Wales Bonner's FW22 Collection "Togetherness" Explores the Art of Craft
While also offering a first look at the designer’s next adidas Originals collaboration, presenting a Gazelle and Mary-Janes.
Grace Wales Bonner‘s eponymous label was meant to show in Paris Fashion Week for the season of Fall/Winter 2022, but that didn’t happen. Regardless, Wales Bonner‘s aptly-named “Togetherness” collection is here, punctuated by “artisanal knitwear, magical evening wear and technical sportswear” that sits alongside the next installment of the designer’s adidas Originals collaboration.
“Togetherness” is inspired by the American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and his wife the artist Moki Cherry, who spent much of their creative life in Sweden in the 1970s. Their music was more akin to performance art, taking place around the world in spiritual environments envisioned by Moki Cherry. As a result, Wales Bonner FW22 is injected with eclecticism: knitwear is rife, the attitude is relaxed, hand-crochet dresses and peacock-inspired men’s tailoring subverts the traditional connotations of eveningwear, and it’s all exactly what the designer has been gearing up to do: to explore her culture and infuse this with the concepts of traditional luxury.
Naturally, the result is nothing short of stunning. Double denim (which as Kanye West and Julia Fox have shown is big this season) is made using handwoven cotton made in Burkina Faso in West Africa, spanning the world of smart-casual with the adidas Originals Mary-Janes on the model’s feet (more on that later).
Elsewhere, slouchy loungewear is elevated in recycled cashmere, knitwear is bold and colorful in both print and texture, while pieces such as the natural tan-hued crochet dress features mirrors in the holes, similar to a wall hanging or the designs that Moki Cherry would decorate her spaces with.
The adidas Originals collaboration comprises Gazelles in jewel tones and a sporty Mary-Jane in shimmering brocade. Gazelles are retro in colors but have been given a new deconstructed aesthetic, while the Mary-Jane is a particular standout for Wales Bonner — and FW22 in general, seeing as the style has been interpreted by COMME des GARÇONS Homme Plus, JW Anderson, Fendi, and more.
Wales Bonner’s Mary-Jane also appears in clean tonal colors, but all of them are fitted with a sole unit similar to that of 032c’s GSG mule from 2021. Rounding out the collection is a film by Steven Traylor, shot in Los Angeles while also featuring Caleb Giles of Standing on the Corner, and a 360-degree moment that brings this all together. As Bonner explained to Vogue‘s Sarah Mower, she will be launching Togetherness, the record label, this year that will republish music (that isn’t digitally available) on vinyl.
Take a look at Wales Bonner’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection “Togetherness” in the gallery and video above.
In case you missed it, take a look backstage at NIGO’s debut KENZO show.
