Wales Bonner S/S 2018
Mood board: Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2014, Wales Bonner’s rich, vampy take on black queerness has inspired a raft of fashion editorials and street style mise-en-scènes. In 2015 she was awarded Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards and the following June received the prestigious LVMH Prize. Her esoteric approach has crafted a signature style rooted in cultural identity and intellectual interrogation. For S/S 2018 Bonner makes a much leaner proposition, designing through a more minimalist lens: ‘I didn’t want to hide behind anything,’ she said, ‘I was interested in subtlety. Sensuality, not sexuality.’ The collection is sexy in its stark tailoring; queer flourishes are pushed and tucked into luxurious, modern cuts. Fabrics explore the patina of wear as soft lambskin is sun-bleached and cottons are crushed.
Finishing touches: Shoes were in collaboration for the second time with Manolo Blahnik. The models each wore a version of a square-toed backless loafer in either high-shine or interwoven leather. Another style came in a crocodile textured skin with bright orange or blue panels, mirroring the stripes on slim-fitting trousers.
Sound bite: ‘I was thinking about black queer perspectives and a lot of my inspiration came from looking at literature,’ said Bonner. ‘Looking at the world through that kind of lens and thinking about sexuality and thinking about male relationships in every way. Carl Van Vechten’s homoerotic photography and Chris Ofili’s Blue Biceps painting from 2005 were two brilliant representations of the themes I was thinking about. And I love Hilton Als’ work. His essay about James Baldwin captured a lot of what I was thinking about.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
Three sleek new design showrooms you need to see in Los Angeles
Three international design showrooms have started a retail design boom in Los Angeles. Here are the stores to put on your radar
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Brutalism in film: the beautiful house that forms the backdrop to The Room Next Door
The Room Next Door's production designer discusses mood-boarding and scene-setting for a moving film about friendship, fragility and the final curtain
By Anne Soward Published
-
How Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids defined 1980s subculture with make-up
As Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids of 1980s London are celebrated in a new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, Isobel Van Dyke explores the hair and make-up looks that defined them
By Isobel Van Dyke Published
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019
By Dal Chodha Published
-
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine Rose
Though slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft Week
During London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimono
For the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
By Grace Cook Last updated
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
Christopher Kane A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated