or responsible owners.
This is especially true of her collections of eveningwear, which naturally possesses a preciousness; this time around items as diverse as “a tailcoat of wool and silk [which] is produced in collaboration with Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard,” hold as much inherent value as a silver embellished chiffon blouse. Both speaking to that preciousness suggested in today’s show title ‘Jewel’ and the poem by Nikki Giovanni tucked within the notes exclaiming of the production of that most rare and valuable jewel – the black pearl “I…spun a universe inside with a black pearl of immeasurable worth”.
This is a wardrobe for the collectors, with each look feeling intentional and not simply included as a tick-box exercise. Velvet collar crombies, aged denim, wing-tip silk shirts, and check linens, heightened with precious adornments – mismatched pearl necklaces and ‘diamond baobab-flower brooches’, topped off with berets by master milliner Stephen Jones.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
While others sought to simplify, Wales Bonner sought to add soul.
The path Grace Wales Bonner has chosen is not to create clothes from the rarest of materials to justify an inflated price tag; instead these are clothes you want to take home, love, and then preserve for those who will inhabit them next.
The brand, outside of its adidas collaboration, which brought it into the consciousness of a broader fan base, for spring 2026 is looking to characters who will love the clothes as much as she does. Sans excess or gaudy embellishments every piece feels like it wants to be taken home and loved, or ‘pre-loved’ until its next owner.
